China Fest! at Asian Civilizations Museum is set to bring you through 4,000 years of Chinese history, art and culture over a weekend. Watch a rich tableu of ancieint Chinese culture unfold before your eyes and enjoy a slew of activities that will keep the young ones busy.

Some highlights and must-sees for everyone:

To start off, give Chinese opera a chance at the China Fest as you will discover its captivating features, bringing the art to its popularity even in modern day.

Also, be awed by the face-changing acts, where the performers change their face masks within a fraction of a second. This ancient Chinese dramatic art is definitely no magic.

Face Changing (Bian Lian)

The China gallery promises to astound you with the richness of ancient Chinese culture. You’ll want to look out for the path which you take through the gallery. It takes the winding form of the dragon – one of the most important symbols in the Chinese culture.

As for the young ones with active minds, activities such as Chinese calligraphy, martial arts and dance will keep them busy and capture their attention. Besides, their itchy hands will be kept occupied with hands-on sessions such as clay making and doing paper craft.

Before The Kangxi Emperor: Treasures from the Forbidden City ends its run next month, catch a glimpse into the life of this extraordinary man. A keen academic, patron of the arts and brave general – the Kangxi Emperor’s diverse talents made him one of most respected emperors of China. Uncover the untold secrets of the Forbidden City in this rare showcase of exquisite treasures from The Palace Museum, Beijing!

Museum admission is free this weekend from 9am to 7pm while programmes will run from 12pm -5pm. Take this chance to have a head-start to understand the rich Chinese culture. After all, it’s 4,000 years worth of history and culture.

This event is part of the International Museum Day 2009 (IMD’09) which happens from 23 to 31 May 2009. For more information and updates on IMD’09, please visit www.museums.com.sg/imd09 or call 6346 6438. (Daily: 9am – 7pm)