The Du Jinsheng Brocade Museum

The Du Jinsheng Brocade Museum

The Hangzhou Du Jinsheng Brocade Museum is located by West Lake on Fengqi Road, within the renowned factory grounds of the Du Jinsheng Silk Weaving Mill. The museum’s collection consists mainly of historical archives from the Du Jinsheng Silk Weaving Mill over the years and donations from the public, totaling 2,778 items. The museum covers an area of over 7,000 square meters and is divided into four major exhibition areas: the exhibition hall, the raw material preparation workshop, the brocade weaving workshop, and the product display and sales hall. Additionally, there is a famous mulberry garden between the exhibition areas that introduces sericulture knowledge and features China’s five renowned varieties of mulberry.

In the 500-square-meter exhibition hall, displays combine static showcase exhibits with interactive, hands-on experiences. The exhibits are divided into sections covering the long history of brocade, the Eastern art marvel, the world-renowned Du Jinsheng brocade, the exquisitely crafted brocade techniques, the miraculously designed brocades, the early brocade equipment, and live brocade weaving demonstrations.

Du Jinsheng brocade was created in 1921 by the renowned Chinese patriotic industrialist Mr. Du Jinsheng. It is representative of Hangzhou brocade. After more than ninety years of development and innovation, it has formed a distinctly ethnic silk-weaving craft represented by scenic brocade, decorative brocade, and wearable brocade, celebrated both domestically and internationally for its fine craftsmanship and vibrant colors. After nearly a century of innovation and development, it now comprises three major series with over 1,640 patterns and designs.

Du Jinsheng brocade won a gold medal at the 1926 Philadelphia World’s Fair in the United States, marking the first international gold award for China’s national silk industry. Starting in the 1950s, the company was designated by the Zhejiang Provincial Government and the Hangzhou Municipal Government as a key site for opening up to the outside world, receiving heads of state and government leaders from around the world. Veteran revolutionaries and national leaders such as Zhou Enlai visited the company and provided guidance.

Address: Inside the Du Jinsheng Silk Weaving Mill, No. 519 Fengqi Road, Xiacheng District

Transportation: Accessible via bus routes 12, 355, 21, 26, 30, 14, 151, 152, and 10

Admission: Free

Opening Hours: 7:00–16:30

Information Source: Party History Research Office and Documentary Research Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee

Du Jinsheng (1897–1943), also known as Lubin, was a native of Hangzhou. He is famous for pioneering the silk landscape weaving technique and establishing the Du Jinsheng Silk Weaving Mill. He graduated in 1919 from the Textile Department of Zhejiang Provincial First-Class Industrial School and stayed on as a faculty member. Through teaching practice, he hand-wove China’s first silk landscape painting, “Nine Creeks and Eighteen Gullies.” On May 15, 1922, he founded the “Du Jinsheng Silk Weaving Mill” at his home in Maojiabu, Hangzhou. Due to the novelty and uniqueness of the products, they were very well received by society. In 1926, he purchased over 10 acres of land outside the Genshan Gate to build a new factory and expand production. By then, he already had hand-cranked looms… More detailed information about Du Jinsheng ++