Ninghai County Shili Hongzhuang Museum

Ninghai County Shili Hongzhuang Museum

The Shili Hongzhuang Art Gallery is located on Xu Xiake Avenue. It is a privately-run art museum that houses a collection of over 1,000 pieces of "Shili Hongzhuang" (Ten Li Red Dowry) artifacts, making it the largest of its kind in the southern Yangtze region of China. It has been preliminarily rated as a Grade 5 tourism resource.

As soon as you step into the art gallery, you’ll be captivated by its dazzling array of exhibits, feeling as if you’ve been transported back to the civilian life of the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties: from large items like beds and furniture to small necessities such as needles and threads—from gold and silver jewelry, clothing and fabrics, candlesticks and lamps, cabinets and tables, pillows and bedding, hats, headwear, shoes and socks, copper basins and utensils, porcelain and lacquered cups and plates, grooming tools, to pearls, jade ornaments, and the Four Treasures of the Study—everything a bride would need for her new life in her husband’s home is on display.

The so-called "Shili Hongzhuang" refers to the grandeur of a traditional bridal procession. People often use the phrase "a thousand acres of fertile land, a ten-li red dowry" to describe an exceptionally generous bridal trousseau. According to old customs, one day before the wedding, aside from bedding, clothes, shoes, accessories, quilts, and sewing supplies—which were sent along with the bridal sedan on the wedding day—the rest of the red bridal chests, ranging from beds to even thread reels and spinning rods, were carried to the groom’s house by porters and arranged by the bridesmaids, a practice commonly known as "making the bed."

When delivering the dowry, large furniture pieces were carried by two people, while sets of red foot-washing tubs were split between two people, each carrying one end. Smaller wooden items like buckets and fruit containers, as well as small objects like porcelain vases and jars, were placed in red chests and carried by two people. Each load, each chest, was coated in vermilion lacquer and gilded, shining brilliantly. Everything from beds, tables, chests, wardrobes, bedding, to daily necessities was included—covering all aspects of everyday needs. The long procession of red-dressed dowry items often stretched from the bride’s home all the way to the groom’s, an imposing sight like a golden dragon draped in red, radiating joy and celebration, flaunting the family’s wealth and abundance—hence the name "Shili Hongzhuang" or "Ten Li Red Dowry."

Dowry furniture was traditionally divided into "inner room" pieces and "outer room" pieces. Items such as the Thousand-Craft Bed, front-room table, red wardrobe, bedside cabinet, clothes rack, spring bench, chamber pot, ancestor jar, and dressing table—all placed inside the inner chambers—were considered "inner room" pieces. Items like writing desks, instrument tables, Eight Immortals tables, and round-backed chairs were "outer room" pieces. Functionally, they can be categorized into three main types: daily living furniture, small household wooden items, and needlework tools.

Most of these exhibited furniture and lacquerware pieces date back to the Qing dynasty, with a few extending into the Republican era. They integrate various crafts such as carving, molding, painting, gold leaf application, gold outlining, and lacquer coating. They are simple, elegant, and luxurious. The "Chinese Red" cinnabar lacquer technique can be regarded as a treasure of Chinese craftsmanship, representing a comprehensive embodiment of the traditional lacquerware and carving techniques of the Ningbo-Shaoxing region. Items such as dressing mirrors, wine jars, backrest chairs, and chests are either partially carved or fully embossed with relief designs—transparent and ethereal, ornate yet approachable. They carry a scholarly touch, with graceful yet splendid shapes and a rich sense of life. Meanwhile, the plain vermilion lacquer buckets exude elegance within their simplicity, with rounded, ethereal shapes, minimalistic yet subtle, and lines that flow with rhythmic beauty.

If the bold and exquisite red wardrobes are likened to the handsome men of Ningbo and Shaoxing, then these light and fluid little buckets resemble the graceful women of the region. The museum’s treasures not only allow visitors to appreciate the beauty embodied in the artifacts but also offer, through their rich humanistic elements, valuable physical references for studying the social culture of eastern Zhejiang during the Ming and Qing periods.

The lively scene of "Shili Hongzhuang" has become history, and the conditions of women, which have been passed down for thousands of years, have completely changed. But it is the responsibility of Jiangnan folk art museums and all of us to systematically understand and study all the lifestyles and spaces that once made ancient women cry, hate, love, and take pride in—for they are our ancestors.

The owner of the art gallery, He Xiaodao, is a folk art connoisseur and collector with deep expertise in the field. For nearly 20 years, while running a business dealing in Ming and Qing furniture, he has carefully selected fine pieces worthy of preservation from a vast array of artifacts. These folk relics are part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. Chinese society is undergoing a historic transformation of reform and change, with unprecedented rapid shifts in its socio-economic, cultural, folk, and customary landscapes. As time passes and eras evolve, these folk artworks are gradually disappearing, becoming rare treasures. Yet these wildflowers growing from the fertile soil of folk culture strive to preserve some of the cultural traditions that have continued for thousands of years in this rapidly changing era—especially promoting the uniquely charming furniture culture of eastern Zhejiang. This effort is truly commendable.

Location

Taoyuan South Road, Ninghai County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province

Further Reading:

· National Third-Class Museum of China