With a total investment of 200 million yuan (25 million U.S. dollars) from two local entrepreneurs, the construction of a museum displaying ancient furniture and related craftsmanship will begin next week in Suzhou, a tourist city in East China's Jiangsu Province.

Gu Hailin, the chairman of the Suzhou-based Haoqiang Rosewood Furniture Cooperation, and Qian Binrong, the owner of a national chain of jewellery stores, announced their plans for the museum last week.

They both claim to be fans of the traditional art.

The museum, free to the public, will be built in the Pingjiang District in downtown Suzhou. It will exhibit furniture made by Suzhou masters during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which the investors have collected from across the country using their vast wealth.

There will also be rooms displaying the modern procedures involved in making replicas of the ancient furniture.

The Suzhou-styled craftsmanship in making replica Ming and Qing furniture was put on the country's cultural heritage protection list in May.

The new museum will cover 1.4 hectares and be the largest of all museums in Suzhou. It is expected to open in May 2008.

Gu, who has more than 30 years of experience in ancient furniture sculpturing, told China Daily yesterday that the entire museum will be built in the Ming and Qing architectural styles.

The furniture will be arranged in ancient ways in every room, as described in ancient books.

Gu said rooms exhibiting furniture made in the Beijing or Guangdong style, the other two popular styles in the two dynasties, will also be built to provide a comparison.

For instance, one room will be arranged to imitate the study of Emperor Qianlong (1711-99), a well-known king in the Qing Dynasty, with furniture made in the style of the Beijing school.

The museum will also provide free training on ancient furniture making for disabled people. Experts from Gu's factory will display such procedures regularly at the museum.

Both investors said that with stable incomes from their respective businesses, they have the cash to sustain the operation of the museum for free.

"We didn't expect economic returns ever since having the idea for the museum three years ago. What we emphasize is the communicative function of the museum, which will help promote the learning and inheritance of ancient arts," said Qian.

But some people in the city said the museum will still bring the two investors a profit despite entry being free.

"A huge number of tourists as well as local people will visit the museum as it is in the downtown area. More and more people will buy the furniture products after they visit the museum," said Wu Jue, a 25-year-old citizen in Suzhou.

But Wu, like many residents, said that she welcomed more similar museums in order to continue traditional arts.

Suzhou, a city with a rich cultural heritage, already has dozens of private museums displaying ancient arts or products, according to Wang Renyu, the former dean of the Suzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Administration.

Editor: Wing