1 Empress Place Singapore 179555

www.acm.org.sg

MEDIA INVITATION

OVER 300 OBJECTS ON DISPLAY IN

ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM’S

NEW GALLERY OF

Dear Editor,

Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) specially invites you to go on a Director’s Tour of its new gallery of Chinese Ceramics.

2. The gallery presents a wide range of Chinese ceramics, from earthenware made for ritual burial in tombs to the finest from the Imperial kilns. The display spans 333 sq m, an area that includes Level 3 of the museum’s new Kwek Hong Png Wing. Interpretive materials explore how ceramics were made, used, and valued throughout Chinese history.

3. Key highlights include

(i) The display of the lustrous white , including lively and delightfully modelled figures, produced at the Dehua kilns in province. The ACM’s large collection of is one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world.

(ii) A selection of exquisite Song dynasty ceramics from the Edmond Chin collection, including extremely rare examples of Guan (official) kiln ware. The five classic wares of the Song dynasty – , Jun, Ru, Guan, and Ge – have been prized by emperors, scholars, and collectors since their inception.

(iii) Vase with a chrysanthemum base – This vase is an artistic tour-de- force, with the solid body of the vessel contrasting with the apparently fragile flower underneath. It reflects a blend of native Han and Central Asian taste – another example is from 12th-century Hebei under the Liao dynasty.

(iv) Flute – Porcelain flutes were rare and luxurious versions of musical instruments normally carved from bamboo. This one is especially unusual for the inscription 鳳鳴 (Call of the Phoenix) on the end. Only one or two in a hundred porcelain flutes are said to be in tune, and we are still waiting for a master flutist to give ours a try.

(v) Chrysanthemum dish – The Yongzheng Emperor took a strong personal interest in porcelain, and this dish painted with butterflies and chrysanthemum is a fine example of Yongzheng fencai (“soft colours”) porcelain in the world. The delicate brushstrokes of the painter were inspired by the bird-and-flower style of painting then popular at the Qing court, and the dish was obviously meant to be appreciated by high arbiters of taste and culture in China.

4 Come join Dr Alan Chong, Director of Asian Civilisations Museum, on this exclusive tour where he shares stories about the objects on display and insights into the challenges faced installing the new gallery.

Details as follows:

Date: Monday, 9 May 2016 Time: 10.30am Venue: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place

Kindly RSVP by Friday, 6 May 2016 to Ms Shari at [email protected]/ 96702037

Thank you.

Media Programme: Time Activity 10.30am Media Registration ACM lobby 10.45am Introduction by Dr Alan Chong Director for Asian Civilisations Museum

Sharing by Conan Cheong Curator for Ceramics gallery

10.55am Director’s Tour Dr Alan Chong shares stories about the objects on display and insights into the challenges faced installing the new gallery.

12.30pm END -END-

For Immediate Release

For media enquiries, please contact:

Sharinita Ismail Assistant Director Asian Civilisations Museum/ Peranakan Museum DID: 6332 7592 HP: 96702037 Email: [email protected]

-END-

Asian Civilisations Museum

The Asian Civilisations Museum is devoted to exploring the rich artistic heritage of Asia, especially the ancestral cultures of Singaporeans. Founded in 1993 and in its present building by the Singapore River since 2003, the museum traces its roots to the Raffles Museum, founded in the middle of the 19th century. ACM focuses on the many historical connections between the cultures of Asia, and between Asia and the world. Singapore’s history as a port city that brought people together from all over the world is used as a means of examining the history of Asia. Special exhibitions bring magnificent objects from around the world to our Singapore audience. Programmes like the annual River Nights encourage visitors to connect more closely with culture and the arts.

For more information, visit www.acm.org.sg.

The Asian Civilisations Museum is an institution of