[Photo from en.gotohz.com]

[Photo from en.gotohz.com]

For bronze enthusiasts, the Zhu Bingren Bronce Art Museum is marvelous stop filled with a lot of bronze history. Located on Hefang Street, a traditional stone-paved shopping street in Hangzhou, the privately run museum is the first of its kind in China. The construction of the museum began in 2005 and it opened in 2007. The museum is named after Zhu Bingren, a famous Chinese sculptor. Zhu was born into a family of sculptors and is widely considered, "China's maestro of bronze sculpture." His works can be found on display at the museum, including bronze models of the bridges, buildings, halls and pagodas he has designed. These splendid creations are a feast for the eyes. Born in 1944, Zhu is the fourth generation practitioner of Zhu's Copper Art. His great grandfather started the family business in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), later passing on his skills to his son.