The Button Museum is originally a residence of a wealthy family: the Xue Mansion. Built in 1927, the mansion is situated along the street and beside the river, with two depths of construction. Compared to traditional architecture, the Xue Mansion’s structure is compact, its layout is simple, and its halls are bright, representing the transition from traditional Jiangnan residences to modern architecture.
The Button Museum consists of six exhibition halls. The ground floor features the Ancient Button Exhibition Area, the Shell Button Production Process Exhibition Area, and the Chinese Knot Display Area, showcasing a series of ancient Chinese hooks, my generation’s buttons, and a variety of Chinese knots, reflecting the development of Chinese buttons from nonexistence to existence, from complexity to simplicity, and from refinement to coarseness.
The upper floor houses the Modern Button Exhibition Area, the Contemporary Button Exhibition Area, and the Button Application Area, displaying the leapfrog development of buttons from the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and exhibiting many rare shells from our daily lives. It is worth mentioning that the distinctive ‘Pan Hua Kou’ buttons seen on cheongsams are also demonstrated live by staff, satisfying visitors’ curiosity. The museum is open all year round from 08:00 to 17:00, with specific business status subject to the day’s opening conditions.
Button Museum
The Button Museum is originally a residence of a wealthy family: the Xue Mansion. Built in 1927, the[...]
