The Shen Shou Art Museum. [Photo/mlhaohe.com]

Established in 1992 in memory of Shen Shou (1874-1921), a famous modern embroidery master, the Shen Shou Art Museum was built on the former site of the Nantong Institute of Needlework and Embroidery Training.

The museum collects masterpieces by Shen Shou and her students.

Born in Suzhou, Shen started embroidering when she was eight years old and took just nine years to become a renowned embroiderer in Suzhou, which is famous for its embroidery.

Shen integrated western photography and painting with Su embroidery and created her own embroidery style called Shen embroidery.

Shen embroidery features more soft hues and vivid images than Su embroidery, and in 2008 it was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage item.

As early as the 1910s, Shen embroidery had gained international reputation as Shen's works portraying the Queen of Italy and Jesus received awards at the World's Fair in Italy Turin and the Panama International Exposition in the US.

In 1914, Zhang Jian, founder of the Nantong Institute of Needlework and Embroidery Training, invited Shen to tutor students at the institute.

In addition to Nantong, Shen's embroidery works have been collected by museums in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Suzhou.

The embroidery pieces made by the Shen Shou Art Museum, including depictions of Obama's family, President Putin and Belgian King Philip's family, have made a stir as they were presented as gifts to the aforementioned dignitaries during visits by Chinese leaders to the White House, the Kremlin and the Belgian Maison du Roi, respectively.