- Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute (see Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty above for location). Suzhou is famous for embroidery work, with silk as the main material. The Suzhou style has a history going back 2000 years and is considered one of China's four great types of embroidery. (The others are centered in Changsha, Chaozhou and Chengdu.) The Institute functions as a museum, as a workshop for modern craftspeople, and as an outlet for their products. Prices may be somewhat higher than elsewhere, but quality is high.
The Opera, Silk and Handicrafts museums are all right in the same area and can conveniently be visited together.