Handicrafts and silk are the most treasured native products of Suzhou. Arts & crafts represent a unique cultural style and workmanship developed over a thousand years under the influence of the Wu Culture and the skills of generations of artisans in Suzhou. Most representative of Suzhou style are embroidery, fans, national musical instruments, scroll mounting, lanterns, mahogany furniture, jade carving, silk tapestry, traditional painting pigments of Jiangsixutang Studio,the New Year's wood-block prints of Taohuawu Studio, etc. These are marked by exquisite craftsmanship and elegant colors. All of these products are warmly acclaimed in China and overseas.

By inheriting the workmanship and elegant designs of the traditional handicrafts, the silk industry of Suzhou has developed a modern mass production scale and become the mainstay of China's silk export market with superior quality and manufacturing. It is also the most notable item in tourist shops.