Hangzhou has by far the most interesting specialized museums covering just about any subject related to culture and civilization. You can literally travel through time in these museums and learn about China‘s rich and long history. The buildings are stunning works of art commissioned from the world’s best architects in China and abroad. Here are a few must-see gems worth visiting.
Zhejiang Art Museum
Auspiciously located facing the West Lake and flanked by the Wangsonglin Mountain, ZJAM spans over 35,000 square meters and houses 14 exhibition halls. There is also a skylit promenade, several multi-function halls, a library, Children’s Place, shops for artworks and art supplies, a coffee bar, and even a VIP room for visiting dignitaries. Opened in 2009, ZJAM was built to curate and exhibit artworks, cultural relics, and documents to reflect the development of the arts in Zhejiang province, with a direct focus on modern contemporary works by Zhejiang natives. Each year ZJAM hosts 50 planned exhibitions and over 300 public education workshops and activities. Conceived by Chen Taining, a native of neighboring province Jiangsu, the building itself is a stunning work of art. The ultra modern glass-paned roof utilizes geometric shapes to mimic a cascade of mountains, which fits very well with the natural surroundings. The understated black-and-white colors ensure the green natural surroundings remain dominant while the building itself fades into nature.
Founded in 1929, it is one of the oldest museums in China and the only one in the province to collect, exhibit, and study specimens of animals, plants, and minerals. It sits on 8,000 square meters displaying over 80,000 specimens displayed in six main exhibition rooms. Here, you will find actual specimens as well as replicas (with no real distinction) of dinosaurs, marine life, terrestrial animals, and plant specimens. The museum is actively engaged in cultural and educational exchange programs worldwide, sending over 80 fellows for research, study, and academic exchanges.
In one of the oldest buildings in Hangzhou, among a complex of original and refurbished old commercial buildings that give off a “Chinatown” feel, is the Huqingyu Tang Museum of Chinese Herbal Medicine. The museum is actually an old pharmacy built by renowned businessman Hu Xueyuan in the late Qing dynasty and still in operation today. The museum section is a walk-through exhibition featuring mummified exotic animals and samples of organic medicinal plants. A guide will point out one or two curios such as tiger bone or deer horn gelatin, explaining their uses, but you will have to ask questions if something is of particular interest. In the exhibition hall, you are introduced to a myriad of Chinese herbs and concoctions in several stages of preparation. On any given day, you can see actual patients waiting to pick up their prescriptions, which are scooped, weighed, and packaged into red parcels. You can sample medicinal tea, get your qi read, and purchase ointments and medicine from the adjoining pharmacy.
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This museum sits on expansive acres of green tea fields and takes you through the journey of tea production beginning with its origins and how it developed in China. You can learn about the different processing methods of black, green, and white tea, as well as other lesser known varieties. The museum tour can be done independently as all captions are in English. There is also a tea-tasting ceremony, and several restaurants and tea houses nearby that make for a great lunch stop following your informative tour.
This interactive museum is located near Qianwang Mountain. There are four sections to the expansive museum consisting of a showroom, a Qiantang kitchen, and a taste of Hangzhou and Dongpo pavilion. Here you can participate in a cooking class and sample regional cuisine in any of the three showrooms that also serve as restaurants.
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