The Serica Initiative
Promoting mutual understanding between China, the United States, and the rest of the world
Welcome to the Serica Initiative! Here at Serica, we convene global philanthropists, foundations, nonprofits, academics, policymakers, and investors who are making a positive impact in the U.S.-China space to inspire each other along our organization’s mission: to promote education and dialogue between the U.S., China, and the rest of the world. Serica is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization powered by SupChina, our sister for-profit media company.
U.S.-China relations stand at a vital juncture. This relationship is more challenging than most of us can remember in our lifetimes. Yet, opportunities for China and America to collaborate on some of the world’s most pressing issues — climate change, healthcare, pandemics, education, among others —continue to abound. Such efforts are also more necessary than ever. The world’s two most powerful countries must work together in these areas for action-focused, meaningful, and sustainable solutions going forward.
We must think boldly about what the U.S.-China relationship can — and should — be. Join Serica in our mission, and explore the social impact YOU can make in the U.S.-China space. Your involvement is more important, and can make a greater impact, than ever: there is so much work to be done together.
The Serica Initiative welcomes collaborations, on an individual and institutional basis. Please contact Josephine Lau, Serica’s Executive Director, at [email protected] to explore potential ways to work together.
Doing Well x Doing Good Initiative
The Serica Initiative’s ongoing Doing Well x Doing Good series examines the intersection of business and social impact in the U.S.-China space. What does it mean for each of us to do well, professionally and personally? And how do we do good and make a positive social impact in the larger world around us, while doing well in our own lives? What are the most exciting opportunities to to do well and do good between the U.S. and China — and what kind of intentional vision do we need to make the biggest social impact possible?
Join Serica’s Doing Well x Doing Good series to explore these questions and more with our community, and to envision the social impact YOU would like to make between America and China.
Previous speakers in this series have included, among others: Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities; Amy Chua, John M. Duff, Jr. Professor at Yale Law School and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother; Jenny Shi, director, producer, and cinematographer of the Finding Yingying documentary, recognized at film festivals including SXSW, DOC NYC, and the Chicago International Film Festival; Virginia Tan, Founding Partner and CEO of Teja Ventures, emerging Asia’s first gender lens VC fund; and Chris Marquis, Samuel C. Johnson Professor of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University.
To stay on top of Serica’s latest Doing Well x Doing Good events, please email [email protected].
Title
Doing Well x Doing Good
Serica’s ongoing “Doing Well x Doing Good” event series examines the intersection of business and social impact in the U.S.-China space.
Past Events
Title
The China Impact Newsletter
Serica’s bi-monthly newsletter is dedicated to mapping and understanding the landscape of the U.S.-China philanthropy and nonprofit spaces.
Each newsletter highlights a few outstanding developments in U.S.-China philanthropy, organized around a key theme, as well as an expert interview with a key policymaker or leader in the field. The Serica newsletter showcases the bilateral and multilateral implications of realizing the full potential of global philanthropic partnerships between China and the U.S. through reporting and storytelling.
Past Issues
Latest Articles on Philanthropy & Nonprofit in China
‘Shang-Chi’ changes script on Asian masculinity in time of increased anti-Asian hate
The release of ‘Shang-Chi’ during the pandemic is of no small import, as anti-Asian sentiment and incidences of anti-Asian hate in the U.S. and around the world continues to rise at an alarming rate.
‘Beyond Shang-Chi’: Panel discussion on superheroes, masculinity, and Asian American representation
“At whatever point people want to contribute to the conversation and to the elevation, I think there are many moving parts. And that’s I think, again, that’s exciting. Because if you don’t want to be in front of a camera and you don’t want to work for a studio, there’s a lot of other things that people can do to move that needle. I call upon everybody to do that. We do need all hands on deck in my opinion,” says Minji Chang, actor, producer, and entrepreneur.
Chinese tech philanthropy in the age of ‘common prosperity’
In China, tech companies are facing particular pressure to showcase social responsibility. Xi Jinping acknowledged that the “new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is giving a strong impetus to economic development.” However, he also pointed out that its negative effects on employment and income distribution need to be “effectively addressed and resolved.”
‘Far East Deep South’: Panel discussion on the history and evolution of Afro-Chinese relations in America
“There has to be an intentional effort on both parts to bring our communities and understanding together. I think the more we can have real relationships between our communities, the more we realize that we have more in common than we do differences, and the more we can see each other in a positive light,” says Larissa Lam, Director of Far East Deep South.
“The Silent Minority No More: Raising Awareness of Anti-AAPI Hate” A prelude
The Silent Minority No More: Raising Awareness of Anti-AAPI Hate
We’ve all seen the recent headlines of rising anti-Asian hate. Who are the Asian Americans being affected by all this? Do you know their names and stories?
The Serica Initiative’s short film, The Silent Minority No More: Raising Awareness of Anti-AAPI Hate, will bring you the human stories and faces behind this year’s headlines of rising anti-AAPI hate. Asian Americans have long been the silent minority — lumped as the eternal, anonymous foreigner. Our film will go beyond the headlines, and showcase the personal stories of Asians across America.
Join us as we weave through the alleys of New York’s Chinatown and talk to recent immigrants; sit down with Asian students and university presidents to chat about what’s on the minds of the next generation; visit business leaders to hear how Asian Americans are faring in the corridors of power; grab an up-close look at the art of Asian creatives, as they amplify the AAPI community’s cultural influence; and much more.
Scientists in the Crosshairs: Short Films by the Serica Initiative
Scientists in the Crosshairs: Short Films by the Serica Initiative
In November 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the China Initiative, a program designed to combat Chinese espionage. The campaign placed U.S.-based scientists and researchers of ethnic Chinese origin under increased and often unwarranted scrutiny.
In response, the Serica Initiative, with the generous support of our donors and powered by SupChina, produced two short films to raise awareness of these issues. The 20-minute film, Scientists in the crosshairs: How to avoid getting snared in the U.S. crackdown on ‘China Ties,’ offers practical advice for Chinese scientists on how to respond to such discrimination. A 7-minute film, The China Initiative: The Ethnic Targeting of Chinese Scientists and the Subsequent Brain Drain, aims to educate the general public on these developments and their broader context.
Title
The Sinica Podcast West Coast Series
The Sinica Podcast is among the most popular podcasts on current affairs in China. In 2020, Sinica celebrated its tenth anniversary and has recorded over 500 podcasts to date. Every week, co-hosts Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn sit down with experts on China in fields ranging from business, technology, geopolitics to the law for scintillating conversations on recent China developments and their global implications.
Sinica regularly features content from prominent China experts on the East Coast, including industry leaders, former diplomats, journalists, and other influential China specialists. With a generous donation from the Long Family Foundation, Sinica took its show to the West Coast, exploring new territory.
This West Coast series included: an in-depth interview with Gary Locke, former U.S. ambassador to China and Governor of Washington State; a wide-ranging conversation with Janet Yang, a Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winning Hollywood producer whose credits include The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Over the Moon; a dialogue with former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul on developments in China and Russia; and a discussion with UCLA Law Professor Alex Wang, on collaborations between California and China to tackle climate change.
Interested in bringing your voice and ideas on U.S.-China to our engaged audience? Contact Serica’s Executive Director, Josephine Lau, at [email protected] to explore potential collaborations.
Sponsors and Donors
Our Partner Organizations
