Museum

Suzhou Museum

Established on the New Year’s Day of 1960, Suzhou Museum is a comprehensive museum dedicated to the collection, exhibition, research and promotion of the history, culture and art of Suzhou. Mansion of Prince Zhong of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the residence of the museum, is one of the first group key cultural relics under national level protection and is the most well-preserved historic compound of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in China. Suzhou Museum has 24,729 pieces /sets of objects, 9,647 being valuable relics. Among them 222 pieces/sets are rated as first-level collections, 829 second-level and 8,596 third-level. The collections of the museum mainly include archaeological relics unearthed over the years, calligraphic works and paintings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and art crafts.

The New Suzhou Museum, which was designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, a world famous architect, officially opened to public on October 6, 2006. With land area of about 10,700 square meters and floor area of more than 19,000 square meters, Suzhou Museum, following the design concept of “integrating modern elements into classical Chinese and Suzhou architecture”, is a garden-style traditional architecture full of innovative elements. Suzhou Museum plus the newly renovated Mansion of Prince Zhong (with combined floor area of 26,500 square kilometers), as well as the adjacent gardens, including the Humble Administrator’s Garden and Lion Grove Garden, collectively form a long corridor of diversified cultures.

In May 2008, Suzhou Museum became one of the first group of national first-level museums and was open to public for free. Taking it as its own responsibilities to carry forward splendid cultures and serve the society and the public, Suzhou Museum has kept updating its services and making remarkable achievements. It has successively won such honorable titles as “Most Innovative Museum in China”, “National Advanced Collectives in Culture System” and “National Civilized Unit”. Three major exhibitions of the museum, namely, “Wu School Painting Series: the Art of Wen Zhengming”, “Italian Renaissance Drawings from British Museum” and “The Painted Screen: Past and Future” successively won “China Top 10 Museum Exhibitions Award”. In 2018, Suzhou Museum was the only Municipal-level museum to be rated “excellent museum” in 2014-2016 National First-level Museums Evaluation.

Located in Shishan Plaza in Suzhou New District, Suzhou Museum West was designed by GMP Architekt (Von Gerkan, Marg und Partner Architekt), the No.1 architecture designer in Germany, and was put into trial operation on Sept. 25, 2021. With floor area of 48,365 square meters and exhibition area of 13,391square meters, Suzhou Museum West has a display of more than 2,100 pieces /sets of cultural relics collected by the museum, including Jade Cong dating to Liangzhu Period, Illuminated Manuscripts of Lotus Sutra on Blue Paper of the Tang Dynasty-Five Dynasties Period, Jun Kiln Tripod Washer with Drum-nail Design of the Song Dynasty, Loquat-shaped Grey Pottery Ritual Vessel of the Yuan Dynasty, Bowl with Design of Fairy Scattering Flowers Dedicated to Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, and other valuable relics. Inspired by the typical layout of lanes in Jiangnan waterfront towns, Suzhou Museum West is a classic architecture with distinctive local features. The permanent galleries include Suzhou History Gallery, Suzhou Handicrafts Gallery, Exploration and Experience Gallery, International Cooperation Gallery, and Secret of Colors & Solar Terms Gallery.

Upholding the philosophy of “focusing on Jiangnan culture, displaying world civilization”, Suzhou Museum West presents the elegance of Suzhou style, narrates the stories of Jiangnan culture and displays the glamour of world civilization.

Learn More

Changzhou Museum In Profile

Changzhou Museum,founded in 1958,is a provincial comprehensive museum with a combination of human history,natural history and art. The current collection of cultural relics and specimens are more than 30,000 pieces,among which there are 51 pieces of the national first grade cultural relics (one national treasure relics),245 pieces of the second grade cultural relics,2945 pieces of the third grade cultural relics.Among these treasures,the jade of the Liangzhu culture period,the proto-celadon of the Spring and Autumn,and Warring period,the lacquer and porcelain of the Song and Yuan dynasty as well as the paintings and calligraphy of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The museum also sets up the only Natural History Museum for Juveniles in Jiangshu Province,owns 8148 pieces of natural specimens.It has formed six series of collections including the land fur animals,the ocean animals,the world insects,the local herbs, the mineral crystals and the fossils,among which such as the fossil bird Confuciusornis sanctus,the seashell Entemnotrochus rumphii,and the butterfly Teinopalpus aureus are rare in the world with very important scientific value.

The two projects of Changzhou Museum and Urban Planning Exhibition Hall had been approved on March 23rd,2005,and start construction on May 26th.They were officially open to the public on April 28 of 2007.The new museum is located at No.1288,Longcheng Road,Xinbei District,adjacent to the Changzhou Municipal Government,and was officially open to the public on April 1st of 2007.

The construction area of Changzhou Museum is 28,000 square meters,with the novel appearance,full equipped facilities,advanced functionality,and the characteristics of the ages.The show area is nearly 10,000 square meters with 10 exhibition halls.The main displays and exhibitions are consisted of two basic exhibitions,two special exhibitions and three temporary exhibitions.The basic exhibitions are the Changzhou History and Culture Display and the Natural Resources Display;the special exhibitions are the Art Museum of Xie Zhiliu’s displays and the display of Mahogany furniture contributed by LiuGuojun.At the same time it accepts temporary exhibition in terms of the different types and materials.Since 2007,Changzhou Museum has received 3.37 million tourists at home and abroad, and become the good promotion of Changzhou and its external exchange,and the important window of VIP reception and tourists.Changzhou Museum has successfully won the“The National most Innovative Museum”,National Advanced Group of Cultural System,Civilization Unit of Jiangsu Province,Advanced Group of Cultural Relics System of Jiangsu Province,Excellent Museum of Jiangsu Province,which is also acted as the National First-class Museum,National 4A level Scenic Spot,the Patriotic Education Bases in Jiangsu Province and the Popular Science Base of Jiangsu Province.

