The Shanghai Museum, established in 1952, is one of the most important ancient Chinese art museums in the world. It is among the first national top-class museums. The Museum's collection covers 33 categories, including nearly 1,020,000 items, 140,000 of which are graded national treasures. One of the most complete collections of ancient Chinese art, the Museum's collection presents a comprehensive image of Chinese material culture.
The Museum aspires to explore, discuss, and exhibit different perspectives of Chinese culture as well as to facilitate international cultural communication. Through collecting, conservation, research, exhibitions, and communication, the Museum continues to connect the public with artworks, art history, and art education.
In the future, Shanghai Museum will live in three sites: Shanghai Museum East, Shanghai Museum on People's Square, and Shanghai Museum North. The Museum also plans to collaborate with museums abroad for collection-sharing programs. With the pursuit of cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, the Museum is constantly motivated to contribute to the development of the global museum community.
Shanghai Museum East
Shanghai Museum East is located at No. 1952, Century Avenue in Pudong New Area. It focuses on exhibiting ancient Chinese art. There are 20 galleries and interactive spaces in the building. The permanent displays in the Bronze Gallery, the Calligraphy Gallery, the Painting Gallery, the Seal Gallery, the Ceramics Gallery, the Numismatics Gallery, and the Jade Gallery systematically unravel the history of ancient Chinese art. In addition, some galleries will be dedicated to exhibitions on Shanghai culture and Jiangnan culture. The interactive spaces are designed to enrich the audience's visiting experience and to provide more details and context of the artworks. Shanghai Museum East builds an open and public space for all visitors to discover the beauty and knowledge of Chinese art.
Shanghai Museum on People's Square
Shanghai Museum on People's Square is located at No. 201, Ren Min Da Dao. Through collaborations with museums and institutions abroad, it mainly focuses on presenting special exhibitions on different cultures around the world, which enables inspiring dialogues between the Museum's collection and artworks from museums and institutions abroad. The Museum will also expand the landscape of its collection and provide the audience with more diverse exhibitions.
Shanghai Museum North (In Preparation)
Shanghai Museum North (salvaged shipwreck Yangtze River Estuary No.2) will be located at the previous site of Shanghai Boat and Ship Building Company in Yangpu district. The Museum is scheduled to be completed before 2030.
The Museum will mainly focus on the research of underwater archaeology and maritime trade. The Museum will not only construct a space for long-term excavation of the shipwreck but also provide visitors with participatory experiences in exploring the charm and knowledge of archaeology.
The Museum logo, inspired by the vessel Ding, signifies the architecture and the collection of Shanghai Museum: Da Ke Ding is one of the most famous works in the Museum's collection; The Museum's building on People's Square incorporates the idea of Ding. The simple form of the logo not only corresponds to the shape of Ding, but also to the modern style of the Shanghai Museum East building.
The logo also combines the letter "H" and the letter "M" that stand for "Shanghai" and "museum". This combination illustrates Shanghai Museum's long-time effort in exhibiting both local and international cultures.