2016: Asia Society's Year in Pictures

December 27th, 2016

Dancers perform during the regional premier of H.T. Chen & Dancer’s ‘South of Gold Mountain,’ at Asia Society Texas on May 31, 2016. The piece pays tribute to Chinese immigrants who settled in the deep south. (Asia Society/Lynn Lane Photography)

HE Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar arrives at Asia Society New York for a discussion on her country's development and continued way forward in New York on September 21, 2016. The event was part of a series of discussions in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly. (Asia Society/Ellen Wallop)

Noh drummer Shonosuke Okura and actress Karen Kandel appear in a performance of 'Recycling: Washi Tales' at Asia Society New York on March 24, 2016. (Asia Society/Ellen Wallop)

Sin May Roy-Zao, daughter of abstract artist Zao Wou-Ki with architect I.M. Pei during a preview of Asia Society Museum’s ‘No Limits: Zao Wou-Ki’ exhibition at Asia Society New York on September 8, 2016. (Elena Olivo/Asia Society)

Dr. Ankeney Weitz, the Ellerton M. and Edith K. Jetté professor of art at Colby College and co-curator of the 'No Limits: Zao Wou-Ki' exhibition leads a group of members on a tour of the exhibition in New York on September 12, 2016. (Asia Society/Ellen Wallop)

Asia Society launches the Center for Global Education at Asia Society New York on September 22, 2016 with a who's who in the education field. Top row (L-R) : CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences and Center for Global Education (CGE) Advisor Ellis Rubinstein, Chancellor of NYU Shanghai and CGE Co-Chair Yu Lizhong, Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran, Asia Society Trustee and CGE Advisor J. Frank Brown, Vice President of Education at Asia Society Tony Jackson, Dean of Educational Initiatives at

Minister of Education of New Zealand and CGE Advisor Hekia Parata chats with Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For All, at a luncheon as part of the launch of the Center for Global Education at Asia Society New York on September 22, 2016. (Asia Society/Ellen Wallop)

K-Pop group Hello Venus welcomes the #Asia21Leaders Class of 2016 with a special performance during the opening dinner of the Asia 21 Summit at the Lotte Hotel, hosted by Asia Society Korea Center in Seoul on December 7, 2016. (Asia Society/Marco Devon/ Greg Samborski)

Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, and Zhang Xin, CEO of SOHO China, share a laugh during a special conversation about female leadership and their personal and professional journey to success in New York on September 29, 2016. (Asia Society/Elsa Ruiz)

Asia Society President Emeritus Robert Oxnam, Asia Society Global Co-Chair Ronnie Chan, Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran, Asia Society President Emeritus Nicholas Platt, and Asia Society Policy Institute President Kevin Rudd discuss the institution's 60-year history on October 25, 2016. (Asia Society/Elsa Ruiz)

Emiko Saraswati Susilo, director of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, performs during Asia Society Northern California’s annual open house event on September 23, 2016 in San Francisco. (Asia Society/Stesha Marcon).

Asia Society Switzerland Chairman Adrian T. Keller gives remarks during the launch of Asia Society’s first European center in Zurich, Switzerland on January 18, 2016. (Asia Society/David Biedert)

Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Korea James Choi discusses the current state of Australia-Korea relations as part of Asia Society Australia’s ‘Policy Briefing’ series in Sydney on November 23, 2016. (Asia Society/Ellis Cowan)

Filipina Congresswoman Geraldine Roman, the country's first transgender politician, giving a keynote address at Asia Society’s Diversity Leadership Forum on June 10, 2016 in New York. (Asia Society/Ellen Wallop)

Museum-goers try their hand at using the chakpur, a traditional Tibetan tool used to create sand mandalas, at Asia Society Texas on August 25, 2016. Asia Society Texas hosted Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery in India to create the mandala in addition to other performances. (Asia Society/Nikki Tripp)

2016 Asia Game Changer and Iraqi cellist Karim Wasfi plays a moving piece at the Asia Game Changer Awards Gala at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on October 27, 2016. (Asia Society/Ellen Wallop)

Renowned architect I.M. Pei (seated, middle) is photographed with his family as he accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 Asia Game Changer Awards gala at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on October 27, 2016. (Asia Society/Jamie Watts)

(L-R) Writer, director, and producer, Cao Baoping, Chinese Cultural Attache at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles Wang Jin, and Chairman Asia Society Southern California Thomas McLain pose during the 2016 U.S.-China Film Gala Dinner held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel on November 2, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. (Asia Society/ Capture Imaging)

An outdoor site-specific presentation of Shen Wei’s Untitled No. 32 (Bodies and Rooftop, 2016), which premiered on the roof garden of Asia Society Hong Kong’s center on March 24, 2016. (Asia Society/)

Houstonians celebrate at Asia Society Texas’ annual night market, which featured food and handmade crafts from over 40 local vendors on October 25, 2016. (Asia Society/Jessica Ngo)

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2016 marked another colorful year for Asia Society’s three pillars of policy, education, and arts across its 12 centers around the world. The institution celebrated key milestones including our 60th anniversary and launch of a brand new center in Zurich. As we look forward to 2017, let's take a look back through the camera lens at our favorite photos from the past 12 months.

2016 year in review

aung sang suu kyi

northern california

southern california

us china film summit

2016 year in photos

About the Author

Michelle FlorCruz is a Content Producer at Asia Society. She was previously a reporter for IBTimes.com, focusing on stories relating to business and culture in China and other areas of Asia.

@mflorcruz