Suzhou Museum

苏州博物馆（本馆）

A late work by I. M. Pei, this modern museum in the style of a classical garden has white walls and black tiles, a rockery of stones and the treasure of a celadon lotus bowl in “secret color.” Admission is free with advance booking.

The main building of the Suzhou Museum is on Dongbei Street, next to the Humble Administrator's Garden and Prince Zhong's Palace. It was completed in 2006, designed by the Suzhou-born master architect I. M. Pei, and is considered his most treasured work from his later years. It is seen as a model of “traditional yet new, Suzhou yet modern.” The building keeps Suzhou's traditional style with white walls, grey tiles and geometric roofs. The central courtyard uses white walls as paper and stones as the painting, creating a landscape in which “the wall is the paper and the stone is the brush.” The wisteria in the Wisteria Garden is said to descend from the wisteria planted by Wen Zhengming. The museum has over 30,000 items. Its treasures include a celadon lotus bowl in “secret color” from the Five Dynasties period, unearthed from Tiger Hill Pagoda, the Zhenzhu relic canopy from Ruiguang Pagoda, and Ming and Qing dynasty calligraphy and painting from the Wu school, along with furnishings from scholars' studies. Permanent exhibitions include “Treasures of the Scholar's Study” and “National Treasures from Wu's Pagodas.” Special exhibitions of calligraphy, painting and crafts are popular. Admission is free, but you must book in advance through the official “Suzhou Museum” WeChat account. Slots are usually released 7 days ahead and sell out quickly during holidays. The museum is closed on Mondays, except during holidays. The audio guide and museum shop are highly praised. Prince Zhong's Palace, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom palace of Li Xiucheng and the best-preserved Taiping-era building in China, is connected to the museum and included in the booking. Getting there: walk out of Humble Administrator's Garden–Suzhou Museum Station on Metro Line 6, or walk 10 minutes from Beisita Pagoda Station on Line 4. Allow 1.5 hours. Plan your visit on the same day as the Humble Administrator's Garden, Lion Grove Garden and Pingjiang Road. Note: flash photography and tripods are not permitted in the galleries. If you cannot get a booking, check the West Annex (Shishan Road), which opened in 2021 and also offers free booking.

Suzhou Museum

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