Washington, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US First Lady Melania Trump and Madame Peng Liyuan visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, where they explored American and Chinese works before meeting students from the local area.
The two women were taken through the museum’s collections by Jan Stuart, Melvin R. Seiden Curator of Chinese Art, and Chase Robinson, director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art.
Their tour included the Peacock Room, an elaborate interior created by American artist James McNeill Whistler in 1876-77 and influenced by Chinese porcelain and Japanese design. The room combines painting, architecture and decorative art, with blue, green and gold tones and prominent peacock motifs.
They also viewed an 18th-century Chinese porcelain vase from the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty. Made in Jingdezhen, the vase features colourful famille rose enamel decoration, along with gold and iron-red detailing over a pale glaze. It forms part of the Freer Gallery of Art collection.
The museum said the visit concluded with a performance by a youth choir from Hope Chinese School. The students performed “Jasmine Flower” and “Songs & Smiles” for Melania Trump and Peng.
The programme brought together two works representing different aspects of Asian artistic influence and exchange. Whistler’s Peacock Room reflects the impact of Asian objects and aesthetics on a 19th-century American artist, while the Chinese vase represents imperial-era craftsmanship displayed in a US museum.
The Peacock Room was purchased by American collector Charles Lang Freer in 1904 and moved from London to the United States. It has been a centrepiece of the Washington museum since 1923.
The vase dates to the 18th century, during the reign of the Qianlong emperor, when Jingdezhen was a major centre of Chinese porcelain production. The visit highlighted the museum’s collections while placing art, cultural heritage and young people at the centre of the programme.
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