The Suzhou Embroidery Museum was completed in 1986. The original site of the museum was in the famous Suzhou garden, Huanxiu Villa. At the end of 1988, it was relocated to Wang Ao’s Ci in Jingde Road, Suzhou. The museum is divided into three sections: the main gate, the ceremonial gate, and the ancestral hall. Hanging at the entrance of the first hall is a long embroidered scroll of ‘Prosperous Suzhou’, also known as ‘Flourishing Age and Thriving Life’. It is 400 centimeters long and 33 centimeters wide. The embroidery draft is a partial copy of the same-named Chinese painting scroll by the Qing Dynasty painter Xu Yang, depicting a section of the prosperous scene of Suzhou from Xumen to Jianmen. In the wide main gate, nine palace lanterns with bright yellow characters on a red background are hung. Each lantern has one character indicating the name of the museum. The entire exhibition is divided into three major parts: one is the ‘Ancient Embroidery Room’, the second is the ‘Ming and Qing Embroidery Room’, and the third is the ‘Modern Embroidery Room’. Hundreds of precious exhibits are on display, systematically showing the history of the development of Suzhou embroidery. Ming and Qing Embroidery Room: On display are the emperor’s dragon robe, the empress’s one hundred sons’ clothing, official uniforms’ patches. There are also waist ornaments popular in the Qing Dynasty such as satchels and purses. There are also mirror cases and bed hangings for interior decoration, all extremely elegant and beautiful. The Ming Dynasty embroidered vertical scrolls such as ‘Squirrels and Grapes’ and ‘Pheasants and White Rabbits’, and the Qing Dynasty embroidery works such as ‘Ladies Planting Flowers’ and ‘Chrysanthemum and Stone Picture’ all condense the wisdom and exquisite skills of embroidery predecessors. In the exhibition room, there is a very eye-catching vermilion kang carpet, 4 meters long and 2 meters wide. It is an imperial embroidery product used by Emperor Qianlong when he made an eastern inspection tour to Shenyang. Modern Embroidery Room: The embroidery masterpieces of Shen Shou, an outstanding embroidery artist in China, and Jin Jingfen, a famous old artist in Suzhou, are on display. Master Shen Shou, formerly known as Shen Yunzhi, with the courtesy name Xuehuan, is from Suzhou. She is known as the ‘Embroidery Saint’ and has the reputation of ‘Magic Needle’. Her representative works include ‘Eight Immortals Offering Birthday Congratulations’, ‘Portrait of the Italian Empress’, ‘Portrait of Jesus’, etc. Suzhou embroidery culture: The cultural ancient city of Suzhou is known as ‘paradise on earth’. The Suzhou embroidery art nurtured in this beautiful environment has long been famous all over the world. Suzhou embroidery has a history of more than two thousand years. According to ‘Shuo Yuan’, during the Spring and Autumn Period, there were already people in the Wu region who wore ’embroidered clothes and leopard fur coats’. During the Three Kingdoms period, Lady Zhao, the wife of Sun Quan, the ruler of Wu, was good at embroidery. She could embroider the topography of the Five Sacred Mountains, rivers and seas, cities, and towns on square silk. She was praised as having ‘incomparable embroidery skills’ at that time. By the Song Dynasty, every household in Suzhou had embroidery. By the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou embroidery had formed local characteristics of ‘delicacy, elegance, and purity’. In the Qing Dynasty, Suzhou embroidery reached its peak. At that time, Suzhou embroidery had the unique style of beautiful patterns, elegant colors, lively stitching methods, and fine production, and became one of the ‘four famous embroideries’ in China. Opening hours: 9:00 – 11:00, 13:00 – 16:00 (closed on rainy days). Preferential policies: Children: Children under 6 years old (inclusive) or with a height of 1.
Children under 4 meters (including 1.4 meters) are exempted from admission tickets with valid identity documents. Free for children, students, and the elderly: minors aged 6 years old (excluding 6 years old) to 18 years old (including 18 years old), full-time undergraduate students and below, and the elderly aged 60 years old (including 60 years old) to 70 years old (excluding 70 years old) can enjoy half-price tickets with valid identity documents. (Preferential tickets please be purchased at the scenic spot by yourself.) Half-price for the elderly: The elderly aged 70 years old (including 70 years old) and above are exempted from admission tickets with valid identity documents. Free for military personnel: Active servicemen of the People’s Republic of China and retired cadres of the military are exempted from admission tickets with valid identity documents. Free for the disabled: The disabled and one accompanying person of the severely disabled are exempted from admission tickets with valid identity documents.
Supplementary note: The above information is for reference only. Specific information is subject to the announcement of the scenic spot.
Suzhou Embroidery Museum
The Suzhou Embroidery Museum was completed in 1986. The original site of the museum was in the famou[...]
