China National Silk Museum



Located at the foot of Yuhuang Mountain near West Lake in Hangzhou, the China National Silk
Museum occupies an area of 8,000 square meters and opened to the public in February 1992.
Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin once described it as, 'Carrying forward the ancient silk
culture, and exploiting a new Silk Road'.

The museum takes up an area of about 50,000 square meters and consists of eight exhibition
halls, namely the Prelude Hall, Relics Hall, Folk Custom Hall, Silkworm Hall, Silk Manufacturing
Hall, Weaving Hall, Dying Hall and Achievements Hall.

The Prelude Hall displays Silkworm Twining Map (can zhi tu, which details the whole process
from silkworm-raising to silk- weaving) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a model of restored jacquard loom, and a chronological table of the
emerging of silk around the world, which shows that China is the first country to plant mulberry, raise silkworm, reel silk and finally make silk.

The basic exhibitions include five parts. The Major Hall narrates the story of Chinese silk. From the exhibits in the hall, we can see the origin and
development of silk, the main species of silkworm, the location of the Silk Road and the position silk occupied in ancient Chinese society. The
Dyeing and Weaving Hall and the Achievement Hall exhibits separately the development of ancient weaving looms and the great achievement
China has made in the production, research and foreign trade of silk since the founding of P. R. China. In the museum, there is also an exhibition
hall set aside for temporary, special exhibitions.

Vivid demonstrations are given in some halls, demonstrating the production process of the silk
products. The museum itself is a good combination of culture, tourism and trade. It is also an
educational base for both adults and children.

Neighboring the beautiful West Lake, the China National Silk Museum is the first national silk
museum and is the largest silk museum in the world and was constructed utilizing both traditional
and modern techniques and elements.