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19-767: The Suzhou Museum was founded in 1960, originally located in the former residence of Zhong Wang , an important general during the Taiping Rebellion . In 1986 the Suzhou Folk Museum , which later became the National Key Culture Relics Protection Unit, opened on the 2,500th anniversary of Suzhou's establishment. In 2006 the museum moved to its present location, a building designed by Suzhou-born Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei . The new building covers an area of 10,700 square meters (115,173 square feet) along with

38-770: A Qing general officer to kill Hong Xiuquan , the founder and leader of the rebellion. Army Group Jiangnan (江南大營) was an important Qing army barracks in Nanjing . Forces led by Li Xiucheng besieged the barracks in an attempt to force its occupants to surrender. Beginning from March 1858 during the second encirclement, the Qing army commanded 200,000 soldiers to fight against Taiping forces, but they were routed by Li Xiucheng in May 1860. After that, Li went on to occupy all of Jiangsu provinces except Shanghai . Li worked alongside fellow Taiping General Chen Yucheng to defend and release

57-660: A construction area over 19000 square meters (20,451 square feet). In addition to the renovation of Taipingtianguo Zhongwang Mansion, the total construction area reaches 26,500 square meters (285,243 square feet), costing 3.39 million Chinese Yuan . The combined exhibition areas of the museum cover approximately 3,600 square meters. The museum houses approximately 30,000 pieces, including unearthed cultural relics, ancient paintings and calligraphy , and ancient crafts. It also possesses more than 70,000 books and documents and over 20,000 rubbings of stone inscriptions. The collection of paintings and calligraphy includes works of masters from

76-839: A number of cities south of the Yangtze. Hu Yinguang successfully captured Luzhou (modern Hefei , Anhui ) the government's new capital of Anhui, on January 14, 1854. In doing so, Hu defeated a small force led by Jiang Zhongyuan , who subsequently committed suicide. Lai was less successful, as he was unable to take Nanchang , Jiangxi's capital. Lai was replaced by Wei Jun and Shi Zhenxiang, who moved into Hubei and Hunan , ultimately capturing Xiangtan on April 24, 1854. The Western Expedition succeeded in capturing Pengze , Hukou , and Jiujiang . It also defeated Zeng Guofan in battle, leading him to attempt suicide on two separate occasions. The Western Expedition ended in March 1856 when it

95-555: Is currently stored in the National Museum of China . Li Xiucheng had a son, Li Rongfa and three daughters. Li's daughters married Taiping generals, including Tan Shaoguang and Chen Binwen. Western campaign The Western Expedition ( Chinese : 太平天國西征 ) was a campaign by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom against the Qing dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion . The Western Expedition

114-408: Is regulated by metal sunshades. The museum is placed between courtyards to harmonize the building with its surrounding environment. Pei designed a central courtyard and several small inner courtyards to complement the structure of the museum. The main courtyard is a creative landscape garden surrounded on the east, west and south sides by the museum structure. The north side of the courtyard is next to

133-540: The Song , Ming , and Qing dynasties. The museum houses four permanent exhibitions: Relics of Wudi , National Treasure of Wu Tower , Wuzhong Fengya , and Wumen Calligraphy and Painting . The permanent collections display prehistoric pottery and jade and Buddhist cultural relics from the Tiger Hill Yunyan Temple and Ruiguang Temple. The Suzhou History Exhibition takes visitors through the history of

152-548: The Humble Administrator's Garden, the largest of Suzhou's classical gardens. The main courtyard was described as the most painstakingly designed of the museum's courtyards, and contains pebbled ponds, straight and winding bridges, octagonal pavilions, and a bamboo forest. Pei used simple geometric shapes such as octagons, rhombuses, and triangles as the building blocks of the museum's design. The atrium and several halls take an octagonal shape, and some windows are in

171-554: The Qing's formation of the Northern and Southern Fronts. The Western Expedition left Nanjing on May 19, 1853. Less than a month later, it recaptured the city of Anqing on June 10, 1853. At that point, the expedition split into three separate armies. The first army, led by Hu Yiguang, traveled north to conquer Anhui . The second, led by Lai Hanying, traveled south to conquer Jiangxi . The third, led by Zeng Tianyang, attacked

