Why go
Hangzhou was the centre of imperial silk production for centuries, so it's fitting that the national museum lives here. Beyond the history, the museum actively practises what it displays: conservators restore ancient textiles in open labs, and weavers work replica patterns on wooden looms.
- Live silkworms at work in the sericulture hall — kids love it
- 4,000-year-old silk fragments and Han dynasty brocades
- Silk Road gallery connecting Hangzhou to Samarkand and Byzantium
- A restored 19th-century loom hall with weaving demonstrations
What to look for
Start in the Story of Silk hall, where live silkworms spin cocoons in glass cases and you learn why a single robe once cost a year of a weaver's life. The historical gallery holds genuinely ancient textiles — silk from Warring States tombs, Tang dynasty patterned weaves carried along the Silk Road, and Ming and Qing court robes dense with dragons and auspicious clouds. The loom hall, with a full-size replica drawloom, demonstrates how those patterns were lifted thread by thread. Rotating fashion exhibitions in the modern wing often showcase Chinese couture and global designers working with silk.
Plan your visit
Ninety minutes covers the core; add another hour if a fashion exhibition or hands-on workshop tempts you. The museum is right beside Yuhuang Hill — combine the two for a half day, or pair it with the Southern Song Guan Kiln Museum further along the hill. Bikes and taxis both work well from West Lake, and the museum cafe is a pleasant stop overlooking the gardens.
Getting there
- Bus 12/42/31/133 to the Silk Museum stop on Yuhuang Hill Road; or a 15-minute taxi from Longxiangqiao metro station (Line 1)
- Opened
- 1992 (renovated 2015–16)
- Signature
- Ancient silk textiles and working looms
- Admission
- Free (passport required)
