Mystery Men: Finds from China’s Lost Age
16th Jan – 15th April 2007
Asian Civilisations Museum
Singapore

THE ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM FIRST IN SOUTHEAST ASIA TO HOST 103 RARE FINDS OF EARLY CHINESE CIVILISATION FROM ANCIENT SICHUAN
Mystery Men: Finds From China’s Lost Age

The Asian Civilisations Museum is the first in Southeast Asia to present 103 mysterious finds from Ancient Sichuan, China, in the exhibition named Mystery Men: Finds from China’s Lost Age starting from 16 January 2007 to 15 April 2007. The exhibits on display are intriguing artifacts from an archaeological discovery that took the world by storm 20 years ago. The ‘Mystery Men: Finds from China’s Lost Age’ will bring about a whole new understanding of early Chinese civilisation during the Bronze Age. This exhibition is jointly organised by the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Cultural Relics Bureau of Sichuan Province.

Amazing Discovery of Mysterious Men, Mysterious Culture
An archaeological breakthrough in the summer of 1986 near Guanghan city in Sichuan Province, China, had since rewritten the history of Chinese civilisation and challenged the common belief that the early Chinese civilisation was primarily based in the Yellow River Basin. Two sacrificial pits were discovered in a village in Sanxingdui (or ‘three star mound’) and more than 4,000 arfefacts were unearthed. Larger-than-life bronze masks with flaring pointed ears and protruding pupils, heads, figurines, gold and jade artefacts were found to have been made some 3,200 years ago, dating to the 13th to 11 century BCE (or Before Common Era). Other items found include elephant tusks and cowrie shells. When this amazing discovery was first made, archaeologists were puzzled who might have made them. Despite the lack of written information, scholars today agree that the people of Sanxingdui were the Shu people. Archaeological research has revealed that the Sanxingdui site is a Neolithic and early Bronze Age culture that occupied the Chengdu Plain. The discoveries at Sanxingdui had illustrated the existence of an important early socio-political centre in a region which was once considered a cultural backwater in ancient China.

Since the discovery, these artefacts have received great amount of international interest and attention. They have been exhibited at world renowned museums such as The British Museum, Taipei’s National Palace Museum, National Gallery of Art (Washington), Guggenheim Museum (New York), Asian Art Museum (San Francisco), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney) and Lausanne Olympic Museum (Switzerland).

Dr Kenson Kwok, Director, Asian Civilisations Museum said,“We are extremely happy to bring these mysterious and rare finds from Sichuan to Southeast Asia for the first time. Since the archaeological discovery in 1986, the rare finds have attracted a lot of international attention, showing at museums such as The British Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and the Taipei National Palace Museum where they attracted large crowds. We hope that Singaporeans and tourists will take this opportunity to visit ‘Mystery Men’ at the ACM. I am sure that visitors will gain insights and have a better understanding of early Chinese civilisation. This is also aligned with the ACM’s objectives to help visitors understand the cultural roots of modern Singaporeans.”

Principal Sponsor of ‘Mystery Men’, Mr Ronald Ooi, Managing Director, Kim Eng Securities Pte Ltd, said, “Kim Eng is proud to be the principal sponsor of this exhibition of artifacts from Sanxingdui. These artifacts are not only breathtaking for their antiquity and beauty but also for their significant impact on our understanding of how Chinese civilisation evolved. We congratulate the Asian Civilisations Museum on being the first in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia to host this remarkable collection. With this exhibition, the ACM joins a select group of internationally renowned cultural institutions. It is exhibitions like this that will put the ACM and the Singapore in a good standing in the international cultural arena.”

The “Mystery Men” exhibition is also supported by the Lee Foundation, AXA Insurance Singapore Pte Ltd, Min Jiang Restaurant at Goodwood Park and Min Jiang Restaurant at One-north.