China National Silk Museum

Hangzhou has been China's silk capital for over a thousand years, and the China National Silk Museum is the world's largest museum dedicated to silk. Exhibits trace silk's 5,000-year history from the legendary discovery by Empress Leizu to the global Silk Road trade. You'll see live silkworms, traditional looms in operation, exquisite historical textiles, and contemporary silk fashion. Free entry. A must-visit for anyone interested in the fabric that defined China's luxury trade for millennia.