The Rewi Alley Collection

Comprising some 1,400 objects, the Rewi Alley Collection includes ceramics, jades and bronzes as well as paintings and currency that reflect almost 4,000 years of Chinese culture. Rewi Alley (1897–1987) was born in Springfield and moved to China in 1927. Living there for the remainder of his life, he became involved in the industrial and peace movements, earning him a place as one of the Ten International Friends of China. Over a 60-year period, Alley amassed a large collection of Chinese arts and antiquities. As a promoter of the People’s Republic of China, Alley realised the potential of using objects as an aid to cultural diplomacy. Assisted by the then-Director of Canterbury Museum, Dr Roger Duff (1912-1978), Alley endeavoured to further New Zealand relations with China, establishing the most extensive collection of Chinese art and antiquities in New Zealand. The Rewi Alley Collection is largely made up of donations directly from Alley and exchanges of objects between the Palace Museum in Beijing and Canterbury Museum