Juilliard awards first lady honorary doctorate

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping and a well-known soprano, received an honorary doctorate from the Juilliard School at China Conservatory of Music in Beijing on Dec 6, according to the conservatory's website.

Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi, who conferred the honorary degree on Peng, delivered a speech at the ceremony, saying that it was not only in recognition of Peng's accomplishments as an artist but also for her contribution to cultural exchanges between China and the United States.

Peng, an alumna of the conservatory, said at the ceremony on Wednesday: "This is an honor not only for myself, but also for Chinese folk music. It exemplifies the increasingly closer cultural exchanges between China and the United States. I hope cooperation between art schools and organizations of the two countries will be deepened in the future."