Established in 1952, located in the center of Shanghai in People's Square, reputing as one of the four largest museums in China. Covering a construction space of 38,000 sqm. With a collection of over 120,000 pieces of cultural relics, the museum is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes, ceramics, paintings, and calligraphy.
There are 10 permanent exhibit areas:
Gallery of Ancient Chinese Bronze
About 440 pieces of various kinds of ancient Chinese bronzes, including the bronze wine vessel, food vessel, musical instrument, water vessel, weapon and some other vessels from the Xia Dynasty ( 21st century B.C.)to the Warring States Period (221 B.C.) are exhibited in this gallery. The distinctively shaped and beautifully decorated bronzes, some with historic inscriptions, is an important mark of ancient Chinese civilization and a marvelous treasure of the Chinese cultural heritage respected highly in the world.
Gallery of Ancient Chinese Ceramics
The ancient ceramics collection is a special Shanghai Museum treasure. About 500 pieces of various fine ceramics from the Neolithic Era to the end of the Qing dynasty are displayed here. A large number of them are the high-quality products from famous porcelain making kilns, some have never been shown before and some are very rare in the whole world.
Gallery of Ancient Chinese Calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy sprouted in the Shang dynasty and matured in the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Official script was popular in Han dynasty, while cursive script, regular script and running hand emerged during Weijing Period and flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties. About 100 essential pieces of calligraphy that are displayed here mirror the history of the art of Chinese handwriting.
Gallery of Ancient Chinese Paintings
About 140 pieces of famous paintings, from various dynasties, schools and masters, are preserved in this gallery. These works with varied styles and ingenuity mirror the tradition and evolution of Chinese culture. The decoration of the gallery embodies ancient architectural style and scholar's style.
Besides, there are also the galleries of Chinese Furniture in Ming and Qing Dynasty, Ancient Chinese Jades, Arts and Crafts by Chinese Minority, Ancient Chinese Numismatics etc
They’re all worthy visiting. As a Chinese saying goes, it is better to see for oneself than to hear many times. Shanghai Museum welcomes visitors to see and enjoy Chinese culture.
