The Philippines has been at the confluence of diverse cultural influences, including early Austronesian migrants, Chinese traders, Hindu-Buddhist and Muslim Southeast Asians, as well as Spanish colonisers and the Roman Catholic Church. The interaction of these influences has produced styles of art and architecture which are unique in Southeast Asia, and have profoundly affected the development of Filipino culture and identity. It is at the junction of these various cultural influences that we find both what is unique about the Philippines, and what makes it typically Southeast Asian.

This publication coincides with the exhibition Land of the Morning: the Philippines and its People, held at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), Singapore. The diverse material culture of the Philippines is explored, from ancient gold, and Catholic sculpture to tribal textiles and costumes and contemporary art. Land of the Morning: the Philippines and its People features nearly 300 objects, both from the ACM’s own collection as well as from the Ayala Museum, the National Museum of the Philippines, the Central Bank of the Philippines and private lenders in Manila and Singapore.

This is the first time this superb group of objects, including a number of important national treasures, has ever been seen together, making this publication an important document on Filipino culture.