The Asian Civilisations Museum ACM for short, in Singapore is a tribute to the rich cultures that make up the city state and contributed to the unique evolution of Singapore over the last 200 years. The museum showcases various aspects of history and culture of people from China, South, West and Southeast Asia that came together in Singapore.
In eleven themed galleries on three levels the museum presents the history of the different ethnic groups of Singapore through multimedia and interactive techniques ditching the dated chronological approach. Virtual hosts and videos combined with the museum’s own interactive software allow visitors to expand their knowledge of the featured Asian cultures.
In Gallery I the exhibits start appropriately with a window opening on to the Singapore River and tell the story of where it all started through videos, photos and artefacts and the documented lives of those who lived and worked along the river up to the present. Three galleries dedicated to South East Asia cover 2,500 years of history and culture of the region. The history of the people who lived and live there are brought out through collections of bronze and ceramic artefacts, lifestyle and religious objects, performing arts, textiles, jewellery, metal work and agricultural objects. Two galleries devoted to West Asian influences feature religious texts, astrolabes, lifestyle objects and records of ancient scientific achievements of the Islamic world. The most arresting exhibit here is a mock up of a mosque angled to face Mecca. The gallery dedicated to China displays collections of exquisite porcelains from the Ming and Qing periods and other times, a dragon robe that vested the emperor with godlike powers and a reconstruction of a place for ancestor worship and filial piety. Additionally paintings and calligraphy on the lives of Chinese officials, a mock up of a cave temple with Buddha statues in stone, wood and bronze, some dating to the 7th century can also be viewed. The two galleries devoted to South Asian influences explore the region’s history and culture through religion, lifestyle objects, science and the performing arts. Of interest is a reconstructed courtyard of a house of a moneylender from South India which clan were the first ‘bankers’ in Singapore.
The museum is housed in the 19th century Empress Palace building built to honour Queen Victoria, a prime example of the neo classical Palladian style favoured by colonials. The collection is deemed magnificent, well displayed and rich in detail by its many visitors. The exhibits are from the museum’s own collection of rare items that is supplemented by items on loan from museums around the world. Annual exhibitions devoted to various topics pertaining to the backgrounds of Singapore’s citizens seek to broaden the knowledge of their origins and the roots of their religious beliefs and cultural practices.
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Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.