Internal Tourist - Asian Civilisation Museum

Travel Details:
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place MRT Station
Admission Charges: SGD 8 / pax

Because of the special Manchu Mania! program, admission to this event and the Asian Civilisation Museum galleries was FREE which explains why I made a trip down today.



Asian Civilisation Museum was originally Empress Place Building.

For over a century this neo-Palladian building was used as government offices. The central portion was built 1684-65 in anticipation of Singapore’s transfer of rule from India to the Colonial Office. Vacated in the mid 1980s, it underwent major restoragion work in order to house the Asian Civilisation Museum.

First stop: Singapore River Gallery 1


Don't be mistaken to think these were old coins used in the past.  These are actually Hong Men membership token

Membership tokens were carried around by secret society members, touting slogans like ‘Members of the brotherhood should help one another.’

These are the real old coins.  I have some of these stashed at home haha.

Then in the Shaw Foyer was an exhibition on Fantastic Creatures!
Mythical creatures of all shapes and sizes are presented in this exhibition. One can find the mermaid here haha.

Next Gallery: Southeast Asia Gallery 3 and 4



This is a Sandstone torso.  What I found interesting was the headless component.  It is said that the missing head and arms means that the identity of the figure remains obscure, although the style is found frequently on images of deities such as Shiva or Vishnu.

Filial Piety
While parents are alive,
One must not travel afar.
If one must, one’s whereabouts
Should always be made known.
Analects, Book II: Li Ren 19

Somehow it made me very thoughtful...

Special Exhibition: The Kangxi Emperor - Treasures from the Forbidden City
Hailed as one of China's greatest emperors, the Kangxi Emperor, XuanYe, succeeded his father, Emperor Shunzhi, at the tender age of eight. During his reign (1662 to 1722), the Manchus consolidated rule over China and the Chinese empire expanded.

The Kangxi Emperor's many achievements can be attributed to his passion and competence in his various roles. He was an astute ruler, skilled warrior, keen scholar and patron of the arts. His intellect, political acumen, diverse talents and civic virtues won him the admiration and support of his subjects.
This exhibition showcases treasures from The Palace Museum, Beijing and offers visitors a rare glimpse into the Forbidden City.

Unfortunately, no photo is allowed so everything I seen inside can only be downloaded from my limited memory (i.e. I forgot what I saw already haha)

Oh but I was curious about the Forbidden City and read up some info in the wiki. Somehow it did not answer my nagging question though - Why is it called The Forbidden City? Beijing Services answered my question with this answer: In the feudal society, emperors had supreme power, so this residence was certainly a forbidden place. Hmm.. I guess this will suffice.

This rare set consists of six trays – two at the centre and four surrounding. The two trays in the middle are inspired by the symbols yin and yang. Such trays were most popular during the Kangxi period, and even in modern times.

I like this Sweetmeat Tray because of the yin-yang.

Torajan House

The Torajans from Sulawesi Indonesia are known for their tongkonans. A tongkonan is a very spectacular house for living in and for elebration. The towering roof and rich decoration protects its occupants from danger.

The root word, tongkon means “to sit in one’s proper place”. Your house shows who you are in the village! The higher status you have, the more decorated your house is.

Ampang Bilik or “the doorstep of the room” is found in the central room of the tokongnan. It is a beautiful decorative panel which features animals and images which are very special to the Torajans. See if you can spot the buffalo, the pig, the rooster, the snakes and the sun disks.

Last stop: South Asia Galleries 7 and 8



Traditional vehicles include elephants, horses, peacocks, bulls, eagles, lions and other vahana, on which ride the key Hindu gods = Shiva, Vishnu and Durga. All Hindu god travel in a ratha (chariot) on special festivals.



Then I wandered about their facilities.  This River Room which is so quiet now, will later turn into a bustle of activity for the Manchu Mania! activities. 

The children will be happily making stencil art, paper lanterns, colouring and making plaster models as cute as this...



Before I wrapped up, I have to comment that the touch screen machines are very cute.  Upon touching them, these guides will share information with you.  But what if it is in idle mode?  Then they will be portrayed as playing with their handphone, singing (I put my ears near the screen to hear what they are singing haha), praying, caressing a cloth, and playing with a face mask like this one...



For Souvenir, I chose to buy a set of magnet from the Heritage trades collection by Choo Keng Kwang

Featuring accomplished local artist Choo Keng Kwang’s collage of oil paintings from the Singapore Art Museum collection, donated by the Times Publishing Group. The images capture a calligrapher, fortune-teller, clog-maker and latern-maker at work – marking a nostalgic moment in time of traditional, dedicated workmanship and craft.

Which reminds me, my next stop should be Singapore Art Museum already haha. I ever blogged about it before but forgot to visit it still. Let's see fate.

And while blogging, I decided to check out how was the Living Court House event that day. Stumbled into this photographer's set which I must say, has an amazing set of photo-work. I like some of the building photos the photographer has taken. Sigh I really regret not going to Living Court House early.

(Psst, for ACM, to avoid the noon crowd, I actually went there at 9am and stayed there for 3 hours to visit all the galleries haha. Then I came back after gym just to see the crowd and activities.. before leading a family of tourist from Indonesian who got lost to ACM while finding the Merlion. Ended up admiring the Esplanade MRT walkthrough which I haven't visited for a long long time ... Dead Beat!)

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Internal Tourist - Southern Ridge
Internal Tourist - Museums
Internal Tourist - Arts
Internal Tourist - Arts Part 2
Internal Tourist - Asian Civilisation Museum