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‘Special Exhibition Of Asian Drinking Cultures’

  • Date:2020-01-22
‘Special Exhibition Of Asian Drinking Cultures’

Diving into drinking cultures across Asia, a five-month exhibition will be held at the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology in New Taipei City from Jan. 22 to June 21 to showcase a total of 68 drinking utensils and antiques from countries such as China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Titled "Special Exhibition Of Asian Drinking Cultures," the collection seeks to narrate the customs that these countries across Asia all share — a social life that is sustained by ritualistic and imbibing traditions, and a mastery of crafts as demonstrated by the splendid elegance of the featured vessels.

The joint event by the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology, the National Museum of History (NMH), and Institute of Ethnology of Academia Sinica will be staffed with a number of multimedia devices for interactive displays, while images of aging barrels, ponds of liquor, and a cascading waterfall of wine will be presented as large-scale projection installations.

NMH director Liao Hsin-tien (廖新田) said although the NMH is currently under renovations, it will continue to curate a variety of events throughout the country. For example, he said, exquisitely ornamented vessels from the museum's collection, such as a luminous cup made of jade stone from Jiuquan, China (中國夜光杯), Changsha-fired pottery pots (長沙窯瓷壺), a blue-and-white lidded jar from Vietnam (越南青花蓋罐), and Japanese Imari porcelain wares (日本伊萬里瓷器), were loaned to this exhibition.

Apart from using music and lighting effects to create a bar-like atmosphere to spotlight a fine blend of ancient and modern drinking cultures, the exhibition will also feature somatosensory technology, an interactive system that tracks human movement and enables viewers to directly interact with their surroundings through physical gestures.

In explaining the remarkable significance of drinking, the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology said it is a social activity with a long history and the role of alcohol has evolved with human social life. The notable custom is thus not just rich in cultural connotations, but has played an indispensable role in the development of human civilization as well.

Originally opened on Jan. 22, the "Special Exhibition of Asian Drinking Cultures" was suspended from March 20 through May 3 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The exhibition will reopen to the public on May 4.


‘Special Exhibition Of Asian Drinking Cultures’
Date: Jan. 22 – June 21, 2020
Venue: Special Exhibition Hall I, Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology
Address: No. 200 Museum Road, Bali District, New Taipei City, Taiwan (ROC)
Site: https://en.sshm.ntpc.gov.tw/