Introduction

Located on the south bank of West Lake, China National Silk Museum is the first national silk museum specializing in silk and is also the largest silk museum in the world, covering an area of 10,000 square meters. It opened to the public in 1992 and people have been allowed to visit it for free since 2004.

The museum consists of eight exhibition halls, aiming to show the history and development of Chinese silk from the Neolithic Age to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911AD), and some present-day products on show too. The eight exhibition halls are individually named- the Prelude Hall, Relics Hall, Folk Custom Hall, Silkworm Hall, Silk Manufacturing Hall, Weaving Hall, Dying Hall and Achievements Hall. Additionally, artifacts from the three ancient Silk Roads through the desert, sea and land are also shown in the museum.

The museum itself is a good combination of culture, tourism and trade. Equipped with modern facilities, free booklets providing information about silk and audio-visual guides talking about all the processes with pictures and videos, the China National Silk Museum gives visitors vivid demonstrations about silk production. In addition, the museum store underground has large number of silk goods for sale to museum visitors. Teahouses attached to the museum have been established to provide visitors with a place to relax and unwind.