Rare Chinese porcelain's goes on display in Singapore
A new gallery at Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum, undergoing a $25m renovation, has put on display more than 300 rare Chinese ceramics dating back to 5000BC, many of which have not been seen before. The highlight is the collection of Dehua porcelain from Fujian province, famed for its distinctive white glaze and fine clay and traded in Asia and Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the Dehua porcelain which was copied by European potters until their own ability to produce porcelain, was perfected in the 18th Century. Dr. Alan Chong curator said "what we're trying to communicate is that these things have an eternal beauty."



Ivory, cream, pork fat and white jade - these many shades of white are seen in the various types of Chinese porcelain on show in a permanent gallery at the Asian Civilisations Museum.

The newly opened gallery, which occupies 333 sq m of the museum's top floor, offers a quick survey of Chinese ceramics.

It features more than 300 objects made of baked clay - ranging from simple cups and pots that date as far back as 5000BC to exquisite porcelain vessels and ornamental objects from as recent as the 18th century.

Many of these objects, which include recent acquisitions, have either never been displayed in the museum before or have not been in public view for some time.

The crown jewel of the show is the collection of Dehua porcelain - white porcelain from Dehua county in Fujian province - that is displayed on the third floor of the museum's three-storey Kwek Hong Png wing, named after the late property czar.

The first two floors of the natural light-filled wing, which highlights treasures from China, were unveiled last year. They were completed under the first phase of the museum's ongoing $25-million revamp.