ACM ranked No. 1 on travel website
PUBLISHED ONSeptember 19, 2014 2:45 AMByLisabel Ting
SINGAPORE - The Asian Civilisations Museum has been ranked first in Singapore and ninth in Asia by users of travel website TripAdvisor.
The museum was lauded by reviewers for its well-written descriptions of artefacts, as well as how its collection highlights the differences in Asian cultures.
Dr Alan Chong, director of the museum, says: "We are delighted to be recognised as one of Singapore's top museums by TripAdvisor travellers, and thank them for their support.
"The Asian Civilisations Museum reflects the diverse heritage of Singapore's people and provides an opportunity for visitors to explore the interconnections between Asian cultures."
The museum, which is located in Empress Place, opened in 1997. It now houses more than 1,300 artefacts in 11 galleries, over 14,000 sq m of space.
The museum's collection focuses on the cultures of different groups originating from China, South-east Asia, South Asia and West Asia, and also on the history of Singapore's forefathers.
TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice awards honour top travel spots worldwide based on millions of reviews by travellers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews over a 12-month period.
The most highly ranked museum in Asia was The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses in China with 4,856 reviews, and the top museum worldwide was the Art Institute of Chicago in the United States with 6,472 reviews.
Museumgoers here agree that the Asian Civilisations Museum is worthy of the top spot.
Law student Chen Yi Min, 30, visited the museum for the first time earlier this year. He says: "The ACM's collection is a lot broader than that of the National Museum, which focuses largely on Singapore's history. This lets visitors situate our history in the context of the wider Asian region."
Civil servant Kay Lee, 25, has visited the museum more than 10 times over the past decade, most recently last month. She concurs that the museum "does a great job of contextualising Singapore history in the wider regional historical narrative thread".
She adds that its feature exhibitions are well- curated: "I once visited the museum for an Islamic art exhibition, which was fascinating and a nice celebration of wider Islamic culture beyond the local Malay culture which we're more familiar with."
She says that this accolade to the museum is "especially timely".
"At this time of growing diversity and divisions in our society, it's good to be reminded of our pan-Asian heritage and our history of migration and cultural exchange, rather than thinking of Singapore history in isolation."
lting@sph.com.sg
TOP 10 MUSEUMS IN SINGAPORE
According to TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice awards, the top 10 museums are:
1. Asian Civilisations Museum (848 reviews)
2. Changi Chapel and Museum (714 reviews)
3. Peranakan Museum (416 reviews)
4. National Museum of Singapore (686 reviews)
5. ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands (342 reviews)
6. Science Centre Singapore (269 reviews)
7. Images of Singapore (222 reviews)
8. Singapore Art Museum (203 reviews)
9. Mint Museum of Toys (71 reviews)
10. Singapore Philatelic Museum (74 reviews)
This article was first published on September 17, 2014.
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