Museum to host Chinese exhibit

The Ventura County Museum of History and Art will present five never-previously exhibited George Stuart historical figures in the exhibit "The Dragon Awakes: China from the Ch’ing Dynasty to the Communist Revolution" from May 3 through Aug. 28. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at 100 E. Main St., Ventura. Admission ranges from $1 to $4 and is free for museum members.

"The Dragon Awakes" chronicles China’s Ch’ing Dynasty and the rise of modern China. The new figures include "Nurachi" (1559-1626), a founder of the Ch’ing Dynasty, and "Tao-kuang" (1782-1850), the sixth emperor and a Boxer who participated in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Stuart commissioned embroiderers in Suzhou, China, the traditional home of Imperial Chinese embroiderers, to create the detailed, embellished robes of the new figures.

Twenty other Chinese historical figures in the exhibit include "Emperor Chien Lung" (1711-1799), "Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi" (1835-1908) and "Pu Yi" (1906-1967), whose life was the basis for the film "The Last Emperor."

For more information call (805) 653-0323.