190-695: The Suzhou area, covering the Paleolithic Age, the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the Spring and Autumn period when the settlement that would grow to become Suzhou was established. The modern art exhibition has shown works by artists including Zao Wou-ki, Cai Guoqiang, and Xu Bing. The Suzhou Museum building was designed by Pritzker Prize -winning architect I.M. Pei in association with Pei Partnership Architects . The structural engineering firm for this project

209-587: The capital during the siege of Nanjing in 1860. Li Xiucheng's palace in Suzhou is the only one from the Taiping Rebellion era that still exists today. In July 1863, Li ordered his daughter's husband, Tan Shaoguang , to capture Suzhou. But Li Hongzhang led the Huai Army combined by the "Ever Victorious Army", which, having been raised by an American named Frederick Townsend Ward , was placed under

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228-437: The command of Charles George Gordon . With this support, Li Hongzhang gained numerous victories, leading to the surrender of Suzhou . Loyal Prince Li Xiucheng In His Own Words ( Chinese : 《忠王李秀成自述》 ) is his autobiographical account written shortly before his execution . When Li withdrew from Suzhou , his sword, the symbol of his power, was given to his young brother Li Shixian . Li Shixian took this sword, but it

247-455: The old city is represented in the sloping roofs, a traditional color palette of black, white, and gray and traditional white stucco walls. The materials and construction give the building a modern feel. These include glass incorporated into the roof, a steel structure that replaces traditional wooden beam and rafter framing, and "China black" granite roof tiles instead of traditional brick tiles. The stone and glass roof admits natural light, which

266-464: The shape of rhombuses. The roofs and ceilings are a patchwork of triangles, rectangles, and rhombuses, which differentiates the structure from the traditional Suzhou buildings surrounding the museum. 31°19′31″N 120°37′25″E  /  31.325204°N 120.623526°E  / 31.325204; 120.623526 Li Xiucheng Western campaign Li Xiucheng ( Chinese : 李秀成 ; pinyin : Lǐ Xiùchéng ; 1823 – August 7, 1864)

285-433: Was Leslie E. Robertson Associates. Construction began in 2002 and the building was inaugurated on October 6, 2006. The PBS American Masters television documentary series chronicled the design, construction, and inauguration of the new museum in a 2010 episode entitled "I.M. Pei: Building China Modern". Pei designed the museum using a blend of traditional Chinese design, local Suzhou flavor, and modern design. The essence of

304-461: Was a military rebel commander opposing the Qing dynasty during the Taiping Rebellion . He was born to a peasant family. In 1864, he was captured and interrogated following the third and final Battle of Nanjing . He was then executed by Zeng Guofan . He was sometimes called the Loyal King ( Chinese : 忠王 ; pinyin : Zhōng Wáng ). This title was bestowed after he refused a bribe from

323-663: Was conceived by Yang Xiuqing shortly after the fall of Nanjing . It was intended to march along the Yangtze River and ultimately meet with the concurrent Northern Expedition in Sichuan . The Taiping believed that such a pincer movement could capture all of western and northern China. It was also intended to, in conjunction with the Northern Expedition, relieve pressure on the Taiping's holdings caused by

342-662: Was confiscated when he was captured by Charles George Gordon in Liyang . Charles George Gordon returned to the UK with Li's sword, and presented it to Queen Victoria 's cousin, Chief Commander of the Military the Duke of Cambridge . On 30 August 1961, the sword ended up in the hands of a history professor at the University of London . In 1981, this sword was returned to China, where it

361-546: Was recalled to Nanjing to reinforce the besieged city. The Western Expedition had limited success. Although a number of key cities within a fertile recruiting ground had fallen, the Western Expedition was ultimately unable to capture the whole of western China or the upper Yangtze. The Taiping's original, rapid drive transformed into a push-and-pull struggle, which provided the Qing with time to recover and build-up new armies with new leaders who ultimately doomed

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