Suzhou Museum
Suzhou Museum founded in 1960 was originally located in the national historic landmark, Zhong Wang Fu palace complex. It was designed by world illustrious architect I.M.Pei as a tribute to his mother's hometown Suzhou. The gem museum combines the brilliant creativity of I.M.Pei's simplicity architectural style with the traditional features of Suzhou City.
The new museum was completed in October 2006, covering over 10,700 square meters and located at the cross of Dongbei Street and Qimen Road. The design of Suzhou Museum visually complements the traditional Chinese architecture of Zhong Wang Fu of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864).
An iconic landmark in Suzhou, with a collection of cultural relics amounting to 25740 pieces/sets, Suzhou Museum is a must-visit attraction when travel in Suzhou.
Suzhou Museum Facts
Suzhou Museum Architecture
I. M. Pei, the designer of the Suzhou Museum, is the world's most widely recognized architectural master. In the realm of contemporary architectural design, he stands as the sole Chinese architect to join the ranks of world-class architects, acclaimed as one of the most significant architectural artists of the 20th century. After seven years of construction, the new Suzhou Museum, designed by Master Pei, unveiled its fresh appearance in the golden autumn of 2006. The new museum inherits the architectural style of historic Suzhou, embodying a design philosophy of “tradition, diversity, and innovation,” and harmoniously complements the surrounding gardens and scenic spots.
The new Suzhou Museum incorporates traditional Suzhou architectural elements, featuring the classic palette of whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs. Architecturally, the roof design breaks free from the constraints of traditional Chinese “grand roof” structures in terms of natural lighting. Glass and open steel structures allow ample daylight to flood the interior spaces.
The horticultural landscaping design is derived from the essence of classical Suzhou gardens. Creative landscape gardens composed of ponds, rockeries, small bridges, pavilions, bamboo forests and other elements are organically combined with traditional gardens, creatively integrating museums, ancient buildings and gardens into one.A common feature of I.M. Pei's designs is the inner courtyard, which connects the interior and exterior spaces, allowing nature to blend into the architecture. The Suzhou Museum's architecture and innovative horticulture mutually reinforce each other. Pei designed a main courtyard and several smaller inner courtyards, arranged with exquisite precision.For the trees within the gardens, I. M. Pei insisted on graceful forms and soft lines. Since the architecture itself is rigid, a balance of hard and soft elements creates a harmonious effect. Beyond the bamboo grove, the eastern section of the main garden features flat-topped pines, welcoming pines, and apricot trees. To preserve their natural forms, minimal pruning was performed during transplantation.Collections of Suzhou Museum: Highlights
Suzhou Museum is a highly-regarded regional museum of ancient Chinese art, ancient Chinese paintings, Chinese calligraphy, and hand-made crafts. With a display area of 2,200 square meters, the museum houses more than 25740 pieces/sets in its collections, most of which are ancient paintings and calligraphy, ceramics, crafts, unearthed relics and revolution relics.
In addition, it possesses more than 70,000 books and documents, and over 20,000 rubbings of stone inscriptions. Most of the calligraphy and paintings are works of masters from Song Dynasty to Ming and Qing dynasties. Signs and placards are in both English and Chinese.
The Suzhou Museum's most precious collections include: a bronze Buddha statue and a bronze eleven-faced Guanyin, and a five-section stone box from the Song Dynasty; a large bronze gilded pagoda, and a celadon lotus bowl from the Five Dynasties period; Wang Chong's "Spring Mountain Painting" and Lan Ying's "Imitation of Da Chi Mountain Scroll" from the Ming Dynasty; a large blue-and-white plate with floral and fruit patterns from the Ming Dynasty; a pomegranate-shaped vase with a splashed blue glaze from the Qing Dynasty; and a Bozi gu and a you with a meander pattern from the Shang Dynasty, among others.
A good buy here is the Suzhou Museum's own DVD which documents how the building was conceived by I.M.Pei and constructed under his firm's supervision.
Layout and Halls
The Suzhou Museum centers around its main hall. To the south of the main hall lies the primary entrance, courtyard, and gift shop, while the north side features the main courtyard with garden elements such as a lake pavilion and rockeries. The east wing connects via the East Corridor to the Wisteria Garden, the Modern Art Gallery, and the Prince Zhong Mansion. The west wing links through the West Corridor to four permanent exhibition halls: Treasures of Wu Region, National Treasures of the Wu Pagoda, Elegance of Wu Region, and Wu School Paintings and Calligraphy.Visitors can access the basement via a cantilevered staircase above the indoor lotus pond. The Special Exhibition Hall, Film Theater, and Lecture Hall are all located here.
