Its work is focused on promoting Chinese culture and history through talks, business initiatives, language immersion programs, and gallery exhibitions.

[2][3][4] China Institute was founded in 1926 by a group of American and Chinese educators—including educational philosopher John Dewey of Columbia University and Chinese educator Hu Shih (later president of Beijing University and China's ambassador to the U.S.)[5] China Institute is believed to be the oldest educational organization devoted solely to Chinese culture, and has drawn one million visitors in its nearly hundred years of existence.

[6][7][8] Following the 1949 establishment of the People's Republic of China, the organization lost many of its ties to the Chinese mainland.

[8] In 2015, China Institute announced plans to move from the Upper East Side to Lower Manhattan the following year.

[7] The new space at 100 Washington Street opened in November 2016, coinciding with the gallery's fiftieth anniversary.