The Shanghai Museum, Shanghai

Nice museum to visit, free entrance. Interesting for those who like chinese paintings, arts & furniture...

The best, if not only, reason to visit Shanghai. It’s well known that this is one of China’s best museums as it houses some of the most exquisite examples of cultural artifacts from throughout China’s long history. You will literally be amazed when looking upon the intricacy in design of the 4500 year old bronze sculptures. I also love how the museum is proudly positioned in the centre of Shanghai, an oasis of culture in this odious city.

The museum doesn’t look very large at first, compared to museums in Beijing or London at least. However there are in fact vast displays that demand time to admire. My favourite section was the calligraphy display, featuring the works of China’s great masters who I have long heard fables about, although I was also very impressed by some of the other exhibits, particularly the bronzes, the antique furniture (beautiful!), the paintings, old coins and paper money, jade ornaments, and especially the ceramics.

Furthermore the museum bookshop is one of the best I’ve seen. I could have spent hours perusing the vast selection of English-language books about China, its history and culture, and spent several months’ wages buying them all. The adjacent gift shop even sells authentic Qing dynasty porcelain ware!

This museum is the antidote to futuristic Shanghai. It was what I craved after days of shoping and partying and gauking, like a hopeless character in a computer game with only chinese instructions.

The building is moderninst and well designed. It wouldn’t be out of place in a European city, yet it’s curves speak subtly of Asian history as it provides a strong central structure to the tranquil Peoples Park. Wikipedia has just informed me that “the new museum building is designed in the shape of an ancient, bronze, tripod cooking vessel called a ding.”

The inside of the structure is as interesting as the outside. Criss crossing esclators run on either side of a central high ceilinged space that allows for ample natural light.

There are five floors and I never felt that I was crowded as I wandered between them. I think that was largly due to the well thought out design - with multiple pathways up and down levels and in and out of rooms.

There are so many great displays that it’s hard to describe them. My favourite would be the Ming furniture. There are re-creations of entire rooms from the Ming period. Bedrooms complete with beds and chairs and chests of draws and cabinets. All simple yet beautiful and very functional carved wooden pieces with facinating joinery.

I also really like the Chinese Minorites display. Obviously the issue of Chinese minorities is quite political, but at least here there is some record of them. Unfortunately you do get a sense that these are historic or dead cultures, not so much living contributors to a modern China. An amazing thing is how many minority cultures there are. It’s this depth, rich history and cultural complexity that make China one of my favourite countries to visit.