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The Aurora Museum was formally opened in Shanghai in October 2013. Located in the financial hub of
Pudong, the building that hosts the institution was designed by the internationally renowned Tadao Ando.

The Museum showcases the incredible collection of the Aurora group’s Chairman, Mr.Yung Tai Chen
who, over 40 years, has gathered ancient Chinese treasures including pottery, porcelain, Buddhist
statues and jade artefacts of great historical significance. The library on the 5th floor of the Aurora
Museum houses a rich collection of cultural heritage literature along with a substantial amount
of publications in English and Japanese.

The Aurora Museum frequently organizes lectures and learning classes that can offer
the chance for participants to touch the objects in person.		  
 

 

  
  The Preservation and Research of Chinese antiquities  
The Aurora Museum appointed a team of professional researchers to work with "The Beijing University Aurora Ancient Civilization Research Center"
in 2003. The collaboration aims to blend antiquarianism with a number of academic disciplines on the museum-academic platform, the study
focuses on the analysis of medium (liao料); the workmanship (gong工); the form (xing形) and the decorative motifs (wen纹) with a view to eventually
restoring ancient relics as cultural and material evidence of history.

Mr. Yung-tai Chen has selflessly returned his collection of ancient cultural relics to their rightful owners over the years so that these antiquities could be preserved forever and be appreciated by admirers, such as:

  • The Eighteen Arhat's sculptures to Shanxi Province in 1999.
  • The works of Koji polychrome pottery by Master Ye Wang to Ciji Temple (third grade ancient cultural heritage site in China) in 2003.
  • Three gilt bronze Bodhisattva to Donghe Temple in Taipei in 2009.
  • Donating a total of 154 Buddhist underground palace artifacts to Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Hall in 2011.

In 2003, the Aurora Museum was inaugurated in Taipei and open to visitors by reservation. The collections are centered around ancient Chinese cultural relics,
comprising several thousand items that include jade objects, Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, porcelains, and illustrated stones complemented with precious
study pieces, stone rubbings, photographs of excavated relics and so forth.

In 2005, a Branch of Aurora Museum opened, which was located on the ground floor of Aurora Plaza in the Lujiazui area in Shanghai. Its collection focused on
the jade objects.

Designed by Mr. Tadao Ando, a worldwide famous architect, the museum has taken another giant stride forward in 2012 by building a new museum connecting
to Aurora Plaza, where it will not only continue with its role in research in the study of antiquities, but also invite visitors to see its fine collection.   In 2012,
"Bvlgari- 125 Years of Italian Magnificence" was held at Aurora Museum.

Shanghai is only the 4th city to host this show after Rome, Paris and Beijing.