Reflections and Impact on Xiang Li’s 2025 Exhibition at the New England Botanic Garden
November 30, 2025 · Fei Wu
Some seasons stay with you forever.
The summer and fall of 2025—when Xiang Li’s Chinese Empresses collection came to life among the gardens, ponds, and winding paths of the New England Botanic Garden—was one of those seasons.
For four months, more than 66,000 visitors walked through the Milton and Fern Galleries, pausing before silk murals that glowed with mineral pigments and centuries-old stories. They stood quietly, sometimes alone, sometimes as families, sometimes hand-in-hand.
They traced the outlines of empresses whose names they had never heard, yet somehow felt connected to. They leaned in to admire the intricate robes, delicate botanicals, and the subtle way each painting carried its own floral symbolism, an entire emotional universe contained in silk.
What we witnessed was not merely an exhibition but a meeting point: between cultures, between generations, between modern curiosity and ancient history, between art and the natural world. And at the center of it all was Xiang Li, an artist who has dedicated more than four decades to honoring the women who shaped dynasties but were rarely celebrated.
When Art Blooms in a Garden
Placing the 200+ empresses in a botanic setting felt almost predestined.
Each empress in Xiang Li’s collection carries a flower, sometimes softly, sometimes boldly, echoing her temperament, power, or legacy. Inside the Garden, surrounded by thousands of living plants, this symbolism expanded. Visitors often remarked that the paintings felt “at home,” as if the empresses were stepping forward from their own imperial gardens to greet guests.
One visitor said quietly to me,
“I didn’t expect to cry today.”
And yet it happened often.
That is the power of art meeting place.
A Partnership Rooted in Gratitude
This exhibition was made possible through the support and kindness of many people.
Becca Darrouzet, Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the New England Botanic Garden, shared a beautiful impact report summarizing what this show meant to the Garden and its community.
From her report:
- 66,385 visitors experienced Chinese Empresses by Xiang Li between June 14 – October 12, 2025.
- The Garden’s webpage featuring the exhibition received 15,451 views.
- The show reached NEBG’s 165,000-person social media audience and appeared in four of the Garden’s monthly newsletters.
- Recognition will appear in NEBG’s 2026 Annual Report.
Most touching of all, the Garden described the exhibition as one that allowed visitors to “engage deeply in the rich artistic and cultural heritage it celebrates” and “honors the unsung women who shaped dynasties.”
For our family, and especially for my mother, those words meant the world.
A Daughter’s Reflection
Every exhibition teaches me something new about my mother. But this one? It taught me what happens when a lifetime of devotion finally meets its audience.
I watched people stand before her murals and whisper:
- “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
- “These women look powerful.”
- “I wish I learned this in school.”
- “This reminds me of my mother, my sister, my teacher, my friend”
Children pressed their faces closer to the glass. Older visitors asked detailed questions about Chinese history. Some simply stood and breathed.
And I thought to myself:
This is what it means for art to live on.
Not through ownership or transaction—but through connection.
The Legacy Continues
We are deeply grateful to the New England Botanic Garden for opening their doors, their hearts, and their community to the empresses. This exhibition, more than a decade in the making, became one of the most meaningful chapters in Xiang Li Art’s journey.
It also reaffirmed our mission:
To honor women through art, to bridge cultures without boundaries, and to share Chinese history in ways that feel alive and human.
As we look ahead to upcoming exhibitions, partnerships, and educational collaborations, we hold tight to the memories of this past season—a season in which thousands of people discovered beauty, strength, and inspiration among silk scrolls and blooming gardens.
From our family to yours,
thank you for walking this path with us.
— Fei Wu, Feisworld & Xiang Li Art