The Suzhou Museum is the final major work of architect I.M. Pei, designed when he was in his late eighties and completed in 2006. Built adjacent to the Humble Administrator's Garden, the building manages to be both thoroughly modern and deeply Chinese: white walls with grey stone trim echo the traditional ink-wash palette of Suzhou architecture, while a series of geometric skylights, triangular roof forms, and interior courtyards update the vocabulary in entirely contemporary terms.
The collection covers two thousand years of Suzhou history, with particular strengths in silk, ceramics, and the arts of the classical gardens. The bronzes and early ceramics are well presented, but it is the building itself that most visitors come to see. The interior garden — a miniature landscape of pale stone, still water, and bamboo visible through floor-to-ceiling glass — is one of the most photographed spaces in modern Chinese architecture. Admission is free but timed tickets are required in peak season.