Shu Brocade & Embroidery Museum

Shu brocade was the silk of ancient Chengdu - so valuable it named the city's 'Brocade Official' river - and this museum keeps the craft alive on working looms. Weavers demonstrate the three-person jacquard technique that cannot be fully mechanized, and the embroidery floor shows the split-silk stitching that made Shu xiu famous.

The shop sells scarves, wall hangings, and tailored pieces straight from the looms, priced far below the tourist markets. It is quiet, beautiful, and one of the few places in China where you can watch a textile tradition that predates most of the world's countries.