Zhouzhuang Museum, located on Hougang Road, Zhouzhuang, Jiangsu province, offers tourists a collection of local utensils, farm tools and pottery unearthed in Zhouzhuang.

Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, Zhouzhuang Museum was once the residence of a Zhu family in the early years of the Republic of China. It was later used by Zhouzhuang town government after 1949. After renovations in the mid-1990s, it became a museum in 1998.

Walking into the second room on the east, old utensils are displayed, including bamboo baskets, wedding items, and baby walkers. To the right, commonly used farm tools are on display, including a winnower, sickles, and measuring tools for rice.

The third room on the east at Zhouzhuang Museum displays unearthed relics of Taishidian, a lake north of Zhouzhuang. In the 1970s, some pottery, farm tools, wooden boards and animal bones were dug from the lake. After evaluations by experts, the pottery was authenticated to be relics from Liangzhu, a culture centered in Taihu Lake about 5,300 to 4,200 years ago. The carbonized pottery with painted birds was designated a national first-level cultural relic with a history of over 5,000 years and has been collected by the National Museum of China. The stone plow is from the New Stone Age, with a history of over 4,000 years.

Chess of varying sizes and shapes and the history of chess in China are on display in the second room on the west at Zhouzhuang Museum. The biggest one of all weighs about 12 kilograms and the smallest can only be seen clearly with a magnifying glass.

Inscriptions by state leaders and snapshots from movies and TV plays of Zhouzhuang are also displayed. The grand bridges, rivers and houses attract not only tourists, but also famous Chinese directors such as Xie Jin and Zhang Yimou.

The treasure of Zhouzhuang Museum displayed on the second floor is a panorama of Zhouzhuang, done by 30 artists over half a year to paint. At 25 meters long and 0.9 meters wide, the painting presents the beautiful landscape of the water town. Also worth mentioning is a rock painting Someday in Zhouzhuang by Japanese painter Shinsen Hashimoto. It is painted with particles of rock and will never fade, which also symbolizes the hope for a lasting friendship between China and Japan.

The innermost room contains a coin showroom. It displays ancient coins from various periods of history.

Downstairs, a room on your left is the display of locks, keys and traditional costumes.

Zhouzhuang Museum shows tourists Zhouzhuang’s long history and splendid cultures and brings back old memories.