San Francisco has a long history with Asia. On the West Coast, San Francisco has a direct line across the Pacific Ocean to Asia, and about one third of the city's residents have Asian heritage. Which certainly has helped create one of the best Asian art museums in the world. The permanent collection spans 6000 years and explores the continent from Turkey to the Philippines, and traveling exhibits have included everything from Bhutanese monks creating in-person mandalas to the terra cotta warriors of Xi'an.