This past weekend, Asia Society Texas’s Yoshio Taniguchi–designed center was packed as families came out to enjoy lion dances, family-friendly games and activities, and tasty treats from locally owned, Asian-focused food trucks. The festivities were to celebrate the grand opening of Explore Asia, the museum’s new $4.6 million permanent exhibition, an immersive experience that seeks to educate Houstonians about Asian art and culture through five countries: China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

The education-forward exhibit, which features six highly interactive sections (more on those later), is the product of several years of research and community engagement by Asia Society. The center worked with scholars and community partners during the exhibit’s planning and design process to make sure the project celebrated the vibrant cultures of the selected countries without succumbing to any Western biases. Asia Society president Bonna Kol says the exhibition is a way for the organization to deepen its mission of cultural exchange, especially with young people. The goal is to spark curiosity and to highlight the interconnectedness between the peoples of Asia and Houston, and by doing so find commonality. 

“Education is truly the key, and we know that it helps build empathy and understanding, which is the pathway for peace and friendship,” she says. “We wanted to make sure that we're helping Houstonians, and especially the youth, to learn more about Asia.”

The first of the six interactive experiences, titled Gateway to Asia, consists of five touch screens arranged in a circle around a central pillar. Each screen contains a globe with the five Asian countries shaded in different colors. Once a country is touched, the person “travels” to the country through a screen that shows the nation’s capital as well as the local time and how many miles it is from Houston. Logos laid over the map of the country can be touched to learn quick facts about its geography, population, technology, education, language, commerce, culture, food, and climate. Did you know that India produces more than 15,000 films annually? Or that the 750 million gamers in China make it the world’s largest video game market? Oh, and there are four million vending machines in Japan—even ones on Mount Fuji. Another button allows you to see a map of the selected country overlaying a map of Texas, making it easier for Texans to understand the size of the country. On a wall in the same room over a dozen Asian culture–inspired neon signs hang, including one made to look like a lucky cat, one displaying a bowl of pho, and one with signage of Bellaire Boulevard. Kol notes that it’s become the exhibits prime selfie spot. 

The next room holds a touch screen table, with a conveyor belt of digital food items scrolling by. Once an item is touched with a finger, it can be dragged into a digital food tray in front of a guest. The goal is to fill each of the five open food spots on the tray. Once on the tray, each food item can be clicked, which opens a menu describing what the dish is and listing a restaurant in Houston where you can order it, along with a QR code that takes you directly to the restaurant’s website. After much deliberation, our tray included falooda (an Indian dessert) from Jeradiz Shop, bánh khọt (mini savory pancakes) from Thanh Da Quan, honey butter chips from Ranch Market, rou jia mo (described as “Chinese sloppy joes” by the display) from Bao Shi Yi, and brisket fried rice from Rice to Meet You. “It’s a wonderful way to uplift local Asian American businesses, and also a fun way to engage our members and our guests to continue their exploration beyond our four walls,” says Kol of the interactive table, which features more than 50  restaurants and grocery stores.

In the next room, rectangular displays of the featured countries contain visual elements—cultural objects, videos, and illustrations—describing the culture of each country. A row of buttons on the displays’ side can be pressed to learn the pronunciation of specific words and phrases. At the bottom of the screens, a hologram displays facts and videos of people and animals from the countries, like videos of Japanese snow monkeys bathing in a hot spring or cranes flying in formation.

A corridor leads to what Kol describes as the highlight of the exhibit, a digital bullet train ride through Asia. On the “ride,” which takes 10 minutes to complete, visitors stand in a rectangular room with screens shaped to look like windows on a bullet train. As the ride takes place, videos of all the countries scroll past on the screens. In the next experience, a separately ticketed experience all about the importance of drumming in Asia, guests are invited to practice on the drums as they play along as a group to two songs, an experience Kol likens to Guitar Hero. 

For the final experience, called The Mist of Intentions, located on the second floor of the building, guests are directed to fill out their name and then select five values about themselves from adjectives listed on a screen. Once selected, the display takes a photo of you with your values overlying the image. The screen then displays information on a local Asian community leader who most closely shares your values. After inputting ours, we were matched with Heaven Chee, a lawyer and community activist who grew up in Alief. Reading the selected person’s story is a great way to conclude the exhibit, as it drives home the themes of human connection and commonality that permeate the exhibit. 

“The beauty of this exhibition is that we're hoping to spark joy and curiosity among guests of all ages,” Kol says. “It’s a way for Asia Society Texas to uplift the untold Asian American narrative and to highlight their contributions. Our goal is to find that human connectivity, that we have more in common than we have differences.”