Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆Shànghǎi Bówùguǎn

Why go to Shanghai Museum

Shanghai's museum of ancient Chinese art has been housed since 1996 in a building on People's Square whose shape recalls an ancient bronze ding vessel. Since Shanghai Museum East opened in Pudong in 2024, the permanent galleries of bronzes, ceramics, painting, calligraphy, jade and more are shown there. From July 2026 to November 2027 the People's Square building shows only one large exhibition, on the ancient civilisations of the Americas.

The story

Founded in 1952, the museum first opened in the former Shanghai racecourse club house and later moved several times as its collection grew. Its director Ma Chengyuan lobbied in the early 1990s for the purpose-built home on People's Square, with a round top on a square base echoing the ancient idea of a round heaven above a square earth.

What to see at Shanghai Museum

• Bronze Gallery 中国古代青铜馆: At Shanghai Museum East, on the ground floor, ritual bronzes from the Xia, Shang and Zhou periods, with later revivals through to the Qing, a core strength of the collection.
• Painting and Calligraphy galleries 中国历代绘画馆与书法馆: At East, two separate second-floor galleries trace Chinese painting and calligraphy from the earliest scripts and rock art to the modern era.
• Jade and Seal galleries 中国古代玉器馆与玺印篆刻馆: Also on the second floor at East: nearly ten thousand years of jade working, and a seal gallery that sets Chinese seals beside early seals from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus.
• Ceramics and CeraMIX galleries 中国古代陶瓷馆与陶瓷与中外交流专题馆: On the third floor at East, the ceramics gallery follows Chinese pottery and porcelain, while CeraMIX uses ceramics to tell the story of trade and exchange between China and other countries from the Sui and Tang onward.
• People's Square building 上海博物馆人民广场馆: The round-topped, square-based building designed to recall a ding vessel is worth a look in its own right; until November 2027 it hosts the exhibition on the ancient Americas.

How to visit Shanghai Museum

Decide first which building to visit. For the permanent collections, go to Shanghai Museum East, where the galleries are spread over four floors and the entrance for individual visitors is on the lower-ground level on the east side; the bronzes, ceramics and one of the painting or jade galleries fill a half-day. The People's Square building, entered by the south gate on Wusheng Road, suits a short stop for its architecture and the Americas exhibition, and sits near People's Square and Nanjing Road.

How to get to Shanghai Museum

The People's Square building is by Exit 1 of People's Square station (Lines 1, 2 and 8), with the entrance at the south gate on Wusheng Road. Shanghai Museum East is in Pudong on Century Avenue, by Shanghai Science and Technology Museum station (Line 2, Exit 8), Xiangcheng Road (Line 4) or Pudian Road (Line 6).

Where to stay

People's Square and the Nanjing Road area are the most convenient, with Metro Lines 1, 2 and 8 meeting at the museum and easy links to Pudong for the East branch.

What to eat

• Xiaolongbao 小笼包: Thin-skinned steamed pork buns filled with hot soup, a Shanghai staple sold in stalls and restaurants across the city.
• Shengjianbao 生煎包: Pan-fried pork buns with a crisp base and juicy filling, eaten hot from the pan.
• Scallion oil noodles 葱油拌面: Noodles tossed in oil flavoured with slowly fried spring onions, a simple local favourite.

Tips for visiting Shanghai Museum

• The People's Square building is closed on Mondays except public holidays; Shanghai Museum East is closed on Tuesdays except public holidays.
• At Shanghai Museum East the permanent galleries need no reservation: enter with your original passport at the east entrance on the lower-ground level. The Americas exhibition at People's Square is ticketed, and overseas visitors can book through Trip.com.
• Exhibitions change often. Check the museum's official site to see which galleries and special shows are open at which building.

Nearby

• Yu Garden & City God Temple 豫园与城隍庙 under 10 km
  A Ming-dynasty garden of rockeries and dragon walls beside a Taoist city temple
• The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline 外滩与陆家嘴 under 10 km
  1920s banks on one bank of the river, a sci-fi skyline on the other
• Lujiazui 陆家嘴 under 10 km
  Shanghai's skyline in a loop of river: spheres, a twisting tower and the Bund opposite
• Former French Concession 原法租界 under 10 km
  Plane-tree streets, garden villas and shikumen lanes for Shanghai's best city walk
• Shanghai Disney Resort 上海迪士尼度假区 20 km
  Mainland China's first Disney theme park, with a castle, rides and nightly shows
• Zhouzhuang 周庄古镇 60 km
  Jiangnan's most famous water town, famed for its Twin Bridges and merchant halls

Also within 30 km: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center 上海城市规划展示馆 (under 10 km), Park Hotel 国际饭店 (under 10 km), Madame Tussauds Shanghai 上海杜莎夫人蜡像馆 (under 10 km), Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party 中共一大会址 (under 10 km), Second CPC National Congress Memorial 中共二大会址 (under 10 km), Former Headquarters of the Socialist Youth League of China (Yuyangli) 中国社会主义青年团中央机关旧址 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open Shanghai Museum on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)