The Best Museums in Shanghai

The owner of this museum operated it in secrecy for nine years, in the basement of a Changning District apartment building. It was at last officially recognised by the local government in 2017. The reason it was shrouded in secrecy for so long was its collection of 5,000 pieces of Maoist Communist propaganda art. This exhibition is a must-see for anyone interested in modern Chinese history, standing as one of the most culturally significant museums in China today. Poster prints are available from the gift shop, as well as copies of Mao’s famous Little Red Book.

This interactive Shanghai museum tells the fascinating nautical history of China through the evolution of its naval ships. Visitors can learn how to tie knots like a pirate, and climb aboard a 3D simulation of a cargo ship cruising down the Huangpu River. It’s a fantastic museum for kids of all ages, with a stunning recreation of Chinese explorer Zheng He’s ship, rebuilt in intricate detail.

Take a deep dive into the natural (and sometimes surreal) world at the Shanghai Natural History Museum, situated within Jing’an Sculpture Park. Opened in 2015, this new site replaces the 1950s-era institution, with a building shaped like the curved chambers of a nautilus. Natural light flows in through a 30-metre glass-and-metal wall that looks and functions like a cellular structure. More than 10,000 artefacts from across the globe are part of the museum’s collection, alongside an array of educational activities for kids, a 4D cinema and more. Be sure to check out the animal specimens endemic to China, including the 140-million-year-old intact skeleton of the dinosaur Mamenchisaurus.

This hugely ambitious museum can be found at People’s Square. The third floor houses a complete scale model of Shanghai as it stands today, frequently updated with new and upcoming construction projects. This fascinating exhibit gives visitors insight into what it takes to build a “city of the future”. There are also old photographs and various scale models of Shanghai’s most iconic architecture, showing how the city has evolved over time.

The exhibitions at this museum include Space Navigation, complete with model rockets, spacesuits and information on how astronauts train and prepare for their missions. The venue makes the effort to educate visitors on science and nature from a uniquely Chinese perspective. The Spectrum of Life exhibition, for example, is a microcosm of the nature found in China’s Yunnan province, showcasing the region’s rainforests, wildlife and local Dai Chinese people.

Free to the public, the Shanghai Museum is a must-visit for anyone interested in the city’s cultural history. Its galleries showcase incredible artefacts of Chinese art throughout history, including ancient bronze metalwork, ceramics and Chinese sculpture. Recent special exhibitions have included The Ferryman of Ink: the calligraphy and painting of famed artist Dong Qichang and Crossroad: the belief and art of the Kushan Dynasty. New exhibits are launched monthly.

This visually stunning museum teaches visitors about the history of glass in ancient China, as well as the skill and labour involved in creating it. If you book in advance, you can attend a glass-blowing class to learn the craft for yourself. All of this is set in an old and repurposed glass-making factory, lending the museum an authentic setting.