Shanghai Museum Unlocks Door to China's Heritage
Museum Collection Includes 120,000 Pieces of Chinese Antiquities
Feb 25, 2009
Like Beijing’s Great Wall and Forbidden City, the Shanghai Museum is a must-see for every visitor to China’s most populous city.
Located on People’s Square in central Shanghai, the museum building itself has a square base with a round top. This is symbolic of the ancient Chinese philosophy that states the square earth is under the round sky, combining traditional Chinese architecture with a modern spirit, according to the museum’s web site. The museum was founded in 1952, and moved into its new building in 1996. It’s been the city’s top attraction since that time.
Museum Boasts 11 Galleries
The building’s center is an atrium encircled by exhibition halls. The multi-floor museum has 11 galleries and three temporary exhibition halls. It has an extensive collection of ancient Chinese bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy. The ceramics date back to the Neolithic period, with paintings ranging from the Tang Dynasty to the present.
The museum’s calligraphy collection is arranged in chronological order so visitors can see how it has progressed over the centuries. Calligraphy is an art form unique to China, and is treasured as much as paintings are.
The coin gallery has more than 7,000 pieces of Chinese coin and currency, representing the history of coins and economic exchanges between ancient China and the rest of the world. China was one of the first countries to use coins.
Furniture Displays Reflect Past
In the Ming and Qing furniture gallery, furniture is set up in rooms much like it would have been in a Chinese home of that period. The museum also is the first in the world to have a collection of Chinese seals, without which stamp no document is considered official in China. The museum has more than 10,000 seals from various dynasties, though it only displays 500 at a time.
The museum also has an extensive display of handcrafts made by Chinese minority nationalities.
The museum has daily programs explaining each of its galleries. It also has a restaurant, tea room and gift shop with reasonably priced merchandise.
Only 5,000 People a Day Admitted
The Shanghai Museum is located at 201 Renmin Dadao. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free, though a 20 yuan fee is charged for special exhibitions. The museum only admits 5,000 people a day to visit to allow everyone an orderly visit. The museum can be toured in half a day, but many people spend one or even two days there in an effort to absorb its holdings.
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