The Suzhou Museum consists of two parts: the new museum, which has been open since 2006, and the ancient architecture of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s Zhongwang Mansion (old museum). The entire museum resembles a small garden. Inside the new museum, one can view artifacts such as pottery, jade, and calligraphy and paintings from ancient times to modernity. Within the Zhongwang Mansion, one can also appreciate the graceful and elegant ‘Suzhou-style painted decorations’.
The entrance to the museum is through the new museum’s gate, and the exit is through the Zhongwang Mansion’s gate. After entering, one can take the time to appreciate the architecture of the new museum, designed by the master architect I.M. Pei, with its traditional Suzhou garden style, featuring a staggered layout, dark gray roofs complementing white walls, creating a fresh and elegant aesthetic. Pyramid-shaped glass skylights on the roof fill the museum with natural light, a feature visible at the entrance, skylight corridors, cool halls, and various exhibition halls. The museum also includes courtyards, ponds, and stone bridges, blending tradition with modernity. Strolling through the courtyards of the new museum, with blue skies, white walls, green bamboo, and clear waters, is quite pleasant; walking on the stone bridges, one can also see distinctive paintings made of sand and stone beneath the white walls, which are worth photographing as a memento. The museum houses four permanent exhibitions rich in Suzhou characteristics: ‘Treasures of Wu Land’, ‘National Treasures of Wu Pagodas’, ‘Elegance of Wu’, and ‘Calligraphy and Painting of Wu School’. It has collected many artifacts discovered from the Tiger Hill Pagoda and Rui Guang Pagoda, including two must-see treasures displayed in the ‘National Treasures of Wu Pagodas’: the ‘Yue Kiln Secret Color Porcelain Lotus Bowl’, composed of a bowl and a cup holder, with large petal lotus reliefs that are very elegant and crystal clear; and the ‘Pearl and Gem Stupa’, a container for storing relics made of pearls and other seven treasures, dazzling and eye-catching. In addition, the museum also has folk exhibitions to understand the customs and habits of the Suzhou area; it also regularly holds temporary special exhibitions, such as ‘Ming and Qing Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition’. In the Zhongwang Mansion, one can visit the ancient architecture from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period and experience the scenes of that time. The courtyard also has many flowers, plants, and trees, which are pleasing to the eye. Opening hours are 09:00-20:00 from July 2nd to September 1st, Tuesday to Sunday; 09:00-17:00 from September 2nd to December 31st, Tuesday to Sunday; 09:00-17:00 from January 1st to June 30th, Tuesday to Sunday; and 09:00-20:00 on National Day. The Suzhou Museum may temporarily close during major events or for important equipment maintenance and will notify the public accordingly. Service facilities include luggage storage:
