THE CHINESE CULTURAL CENTER OF AMERICA Des Moines, Iowa

Vision and Impact

    The Chinese Cultural Center of America was formed as a 501©(3) not for profit organization with the mission to foster improved friendship and economic ties between East Asia and America. Based on Iowa-the-well-known "Heartland of America"—and guided by a distinguished International Advisory Board that includes Architect I. M. Pei, Nobel Laureates Norman Borlaug, T. D. Lee and C. N. Yang, the Chinese Cultural Center of America is preparing now to undertake a project of worldwide significance. There are no models of such a center. In all ways the Chinese Cultural Center of America will be unique.

    Iowa has an opportunity to add greatly to the diverse cultural offerings and vibrant quality of life in central Iowa, to provide a mechanism to help Iowans understand and increasingly global and connected society, and to assist the economic development of our state. This opportunity is the Chinese Cultural Center of America (CCCA), proposed on a site leased from the City of Des Moines on the east bank of the Des Moines River, 500 ft. south of Interstate 35. The CCCA will be a cultural focus for the grandness of Chinese art, culture, and food ways. It will be the first and only distribution center for world-class traveling exhibitions of Chinese Art and Archaeological treasures in the U.S. on a continuous basis. It will become a great attraction for Iowans as well as for tourists to Des Moines from the surrounding states in the midwest. Additionally, given the nature of Chinese polity, economy, and society, the CCCA can also be a great help to efforts of internationally minded Iowa companies as they seek a share of the expanding Chinese domestic economy. The CCCA Building houses a Trade Liaison Office and a business library containing computer database and electronic retrieving system disseminating the most current information about Chinese domestic business and international trade.
 

Dr. Shao, Architecture, ISU

The Design     The 30,000 square foot Chinese of America building is designed in elegant classical Chinese style, surrounded by rock and water gardens with waterfalls cascading into the Des Moines River—the facility itself being a manifestation of Chinese culture. Approvals have been received from Federal, State and City authorities for the building site and architectural plans.

    When construction of the facility is completed by 2002, the Chinese Cultural Center of America will commence operations under five major functions:

1. Serve as a unique exhibition facility to organize world-class exhibitions of Chinese and East Asian archaeological treasures, art, architecture garden designs, and cultural artifacts:
2. Serve as an organizer of blockbuster traveling exhibitions to tour major museums in North America with a purpose of improved Sino-American understanding;
3. Serve as an educational institution to promote teaching, research, and learning about China and East Asia;
4. Serve as a host and organizer of major music, dance, and other performances by leading Chinese artists and experts.
5. Serve as a liaison and information center between American businesses with interests in China and the appropriate Chinese agencies and/or counterparts.

The Business Plan

    The goal of the CCCA Business Plan is to generate diversified revenue streams sufficient to self-sustain operations and to provide a surplus to help underwrite all components of the center. The plan encompasses six income-generating sources:

1. A distribution operation that broker world class traveling exhibitions of Chinese and East Asian art and archaeological practices to tour major museums in North America and Europe.
2. A multi-purpose facility to accommodate (Blockbuster exhibitions and cultural performances from China and East Asia)
3. An antique high end gift shop which features authentic Chinese and East Asian antiques and top of the line art and crafts.
4. A gallery which represents major traditional as well as modern East Asian artists.
5. A Chinese restaurant featuring a popular Chinese menus which is complemented periodically with authentic delicacies by visiting master chefs from China.
6. Educational and cultural classes, seminars and tours which serve both the general public as well as the business communities. Additionally, an endowment goal has been set as part of the campaign in order to create a reserve fund for operations.

The Campaign

    Because the business plan approaches the operations of the Center as self-sustaining, except for the reserve endowment component of the campaign, all dollars raised will be for actual construction of the Center at its site on the banks of the Des Moines River. In addition to opportunities for general participation in the campaign and the appropriate public recognition, a variety of underwriting leadership opportunities will be available for major partners in the Center’s campaign. Exhibits, the gardens, the museum, and the Center itself will provide naming opportunities for the interested donors.

    The campaign goal is $6.5 million, of which $500,ooo is for the endowment and $6,000,000 is for construction. The Robert Hartsook and Associates of Wichita and Phoenix, a well –established fund-raising consulting firm, completed a campaign assessment study for the CCCA in late January 1998. They positively concluded that the CCCA can raise the $6.5 million on account of its unique and innovative features. The phased work of the project provides the opportunity for multi-year pledges of support.
 

Commitments to Date

    The project has a number of commitments to date which indicate significant support for the development of the Chinese Cultural Center of America.

1. By vote of the Des Moines City Council, 1.7 acres of prime real estate along the Des Moines River will be leased to the Center for a renewable period of twenty years for $1.00 a year. The CCCA project has been approved as being consistent with the "Destination Downtown Plan" which currently guides civic improvements.
2. A ten year exhibition plan has been negotiated through the Chinese government and the relevant cultural institutions which cover the full range of cultural treasures of China and provide an ongoing touring opportunity coordinated by the Center staff.
3. The Iowa Legislature approved $150,000 to be applied to project start-up costs for the FY 1997-1998 through the State Department of Economic Development.
4. Major corporations in Iowa have made substantial pledges as well as provided seed moneys for the CCCA.

Truly, the Chinese Cultural Center of America has been identified early on as a public/private partnership in support of enhanced cultural understanding and economic development. The construction of the Chinese Cultural Center of America will position all of Iowa through its capitol city to take a great leap forward in strengthening cultural and economic ties between East Asia and Iowa.