A zealous Chinese culture promoter in US

Palm Beach museum curator manages to infuse a love of Chinese art in an all-American town

Laurie Barnes is one of the few people who get to do what they love, and get paid for it. She has worked for decades as a curator to promote Chinese art in Palm Beach, a southern Florida town where not so many Chinese people live. And yet Barnes, in her 60s now, feels rewarded for helping American people understand China a little more every day.

"I tell people that the 20th century is the American century, the 19th century was the British century, but the 21st century is going to be the Chinese century. So I think everyone in the world should be interested in Chinese culture because it's China's time," said Barnes.