Shanghai Museum

As a large museum of ancient Chinese art, the Shanghai Museum boasts a collection of 140,000 precious relics, featuring bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy. The abundance and quality of the collection have enjoyed a high reputation both at home and abroad. The Shanghai Museum was founded in 1952，originally located at the old Shanghai Race Club, 325 West Nanjing Road, since when it has steadily developed. The museum was relocated in the old Zhonghui Building, 16 South Henan Road in October 1959. In 1992, the Shanghai Municipal Government decided to allocate People's Square, the very center of the city, as the new site of Shanghai Museum.

The construction of the new premises of the Shanghai Museum started in August 1993 and was completed and opened to the public on October 12, 1996. Covering a total area of 39,200m2, with a height of 29.5m, the round celestial dome and the square earth base which symbolize the philosophy of a spherical heaven and a square earth, form an extraordinary visual effect. The Shanghai Museum is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional culture and modern spirit, making her unique among many museums in the world. The new Shanghai Museum has ten galleries for permanent collections and three temporary exhibition spaces. It extends a warm welcome to visitors from all over the world.