Sun Ping, one of China's top performing artists of Peking Opera, receives an honorary doctorate from Chapman University, a prestigious private university in Orange County, California on May 21, 2016. The honor is for her achievements in Peking Opera and her contribution to the development and promotion of the ancient art. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sun Ping, a veteran Peking Opera actress and educator, was made a of Doctor of Arts honoris causa by California’s Chapman University on May 21.

She was recognized for her “significant contributions to cultural and artistic exchanges through Peking Opera performances and lectures around the world… (leaving an) indelible mark nationally and internationally… (and) for better intercultural understanding, and peace and harmony among cultures and civilizations.”

Chapman University, based in Orange, California, is among the US’ top higher educational institutions in performing arts.

This is the first time a Chinese Peking Opera artist is receiving the degree of doctor honoris causa from a renowned university on the West Coast of the United States since Peking Opera guru Mei Lanfang was given such a title by the University of Southern California in 1930.

Sun, the director of the Center for National Drama Studies at Renmin University and dean of the Institute for the Arts of Beijing Foreign Studies University, has been the country’s key promoter of Peking Opera in the US and Europe since the 1990s.

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