Hangzhou Museums | 10 Best Museums in Hangzhou

Top 1: China National Tea Museum

Being the hometown of China's first-class Dragon Well Tea (Longjing Tea), Hangzhou certainly has a lot about tea and tea culture to tell. China National Tea Museum, the only museum in China that specialized in tea and tea culture, is also located in this city. This wonderful museum is a must-visit for all tea fans. It not only introduces the visitors about Dragon Well Tea, but also over one hundred kinds of other popular teas in China, including Da Hong Pao Tea, Pu'er Tea, Maofeng Tea, etc. Visitors can also taste these various kinds of teas there. Surrounded by many tea plantations with lush Longjing Tea Trees, the China National Tea Museum also allows the visitors to enjoy the fun of hiking and picking tea leaves by themselves. Besides, the museum also offers fantastic tea ceremonies and performances.

Learn Tea Culture at China National Tea Museum

Watch the Master Drying Tea with Their Own Hands

China National Silk Museum located on the southern shore of the West Lake is the largest silk museum in the world. It shows visitors the history and culture about silk and the Silk Road over 5,000 years. The exhibits of China National Silk Museum include tradition looms, exquisite Chinese-styled costumes from 1920s to 2010s, Western-styled fashions during the past 400 years, vivid models that recreate the process of making silk, and cherished royal silk treasures and other archaeological objects. Without exaggeration, visitors can learn the most comprehensive story about silk and the Silk Road there.

There are also small shopping malls settled at the museum, where visitors can buy beautiful silk products they prefer.

China National Silk Museum

Exquisite Chinese-styled Costumes at China National Silk Museum

Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum is located on Hefang Street next to the southeastern shore of the West Lake. It is the only museum in China that specialized in Chinese medicines. The museum is consisted of 5 parts, including the exhibition hall, Chinese medicine manual workshop, health care clinic, business hall and medicinal food hall. A visit to Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum can not only see a myriad of Chinese herbs and concoctions, but also admire well-kept exquisite Jiangnan Architecture Clusters.

Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum

Zhejiang Provincial Museum, also known as Zhejiang West Lake Museum, is the largest-scaled and most comprehensive museum in the whole Zhejiang Province. It has two branches. One is located next to Gushan Park at the West Lake, while the other one is located on the east bank of the Gran Jing-Hang Canal. The both two branches are well worth a visit. They houses a huge collection of rare historical relics and specimens, including remains of Hemudu Culture, jade articles of Liangzhu Culture, Buddhist relics of the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, gold and silver coins of the Southern Song Dynasty, etc. Specially, the Wulin Branch of Zhejiang Provincial Museum displays interesting red furniture related to the traditional wedding customs in east Zhejiang Province.

Zhejiang Provincial Museum

Red Furniture Related to the Traditional Wedding Customs Displayed at Zhejiang Provincial Museum (Wulin Branch)

Hangzhou has a long history of arts and crafts. The city even enjoys a reputation of "City of Handicrafts". And Hangzhou Arts and Crats Museum Cluster, which is composed of 4 museums, including Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum, China Umbrella Museum, China Knives, Scissors and Swords and China Fan Museum, offers staggering kinds of art and craft works and is one of the best places to savor this city's art atmosphere. At these museums, you will meet with dizzying carvings, ceramics, embroiders, Chinese umbrellas, fans, knits, etc. There are also over 30 studios opened by masters. When they are creating beautiful art works, you are allowed to admire their superb art skills by their side.

Next to the China Fan Museum, there is also a Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion, where visitors can pay a slight fee to take interesting art classes, like parasol painting class, round fan painting classes, paper folding classes, embroidery class, etc.

Hangzhou Arts & Crafts Museum

Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, or called Jing-Hang Grand Canal or Grand Canal for short, is the earliest excavated and longest artificial canal in the world. In a sense, one cannot understand the Chinese history without knowing the Grand Canal. This significant canal connecting Yuhang (today's Hangzhou) and Zhu County (today's Beijing) used to be a vital condition for dynasty survival, national unity and economic prosperity. Besides, it is a great evidence of the wisdom of Chinese people.

The Grand Jing-Hang Canal Museum is located next to the Grand Canal, adjacent to the old southern end of the canal - Gongchen Bridge. As its name suggests, the museum has a variety of introductions about the canal. In addition to its rich historical relics and documents, the museum also features a unique design. There is a mini canal designed at the floor, with clear glasses paved that allow the visitors to walk on them. When you strolling around the exhibition hall, you will feel like you are sailing on the canal. What a unique experience!

Grand Jing-Hang Canal Museum

The Liangzhu Culture can be dated back to 4,300~5,300 years ago, which is a strong proof of the five thousand years of Chinese civilization. It is also well known for its vast legacy of jade objects and black-based and black-burnished pottery, which are considered some of the finest in the world. In July 2019, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City were inscribed to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

The Liangzhu Museum, which is less than 4 kilometers away from the ruin site, is the best window to trace the Liangzhu history. It exhibits over 600 pieces of precious jade, pottery and lacquered wood ware unearthed from the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. History lovers should never miss it!

Liangzhu Museum

Hangzhou Cuisine is a major branch of Zhejiang Cuisine, which is one of the Eight Famous Cuisines in China.

Hangzhou Cuisine Museum is currently the largest museum of local cuisine in China! It introduces different kinds of Hangzhou dishes and snacks in different dynasties in China, especially in the prosperous Southern Song Dynasty (1127~1279). Here, visitors can learn the history and culture of Hangzhou Cuisine and Food and feast the eyes with vivid models of famous dishes and snacks in Hangzhou, like Braised Dongpo Pork, West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy, etc. Besides, visitors can order meals and enjoy dinning at the museum!

Hangzhou Cuisine Museum

Going further south for about 1.5 kilometers around from China National Silk Museum there is also an important museum named Hangzhou Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum, which is China's first ceramic museum that built on the basis of an ancient kiln site. "Guan" means "official" in Chinese. Guan Kiln, as its name implies, is a kiln that creates imperial ceramics. The porcelain making in Chinese culture can be traced back to 2,000 years ago, while it is said that in Southern Song Dynasty (1127~1279) such a tradition reached its peak. The Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum is such a museum that will trace the pottery and porcelain making and burning scenes during the Southern Song Dynasty. The museum also restored a set of tools and equipment that allows you to enjoy the fun of making antique porcelain by your own hand!

Hangzhou Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum

Hangzhou Museum, or formerly known as Hangzhou History Museum, is one of the most significant museums to collect, exhibit, and study the history of Hangzhou City. Here, visitors will find lots of interesting exhibits and vivid miniature models that will take you travel back to the ancient Hangzhou. The key highlights of the museum include a 2000-year-old crystal glass, which was magically made of one whole crystal.

Hangzhou Museum is only 400 meters away from the Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum on Hefang Street. If you are heading to visit Hefang Street, you are highly suggested to visit the Hangzhou Museum together.

Hangzhou Museum