History Museum of Nanxun

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The history museum is located at No.79 West Road, Nanxun Town. It developed from the former houses of Nanxun Chamber of Commerce built in 1926. Its establishment originated from the facts that Nanxun was a main market of natural silk in the late Qing Dynasty, many people engaged in silk bussiness, and some commercial groups had come into being. Consequently, the Chamber of Commerce was set by Mei Jizhong as the director, and other sponsors. All the houses are divided into three rows with the flavour of the Western and Chinese architectural styles.

The history museum of Nanxun covers the construction floor about 1,000 square meters. It has become one of key municipal protection units. The front row is an entrance hall with five-room in width. The middle rowis used as the magnificent meeting hall. The hall looks spacious and high with tall pillars supporting the high ceiling. The back row is a two-storey wooden structure in traditional Chinese style. It has the corridor columns made of wood and decorative windows which give visitors a flavour of classical quaintness and elegance. In front of the meeting hall, four large southern magnolias in the courtyard that were planted hundred years ago are still lush and vibrant.

Since the foundation of Nanxun Town in the year of the Song Dynasty (1252), the small town has changed greatly. The panoramic exhibit of Nanxun history in the museum does show what happened in the past 750 years. From the view of history, the museum is helpful for visitors to know the changes of Nanxun at various times. Visitors are told about the regional changes of administration, the historical events and local culture. The exhibits and pictures displayed in the hall bring visitors back to the prosperous years when Huzhou silk was exported to many countries overthe world during the late Qing Dynasty. Of course, the severe attack on Nanxun during the Anti-Japanese War is also well documented there. Since the establishment of History Museum of Nanxun in October 1998, the museum has attracted lots of visitors, and become an important historical education base for later generations. In 2008, the museum was renovated again. The local government has made great efforts to propagate and revitalize the famous ancient town. Now each of exhibition halls in the museum gives a prominent theme. The exhibitions are mainly classified according to subjects as follows