Shaoxing Museum

The Shaoxing Museum is a regional history museum in Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China, within walking distance of Shen Garden. It presents the long history of the area, starting with the ancient Yue kingdom, whose king Goujian famously rebuilt his state after defeat in the fifth century BC, and continuing through the Kuaiji culture that grew around Kuaiji Mountain and the legend of Yu the Great. The collections include bronze weapons and vessels from Yue tombs, early pottery and the proto-celadon and celadon ceramics for which the region was a major production centre, jade objects, calligraphy, paintings and later items. Galleries on local folk traditions show the boats, wine-making equipment, costumes and crafts of the Shaoxing canal landscape, and give context for the city's rice wine culture. Displays are arranged chronologically, with captions mostly in Chinese and some English. A visit takes about one to one and a half hours. The museum is typically open from about 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed on Mondays, though hours should be confirmed locally. General admission is free with an ID or passport, and visitors should bring identification. Weekday mornings are the quietest, as school groups tend to visit in mid-morning and weekends and holidays are busier. Photography is generally allowed in the galleries, though flash is usually prohibited and some cases may be restricted. The museum works well as a rainy-day option or as a way to understand the history behind sites such as the Dayu Mausoleum and Kuaiji Mountain before visiting them. It can be reached by bus or taxi, or on foot from Shen Garden.