Suzhou Pingtan Museum

Suzhou Pingtan Museum

The Suzhou Pingtan Museum is located on Zhongzhangjia Lane, Pingjiang Road, Suzhou, with a construction area of 839 square meters. The museum houses over 12,000 precious historical materials related to Pingtan, as well as several hundred rare editions and scripts. Notably, Ms. Yu Ruomu, the wife of the late proletarian revolutionary Chen Yun, donated over 560 audio and video recordings of Pingtan that Chen Yun cherished during his lifetime, laying a solid foundation for the establishment of the Pingtan Museum.

The museum is divided into three courtyards. The entrance hall exhibition area provides an overview of Pingtan and the visiting route; the second courtyard features a performance hall designed in the style of the Qing Dynasty, where Pingtan performances are held regularly; the third courtyard introduces the history of Pingtan, famous artists from various eras, and historical documents. The design philosophy of the museum is to be accessible to the public, appealing to both refined and popular tastes. While focusing on showcasing the full development of Pingtan’s history and the performance styles of renowned artists and schools, it also utilizes high-tech methods to recreate historical performance scenes and industry customs of Pingtan. It forms an artistic contrast with the elegant style of its neighbor, the China Kunqu Opera Museum, highlighting two different facets of traditional Chinese culture.

The collection room preserves a set of top-grade treasures: a complete set of scripts that accompanied the renowned Pingtan master Yan Xueting throughout his life. This rare Pingtan edition consists of thirty volumes totaling hundreds of thousands of words, densely marked with annotations in Master Yan’s own handwriting. These priceless materials, having withstood the passage of time and especially the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, remain remarkably well-preserved, with not even the covers showing any damage. They embody the dedication and perseverance of two generations of the Yan family toward the art of Pingtan.

Over a hundred pieces of valuable Pingtan cultural relics and personal art items left behind by the late renowned Pingtan performing artists Wei Hanying, Xing Ruiting, and Wu Junyu have been officially donated to the Suzhou Pingtan Museum for display, research, and utilization. Wei Zhenbai, son of Mr. Wei Hanying, Xing Yanchun and Xing Yanzhi, children of Mr. Xing Ruiting, and Wu Xinbo, son of Mr. Wu Junyu, all contributed precious items left by their fathers. These include not only handwritten scripts treasured by these Pingtan artists, but also their unique artistic insights accumulated through performances, as well as props such as fans they used during shows.