As the modern comprehensive museum of the first-class prefecture-level,Changzhou Museum is on a new look with superior service.We warmly welcome the domestic and overseas guests to visit the museum.It will also make contributions to enrich the public spiritual and cultural life,carry out international cultural exchanges and construct the socialist culture in the future.

 

Learn More

China Grand Canal Museum

The Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, abbreviated as CGCM, stands in the Sanwan Scenic Spot of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. Covering around 200 mu (13.33 hectares) with a built-up area of about 79,000 square meters, the CGCM is a thematic museum that collects, exhibits, studies, and educates about canal-related cultural relics while catering to needs for tourism, leisure, and exchanges. As an iconic museum built as part of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, it is a non-profit institution directly managed by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

The museum is home to more than 10,000 canal-themed cultural relics since the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC), including ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, tablet inscriptions, porcelains, potteries, and metalware. Its exhibitions are positioned as showcasing “the wonderful life brought by the Grand Canal”. There are three permanent exhibitions, namely, The Grand Canal of China – A World Cultural Heritage Site, Boats on the Canal, and Born from the Canal – Impressions of Ancient Cities, six thematic exhibitions including Major World Canals and Canal Cities and Wetland Wonders, a digital immersive exhibition named “Water flows left and right, the youth yearns day and night”, a small theater for performing traditional Chinese operas, an interactive experience gallery for children aged 10–15, and two galleries for temporary exhibitions. These exhibitions comprehensively showcase the history, culture, ecology and technology of the Grand Canal of China across the entire water course and throughout different historical periods using a variety of traditional and modern methods, earning the museum the title of an “encyclopedia” of the Grand Canal of China.

Learn More

Nanjing Museum

Located to the east of the Purple Mountain in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, the Nanjing Museum was established in 1933, and was the first national museum funded and constructed by the central government.
Since its founding, generations of staff members of the museum have made great endeavor to promote scientific researches and public service. After the reconstruction and expansion project completed in 2013, the construction area increased to 84,800 square meters, and the exhibition area 26,000 square meters. The whole estate turned out to be one museum comprised of six galleries, devoted to history, special exhibitions, arts, digital representation, the Republic of China and intangible cultural heritage respectively. The History Gallery showcases the ancient civilization of Jiangsu Province. The Special Exhibitions Gallery focuses on themed exhibitions of collections from the imperial court, and special exhibitions jointly held with domestic and foreign museums. The Arts Gallery presents sculptures, paintings and calligraphy of the past dynasties, and includes several celebrity halls. The Digital Gallery provides visitors a new way to approach the Chinese civilization through a combination of virtual visit and on-site experience. The Republic of China Gallery shows the urban life of Nanjing when it served as the capital of the Republic of China through the re-production of historical buildings and scenes of that time. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Gallery shows the intangible cultural heritage projects in a dynamic manner.
The museum holds a collection of more than 430,000 pieces (sets) of artifacts and artworks, which span the time from the Paleolithic period to the contemporary, and vary from bronze wares, jade wares, ceramics, gold and silver utensils, articles made from bamboo, wood, ivory and rhinoceros horns, lacquered wares, textiles and embroideries, to paintings and other kinds.
As one of the national museums jointly built by the central and local government, the Nanjing Museum inherits and carries over the mission since it was established, which is, “to promote scientific researches to supplement public education, and seek increment in knowledge and wisdom through displays and exhibitions”.
Learn More

Wuxi Museum

Located at Taihu Square, Liangxi District, Wuxi, Wuxi Museum is a National First-Class Museum and 4A-level scenic spot. It officially opened to the public in October 2008 after integrating the former Wuxi Museum, Revolutionary Exhibition Hall and Popular Science Museum, governing five branch galleries including Zhou Huaimin Painting Museum and National Industry & Commerce Museum.

It preserves nearly 40,000 cultural relics, featuring ancient Chinese paintings & calligraphy, Yixing purple clay teapots, Huishan Clay Figurines (national intangible cultural heritage), modern industrial and revolutionary relics. Moss and Tree Shadows by Ni Zan of Yuan Dynasty ranks as its treasure of the museum, and its collection of Ming & Qing calligraphy and paintings enjoys high reputation nationwide.

Divided into three major zones for history, fine art and interactive science, the museum hosts permanent exhibitions such as Treasures of Jinkui and Wuxi’s Wu-style Culture, unfolding over 3,000 years of Wu-region civilization, Grand Canal culture and Wuxi’s modern industrial history. Free admission all year round, it integrates collection, academic research, exhibition and educational activities, standing as the landmark of Wuxi’s urban culture and a popular Jiangnan tourist destination

Address: No.100 Zhongshu Road, Liangxi District, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:30), closed every Monday except legal holidays

 
Learn More