For a century, China Institute of America has been dedicated to deepening the world’s understanding of China. In celebration of their Centennial, SummerStage brings two takes on the future sounds of Chinese pop to Central Park. The K-pop boy band NCT is so massive that it’s become its own ecosystem, spinning off members into their own sub-groups that establish their own voice. WayV are the fourth such to spin off—and its first China-based collective—recording pop songs that fuse hip-hop and dance with R&B-stylized vocals sung in Mandarin since their 2019 debut EP The Vision. They’re joined by THE EITHER, formed in New York in 2017. Their sound — Post-Orientalism — rebuilds Eastern elements for today, blending electrified traditional instruments, Chinese opera-inspired vocals, progressive rock energy, and compositions with a strong Eastern melodic identity into a bold, future-facing performance.