Shanghai Museum: One of the Four Major Museums in China
The Shanghai Museum is located in the center of People’s Square, the core area of the city. The museum is a combination of a square base and a circular overhang, symbolizing the roundness of the sky and the place. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the splendid culture and continuous development of Chinese civilization, coming to the Shanghai International Fair will definitely provide you with a great experience.
The museum has a rich collection, and if you carefully examine each exhibit, a whole day is definitely not enough. Only by understanding the distribution of venues in advance according to one’s own preferences can targeted tours be conducted.
Speaking of essence, the Bronze Museum on the first floor, the Ceramic Museum on the second floor, and the calligraphy and painting museums on the third floor are both strengths of Shangbo and cannot be missed. The most famous collections here are Shang Yang Fang Sheng and Da Ke Ding. They have all appeared on the stage of National Treasure.
There are a total of four floors open for online blogging, each with clear classification and specific topics.
First Floor
Ancient Bronze Museum: This is the most important essence of Shangbo, including the Da Ke Ding, one of the “three treasures in the sea,” the animal face-shaped bronze vessels of the Shang Dynasty, the Jia Gui of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Zizhong ginger plate of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Sacrifice Zun, and the eight cattle shell storage vessels of the Western Han Dynasty.
The Ancient Sculpture Museum (it wasn’t open on the day I went)
Second Floor
Ancient Chinese Ceramic Museum: There are several must-see items, such as the Tang Dynasty’s three-colored glazed pottery figurines on horseback, the Jun kiln’s moon-white glazed halberd statue, and the Jingdezhen kiln’s pink bat peach-patterned olive vase. In addition, there are also a large number of official kiln works from the Kangxi and Qianlong dynasties.
(There was a special exhibition in the second exhibition hall, and when I went, I was organizing the “Splendid Times – Shanghai Museum Donated Cultural Relics Exhibition.”)
Third Floor
The Calligraphy Museum is also one of the most important exhibition halls of the Shanghai Museum, featuring the calligraphy works of Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu and Ming Dynasty calligrapher Dong Qichang, as well as the most famous oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty.
There are more national treasures in the Art Museum, such as the Song and Music Scroll of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Dongting Dongshan Scroll of Zhao Mengfu from the Yuan Dynasty, the Antique Landscape Scroll of Dong Qichang from the Ming Dynasty, the Qingfeng and Jinjie Scroll of Xia Chang, and the Jinji Scroll of Shen Quan from the Qing Dynasty.
There are often themed exhibitions of calligraphy and painting at the Shanghai Expo.
Fourth Floor
There are a lot of precious jade artifacts in the Jade Museum from ancient times to the present day, including the flying bird-patterned jade cong of the Liangzhu Culture, the jade god man of the Shijiahe Culture, and the three chi-patterned jade flower gu of the Qing Dynasty.
There are over 100 pieces of ancient furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties in the Furniture Museum. The yellow pear wood round back chairs from the Ming Dynasty, the yellow pear six-column frame bed, the purple sandalwood imitation bamboo knot carved bird pattern multi-treasure grid from the Qing Dynasty, and the purple sandalwood carved cloud dragon pattern embedded jade stone seat screen are the most precious.
The Numismatic Museum displays over 7,000 pieces of coins from various dynasties in China, including the Tiance Prefecture Treasure from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Zhengyou Treasure Coupon of the Jin Dynasty, the Yongle Tongbao from the Ming Dynasty, and one or two silver coins with the character “Shou” from Guangdong in the Qing Dynasty.
The China Ethnic Minority Arts and Crafts Museum showcases a dazzling array of clothing and accessories from various ethnic minorities.
Dining
There is a restaurant on the first floor with delicious food. If you get tired from browsing, you can have lunch inside.
Visiting Time
Over 3 hours
Address: No. 201 People’s Avenue
Transportation: People’s Square Station on Metro Line 1/2/8
Ticket: Free, please make an appointment on the official website
Opening Hours: 9:00~17:00 (closed on Monday, entry stopped at 16:00)
The Calligraphy Museum is also one of the most important exhibition halls of the Shanghai Museum, featuring the calligraphy works of Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu and Ming Dynasty calligrapher Dong Qichang, as well as the most famous oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty.
There are more national treasures in the Art Museum, such as the Song and Music Scroll of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Dongting Dongshan Scroll of Zhao Mengfu from the Yuan Dynasty, the Antique Landscape Scroll of Dong Qichang from the Ming Dynasty, the Qingfeng and Jinjie Scroll of Xia Chang, and the Jinji Scroll of Shen Quan from the Qing Dynasty.
There are often themed exhibitions of calligraphy and painting at the Shanghai Expo.
Some highlights include the Tang Dynasty’s three-colored glazed pottery figurines on horseback, the Jun kiln’s moon-white glazed halberd statue, and the Jingdezhen kiln’s pink bat peach-patterned olive vase. Additionally, there are numerous official kiln works from the Kangxi and Qianlong dynasties.
Yes, there are often special exhibitions. For instance, the “Splendid Times – Shanghai Museum Donated Cultural Relics Exhibition” was recently organized here.
The Calligraphy Museum features significant works from Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu and Ming Dynasty calligrapher Dong Qichang, as well as the renowned oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty.
Key pieces include the Song and Music Scroll of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Dongting Dongshan Scroll of Zhao Mengfu from the Yuan Dynasty, the Antique Landscape Scroll of Dong Qichang from the Ming Dynasty, the Qingfeng and Jinjie Scroll of Xia Chang, and the Jinji Scroll of Shen Quan from the Qing Dynasty.
Yes, the Art Museum frequently hosts themed exhibitions of calligraphy and painting.
Notable artifacts include the flying bird-patterned jade cong of the Liangzhu Culture, the jade god man of the Shijiahe Culture, and the three chi-patterned jade flower gu of the Qing Dynasty.
The museum houses over 100 pieces of ancient furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as the yellow pear wood round back chairs from the Ming Dynasty, the yellow pear six-column frame bed, and the purple sandalwood carved cloud dragon pattern embedded jade stone seat screen from the Qing Dynasty.
The museum showcases over 7,000 coins from various Chinese dynasties, including the Tiance Prefecture Treasure from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Zhengyou Treasure Coupon of the Jin Dynasty, the Yongle Tongbao from the Ming Dynasty, and the Shou-character silver coins from Guangdong in the Qing Dynasty.
This museum features a wide array of clothing and accessories from various Chinese ethnic minorities.
Yes, there is a restaurant on the first floor offering delicious food, perfect for a lunch break during your visit.
A visit can take over three hours, especially if you want to explore each exhibit in detail.
The museum is located at No. 201 People’s Avenue.
You can take the metro to People’s Square Station on Lines 1, 2, or 8.
Admission is free, but you need to make an appointment on the official website.
The museum is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry at 4:00 PM) and is closed on Mondays.