Permanent Exhibitions
Wu School Paintings and Calligraphy
Located on the second floor of the main exhibition area, the Wu School Paintings and Calligraphy exhibition comprises two galleries: the North Gallery and the South Gallery. This exhibition primarily showcases the museum's collection of fine paintings and calligraphy, focusing on works by the Wu School and its precursors, the Four Wangs and Wu Yun and their predecessors, as well as the Yangzhou School.Elegance of Wu Region
Located on the first floor north wing, the Elegance of Wu Region exhibition spans nine galleries. These include themed rooms showcasing Ming Shuzhai furnishings, porcelain, jade, bamboo-wood-ivory-horn artifacts, stationery, collectibles, folk artifacts, and embroidered garments.National Treasures of Wu Pagodas
Located on the west side of the main exhibition area on the first floor, the National Treasures of Wu Pagodas exhibition comprises two galleries: Treasures of Tiger Hill and Pagodas Radiating Auspicious Light. It prominently displays national-level Buddhist artifacts discovered within Suzhou's two iconic pagodas: the Yunyan Temple Pagoda at Tiger Hill and the Ruiguang Temple Pagoda at Panmen.Treasures of Wu Region
The Treasures of Wu Region exhibition occupies the south side of the first floor, comprising four galleries. Exhibits include prehistoric pottery and jade; Spring and Autumn period bronze ware and jade; Six Dynasties celadon and Five Dynasties secret-color porcelain; burial artifacts from the tombs of Empress Cao (wife of Zhang Shicheng) of the Yuan Dynasty and Wang Xijue of the Ming Dynasty.Folk Customs Museum
With over 2,500 years of history, Suzhou has cultivated distinctive folk traditions over the centuries. Opened in November 1986 to commemorate Suzhou's 2,500th anniversary, the Suzhou Folk Customs Museum serves as a showcase for local folk culture, being China's first specialized museum dedicated to urban folk traditions.In 2025, the renovated permanent exhibition will present rich folk knowledge through three thematic axes: “Appreciating the Four Seasons,” “Savoring Three Meals,” and “Honoring a Lifetime.”Suzhou Museum of Arts and Crafts
On October 15, 2019, the Suzhou Museum of Arts and Crafts was fully integrated into the Suzhou Museum. The museum houses over 5,000 exquisite and rare artworks across more than ten categories, including Suzhou's modern and contemporary embroidery, sandalwood fans, kesi silk weaving, jade carving, wood carving, stone carving, theatrical costumes and props, Taohuawu woodblock New Year prints, Ming-style furniture, ethnic musical instruments, antique-style bronze replicas, lacquer carvings, metal crafts, and the Four Treasures of the Study.
>> Related reading: Top Museums in China
More to Explore in Suzhou Museum
Suzhou Museum West
The Suzhou Museum West features multiple exhibition areas including the Comprehensive History Gallery, Suzhou Craftsmanship Gallery, and Multimedia Exhibition Hall. It comprehensively showcases the long history and distinctive crafts of the Wu region through cultural arts, Suzhou craft techniques, and Suzhou lifestyle.
The Suzhou Museum West emphasis on and highlights the museum's educational function by establishing an Exploration Experience Hall. If you are planning educational student tours in China, this is one of the excellent programs available.
Prince Loyal's Mansion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Prince Loyal's Mansion (Zhong Wangfu) served as the residence of Prince Loyal Li Xiucheng during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period. Covering an area of 10,650 square meters with a building footprint of 7,500 square meters, it stands as the most complete surviving complex of Taiping historical architecture in China, integrating government offices, residential quarters, and gardens.
The site has been a residence for prominent figures since the Three Kingdoms period. In the fourth month of the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign (June 1860), Prince Li Xiucheng of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom led his forces to capture Suzhou. He incorporated parts of the former Humble Administrator's Garden and the eastern and western residential quarters into the “Prince Zhong's Mansion,” renovating it according to the standards of a princely residence.
The site preserves not only substantial dragon-and-phoenix-patterned window lattices and vivid stone lions from the Taiping period, but also over 400 square meters of exquisite Suzhou-style painted beams and lintels, along with nine delicate painted murals—representing the pinnacle of Qing Dynasty “Suzhou-style painted decoration.”
Additionally, the site features renowned plants such as the wisteria tree planted by the Ming dynasty scholar Wen Zhengming, along with the largest indoor ancient theater stage in the Jiangnan region.
Pedestrian Street
To preserve the integrity of the Suzhou Museum and the Humble Administrator's Garden historical district, at I.M. Pei's suggestion, the northeast street adjacent to the museums was converted into a pedestrian street. The pedestrian street is nearly 470 meters long, and most of the shop signs are in the form of plaques. The ancient buildings along both sides of the square have been restored, lined with shops of calligraphy and painting, crafts, teahouses, and snacks.>> Recommended China Suzhou Tours with Suzhou Museum
Tips for Booking Suzhou Museum Tickets
- The Suzhou Museum implements a real-name reservation system. Visitors may book appointments online up to seven days in advance (daily from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM).
- If no prior reservation was made and tickets remain available on the day of visit, visitors may make same-day reservations.
- Same-day reservations for the main Suzhou Museum building close 20 minutes before the last admission time.
- Each valid ID document is limited to one reservation per day. A single account may make real-name reservations for up to 10 individuals daily (each visitor's name and valid ID number must be accurately provided; discrepancies will result in denied entry).
- Each ticket may be rescheduled only once, and only to another available time slot on the original reservation date.
- Seniors aged 60 and above may enter without reservation upon presentation of valid identification. >> Explore China tours for seniors
- If you cannot arrive on time, please cancel your reservation in advance.
How to Get to Suzhou Museum
By Subway:
- Take Metro Line 4 to Beisi Pagoda Station (Exit 4), then walk 800 meters east along Northwest Street.
- Take Suzhou Metro Line 6 to Humble Administrator's Garden/Suzhou Museum Station to reach the Suzhou Museum.
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