A Centennial Year At The ROM

This Year is the 100th Centennial Year of  The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). It will be a year long celebration culminating with the special exhibit of The Forbidden City which features all of the never seen treasures from the Forbidden Palace, in Beijing, China. The Forbidden Palace was the former Palace of the Chinese Emperors, their families, Court Members and Concubines. For Centuries, the Chinese Emperor ruled China and lived in the Forbidden Palace exclusively, giving no access to the people on how they lived and the treasures they owned inside. After the fall of the Emperor, the Forbidden City is currently the Beijing Palace Museum. These treasures we saw at The ROM were never shown outside of China. Our visit was an educating and fun visit full of discovering about the Emperors, their Empress, families, Concubines and their lifestyle and Art currently exhibited at The ROM coinciding with their Centennial Year. 

 These are replicas of the Emperor's Portrait and the Blue and White ceramic jars sold at the ROM Shop. But in the Exhibit, the originals are showcased  as they are displayed in the Forbidden Palace. 

 The Emperor is represented by the Dragon. 

 I learnt from the Exhibit that the Empress of China is not from royal birth but they were originally from the many concubines of the Emperor. Whoever was the first concubine who gave birth to the Emperor's first son, became the Empress. One of the most powerful Empress was Empress Dowager Cixi who ruled the Manchu Qing Dynasty for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.

 

 This Year is the Year of the Horse. 

There were activities inside the Museum for all ages including Lego Land. 

The Theme for the kids is to create monuments from the Forbidden City. Visitors recreated in Lego the Forbidden Palace, an airplane and a tank (both not part of the Forbidden City). 

 The China Gallery.

Inside the museum.

A Fashion Bonus:

In honour of The ROM's Centenary Year and Spring Fashion, Holt Renfrew presents their Style Spotlight: A Day At The Museum featuring Canadian Fashion Stylist, Erika Wark. Don't miss out this Fashion pictorial inside the different galleries at the ROM and the Video.

Happy 100th Birthday ROM!
Celebrate Earth Hour today by turning off lights for one hour starting at 8:30 PM. Let us save our Environment.