Article by Yvonne Lo
Photo credit Niko and XiaoXiao Li
The Museum of Chinese in American (MOCA) celebrated its annual gala last Thursday, November 14th at Cipriani 42nd street. The formal black tie, festive Chinese dress optional, event was themed to celebrate Titans and Tastemakers in culture, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. The honorees of MOCA’s Lifetime Achievement Awards were Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (108th Mayor of the City of New York) and Pei-Yuan Chia (Chairman, Chia Family Foundation, Inc.). The honorees of MOCA’s Legacy Awards were Ming Tsai (Celebrity Chef and Host, Simply Ming) and Wang Yannan (Director and President, China Guardian Auctions Co. Ltd.).The emcees of the night were playwright David Henry Hwang and TV anchor Betty Liu.
The event drew a spirited crowd of over 570 guests and raised over 1.5 million, a museum record. The evening was a glamorous mixture of NYC’s downtown and uptown personalities, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and creative forces. The evening’s program opened with remarks by Anla Cheng, Susan Ryan Kessler (Gala Co-Chairs) and Patricia P. Tang (Chair, MOCA Board of Trustees), followed by the dinner and awards program. The dinner menu featured a special culinary creation by internationally acclaimed chef Susur Lee. The entertainment of the night was performed by Le Zahng and Huang Ruo of Ensemble FIRE.
The honorees of the lifetime achievement awards included Michael R. Bloomberg, who was presented his award by Maya Lin (Secretary, MOCA Board of Trustees); and Vera Wang; Pei-Yuan Chia, who was presented his award by Victor Menezes (Former Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup). Honorees of the Legacy Awards included Wang Yannan, who was presented her award by Patricia P. Tang; and Ming Tsai who was presented his award by Anla Cheng.
Notable attendees included Arnold Chang, Tom Finklepearl, Betty Liu, Gu Wenda, Carolyn Hsu, John Hatfield, David Henry Hwang, Patricia Harris, Chiu-Ti Jansen, Derek Lam and Jan Schlottmann, Susur Lee, Gayle Ong, Patricia and Tom Shia, Ambassador Guoxiang Sun, Mark di Suvero, Oscar Tang, and BD Wong.
Gala Committee Members in attendance were Sharon Bush, Karen Hsu, Carolyn Hsu-Balcer, Michelle Koo, Derek Lam, Marie and Shau-Wai Lam, Emily and Anthony Limpe, Gwynne and P.H. Tuan, Miranda Wong Tang, Lulu Wang, Vera Wang, Nina and Tim Zagat.
Consul General: Sun Guoxiang
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