Nanxun Town History Museum

　　The predecessor of the Nanxun Town History Museum was the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce, originally built in 1926 as a three-courtyard Sino-Western architectural complex covering an area of 950 square meters. It cost over 30,000 taels of silver to construct, making it one of the earliest chambers of commerce in the Jiangnan region. In October 1998, it was converted into the Nanxun Town History Museum.

　　In the first half of 2008, after renovation, its content was adjusted to include exhibition halls such as Jieli Lake Silk, Four Elephants and Eight Bulls, Calligraphy by Renowned Artists, Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music, and Celebrity Study Rooms.

　　Jieli Lake Silk Hall: This hall mainly showcases the Jieli Lake Silk culture that the people of Nanxun take great pride in. Various silk-related models are displayed, including the gold medal won at the 1915 Panama Exposition, old photos of the Qianshanyang site, and antique silk-reeling machines. A vivid set of clay figurines depicts the entire process from mulberry picking and silkworm breeding to silk reeling, trading, and winning awards, bringing to life the prosperity of Nanxun’s Jieli silk over a hundred years ago.

　　Four Elephants and Eight Bulls Corridor: This corridor displays a group of Nanxun’s most outstanding merchants who made their fortunes through silk and ultimately had a profound impact on the economy, culture, art, and politics of not only East China but also the entire nation.

　　“Contemporary Chinese Calligraphers Write About Nanxun”: This exhibition hall presents the deep affection numerous contemporary calligraphy masters have for Nanxun. Using the renowned “Hu Brush,” the king of writing instruments, they have painted an alternative view of Nanxun’s charm.

　　Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music Hall: Comprising a performance hall and an instrument exhibition hall, the performance hall features moving Jiangnan silk and bamboo music played by art performance students who graduated from undergraduate programs at Huzhou Normal University. The instrument exhibition hall displays a variety of musical instruments used in Jiangnan silk and bamboo music, among which the most representative is the world’s oldest surviving five-stringed pipa — the “Tang Dynasty Chōgo-in Five-String Pipa (replica).”

　　Celebrity Study Room: Showcasing various books compiled by many Nanxun literati and scholars with deep affection for Nanxun, these books reflect their strong attachment to the town and highlight Nanxun’s cultural depth as a historic ancient town.