U.S. Embassy & Consulates
in China

Welcome to the Residence of the United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.

We are pleased to inaugurate our new art exhibition at the Residence as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies.

This year, we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the construction of the Residence, which coincided with the opening of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing following President Nixon’s historic visit here in 1972.

The first occupants of the house were veteran American diplomat David K. E. Bruce and his wife, Mrs. Evangeline Bruce. They raised the American flag in the Residence courtyard in July 1973 when the house and adjoining U.S. Liaison Office were completed.

They were followed in 1974 by George H. W. Bush and his wife, Mrs. Barbara Bush, who lived here in the last days of the Mao Zedong regime. Given their extraordinary work in Beijing and his subsequent service as President and Vice President, we will soon officially rename the Residence after President George H. W. and Barbara Bush.

The official rooms on the Residence’s first floor display an exhibition of American art that we assembled with the assistance of Art in Embassies Curator Claire D’Alba. We both grew up in New England and have our family home in Westport on the South Coast of Massachusetts. We love this region, whose rural beauty and landscapes, maritime history, ever-changing light, and distinct seasons inspire and enrich our lives.

Our art exhibition features the work of an extraordinary group of New England artists who paint the sea, local farms, and modern life in our region. We have a personal connection to the majority of them. Arriving in the reception hall, you will be greeted by the colorful composition of Heidi Baxter, who lives and works in Little Compton, Rhode Island. As you sign our guest book, please take a close look at Peter Aldrich’s iconic view of Fenway Park, our cathedral of baseball in Boston and home of Nick’s beloved Red Sox.

In the living room, take in two beautiful paintings by Westport artist Debra Valeri, one of our town’s beaches, the other an autumnal view of the Westport River.

The living room also includes two bright, vibrant, and colorful abstract compositions by the late Emily Mason, who was inspired by the natural beauty of her farm in Vermont. Hanging over the piano is a painting of New Bedford harbor by Westport artist Dora Atwater Millikin.

Drawing you into the dining room is the energetic work Rider by Vermont painter Eric Aho.

The dining room features two abstract compositions by Westport artist William Kendall. We have another beautiful Kendall painting in the foyer above the staircase.

We are very fortunate to have three historical paintings of the United States’ first encounter with China in Canton at the end of the eighteenth century. These three magnificent paintings were loaned to us by the incomparable Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Finally, as both of us are passionate about the need to combat climate change, we are grateful for the work of Mary Kocol in the reception hall and of Courtney Mattison in the U.S. Embassy lobby, which depict both the natural beauty and the degradation of our environment.

In addition to this exhibition of New England art, the residence also features a permanent collection of Hudson River School paintings of mid-nineteenth-century America and of Native American life.

Throughout the Residence, you will find a rich variety of Chinese ceramics and porcelain donated by former Ambassador to China Winston Lord and Mrs. Bette Bao Lord.

We are very grateful for the generosity and vision of all who made this exhibition possible, including Karina Corrigan, Curator of Asian Export Art at the Peabody Essex Museum; the Emily Mason Foundation; the Miles McEnery Gallery; the Gallery NAGA in Boston; and our many artistic friends who share our love of the South Coast.

We warmly welcome you to our Residence and invite you to enjoy this impressive exhibition of the art of the South Coast of Massachusetts and beyond.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns and Ms. Elizabeth Baylies

Beijing, China

April 2023