I visited the Suzhou Museum on a Thursday morning. The building was designed by I.M. Pei, with white walls and geometric shapes. Grey tiles formed angular rooftops against the sky.

At the entrance, I scanned my pre-booked ticket and walked through security. The main hall had a high ceiling and a rectangular pond. Fish swam under stone walkways, and bamboo grew in precise clusters near the windows.

In the Wu Kingdom artifacts section, I saw a jade burial suit from the Han dynasty. It contained 2,368 green stone pieces linked with gold wire. Next to it, bronze swords showed visible corrosion patterns.

Upstairs, Ming dynasty ceramics filled glass cases. One blue-and-white dish featured a coiled dragon. A label noted it was fired at 1,300°C in Jingdezhen kilns.

The most interesting display was a 1:100 wooden model of a Song dynasty pagoda. Tiny movable doors revealed interior Buddha statues. Museum staff were adjusting lighting on the model when I passed by.

Outside, the courtyard had a stone bridge crossing a shallow pool. Reflections of the building doubled the geometric patterns in the water. Workers trimmed pine branches near the western wall.

Before leaving, I stopped at the gift shop. Replicas of Ming vases lined shelves, priced from ¥80 to ¥1,200. I bought a postcard showing the museum’s aerial view.

The museum visit took two hours. Buses 901 and 202 stop directly outside. Photography is permitted except in three marked zones.

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