AURORA Museum displays treasures of Chinese culture

Visitors to Shanghai have a new must-see attraction - the AURORA Museum.

Located on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River, the museum was unveiled in 2013.

Housing a wide array of exhibits, including Buddha statues, jade artifacts, and porcelain, the museum is another effort of AURORA Group Chairman Chen Yung-tai to promote traditional Chinese culture.

It was designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando and the exhibits are from Chen's personal collection. A program to expand the facility is underway and will be finished in 2015.

"There are many museums in China, but ours is different in that we have set up an ancient relic research center in cooperation with Peking University," Chen said.

"In addition to studies, we offer art and antique lovers opportunities to examine those artifacts we have."

Dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional culture, Chen hopes the museum can serve as a venue for local people to learn more about Chinese art and culture and as "a landmark on the cultural landscape in Shanghai".

Chen's bond with Shanghai was forged two decades ago. He visited the city for the first time in 1993 when the Pudong area was still underdeveloped and transportation across the Huangpu River was inconvenient, featuring only ferries, two channels and one bridge.

Bold and farsighted, Chen was then confident about Pudong's future and purchased a piece of land without hesitation to build the AURORA Plaza as the headquarters of his group on the mainland.

Founded in Taiwan in 1965, Chen's group consisted of two listed companies -- AURORA Corp and Huxun Corp, which sells office automation equipment, office furniture, and electronic products for office use.