Former Residence of Shen Shou in Mudu

The Former Residence of Shen Shou in Mudu is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former residence of Shen Shou is located in the middle section of Shantang Street in Mudu Town. Shen Shou was a renowned "Queen of Embroidery" in the late Qing Dynasty. She spent her childhood at her maternal grandmother’s home on Shantang Street in Mudu, where she learned embroidery from her elder sister Shen He Yi, threading needles and practicing stitches as she began her artistic journey. The former residence of Shen Shou was originally the Little Hidden Garden of the Li family from the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the Qianlong reign, it was purchased by Xu Shiyuan, the owner of Hongyin Mountain Villa, who carried out renovations and expansions, giving it a front-house-and-back-garden layout. By the late Qing Dynasty, the Xu family had declined, and they sold the eastern garden to the Chen family. The Chen family had a niece named Shen Yunzhi, who would later become the world-famous "Queen of Embroidery," Shen Shou. Mudu Town restored the eastern garden of Hongyin Mountain Villa and established the "Shen Shou Memorial Hall" there. This not only added a new tourist attraction to Shantang Street but also helped promote Suzhou’s traditional embroidery craftsmanship.

The entrance gate of Shen Shou’s former residence stands side by side with Hongyin Mountain Villa. Above the gate hangs a plaque inscribed with the words "Former Residence of Shen Shou," written by Mr. Hua Ren De. Stepping into the Shen Shou Memorial Hall within the residence, one finds a marble bust of Shen Shou standing in the center of the hall. She appears delicate and graceful, with an elegant demeanor and a round medal pinned to her chest. Behind her, a screen hangs with a horizontal plaque that reads "Imperial Decree of Commendation." The plaque includes an inscription: "His Majesty bestows this honor upon Yu Zhaorong, a fourth-rank commercial merit recipient and a scholar from Zhejiang, in recognition of his industrial endeavors." Yu Zhaorong, whose given name was Jue, was Shen Shou’s husband. This shows that in feudal society, even women who achieved great success could only be honored in their husband’s name. Why was there an imperial commendation? It is explained that in 1904, when Shen Shou was 30 years old, she and her sister Shen He Yi, along with her student Jin Jingfen, meticulously embroidered two works: "The Eight Immortals Offering Longevity" and "The Buddha of Infinite Life," which they presented to Empress Dowager Cixi. Delighted by the artworks, Cixi praised them as matchless treasures. As a result, Shen Shou received the "Imperial Decree of Commendation" and the "Twin Dragon Treasure Medal" from Cixi, who also bestowed upon her the characters "Fu" (Fortune) and "Shou" (Longevity). To honor this favor, Yu Jue changed his name to Yu Fu, and Shen Yunzhi became Shen Shou.

Hanging on the pillars of the hall is a couplet: "Daring to weave heavenly clouds with ten deft fingers, worthy of being called the weaving of a weaver goddess; never vying with others in idle chatter, how could one compare to the charming ladies of West Lake’s Gusu Palace?" The upper line praises Shen Shou’s dexterous hands that embroidered beautiful clouds from the heavens; the lower line says Shen Shou alone rivals the countless skilled women from Yue sent to the Gusu Palace in Suzhou. On the right side wall panel hangs the imperial characters for "Fu" (Fortune) and "Shou" (Longevity), bestowed by Empress Dowager Cixi herself. On the left side wall panel hang two inscriptions, one of which was written by the former Vice Premier of China: "Inherit and study the art of Shen Shou, promote and develop folk culture." Though the Shen Shou Memorial Hall has no lavish furnishings, after viewing the introductions and photos, visitors gain a deeper understanding of the history of Suzhou embroidery. At the same time, they come to better appreciate the true meaning behind the proverb, "Every trade has its master."

Shen Shou (1874–1921), female, originally named Yunzhi, later changed her name to Shou, with the courtesy name Xuejun, and in her later years used the pseudonym Xuehuan. Her other alias was "Master of Tianxiang Pavilion." A native of Wuxing, Zhejiang, she settled in Suzhou and also lived in Nantong. Her father was an antiques dealer. At the age of 7, she began learning embroidery from her sister Shen Li, and by age 16, she had already gained fame across urban and rural Suzhou. In the 16th year of the Guangxu reign (1890), she founded the Tongli Embroidery School in Suzhou. At age 20, she married Yu Jue, a scholar from Shaoxing who had moved to Suzhou (and later became a scholar-official). Yu was talented in poetry and painting, and the couple complemented each other in art and embroidery. Shen Shou dedicated herself to researching embroidery techniques and created nearly 10 new types of stitches. The details of Shen Shou can be explored further ++

Mudu Town: Located by Taihu Lake and at the foot of Lingyan and Tianping Mountains, Mudu Town is a Chinese garden town with over 2,500 years of history, rich in Wu culture and scenic mountain landscapes. Covering an area of 62.28 square kilometers, the town has a local population of 86,000 and over 200,000 migrant residents. It has long been a key town in the Wu region, known as the "Home of Stone Carving," "Home of Calligraphy," and "Home of Gardens." It enjoys the reputation of being the "Foremost Town of Wu" and has been honored as a "National Model Site for Creating Civilized Small Towns," "National Advanced Town for Creating Civilized Towns," "China's Famous Historical and Cultural Town," and a "National Sanitary Town"... More information about Mudu Town ++