ACM!

It's been a while since a new entry was posted. Not that there were nothing to post but more due to time constraints really..

No matter how bz one may be, some semblance of a balance is always needed. As such, it was with much enthusiasm that we went to visit the Asian Civilisation Museum. I thought that the museum was still located at the old place near where the National Library used to be. It had moved sometime over the years and it is now at Empress Place nearer to Funan Centre.

Like all museums, it has a nice architecture & a white facade. For those not in the know, there are promotional entrance fees for fridays evenings. I guess it is the government's effort to create more awareness & encourage those who love the arts to increase their knowledge.

For the month of April, ACM had a special exhibit on emperor Kang Xi. I had learnt about the different dynasties back in school but not the leaders of the various dynasty as there were just too many of them. :)

Kang Xi apparently was a truly remarkable emperor who ruled for 60 years! He was not only knowledgable, he was also a sportsman who hunted. He was also a good emperor who cared about his people and throughout his rule, he visited various cities to find out how his people were faring.

Kang Xi was well-read & was versed in Maths, Science, Medicine & Geography. He put his knowledge to good use by making calculations for crop planting. He was adept at making use of 'foreign talent' by learning from foreign preists & others. Although China had many inventions, he was also open to foreign inventions and knowledge.

Now, unfortunately, his sons were not as capable & eventually, one of his grandsons succeeded him. Interestingly, the filial grandson abdicated his throne so as not to have a longer rule than his grandfather. Can you guess who the grandson is?

Unfortunately, I did not have sufficient time to view the other permanent exhibits. But I will surely visit again as I believe that life is somehow incomplete when one has no knowledge of one's cultural background. :)