The Shanghai Museum houses one of the most exciting and largest collections of artifacts in China, and best of all, entry is free.
The museum is a wonderful place for tourists to immerse themselves in Chinese culture, thanks to the stunning displays of calligraphy, and porcelain, bronze, and jade artworks. It’s easy to spend at least half a day exploring all four floors of this treasure trove, although parents may find they have trouble keeping children interested for that long.
While the building is stroller-friendly, it doesn’t have the kid-friendly exhibitions we see in so many of the world’s museum. If you have little ones, prepare for a few complaints.
The audio tour costs a few yuan, but it’s an investment worth making to get the most from your visit. The tour will highlight some of the most important artifacts on display and detail the background of these key pieces. While you’re thinking about additional costs, traveling exhibitions often stop at the museum. These are also affordable at around 20 yuan, but don’t feel pressured to see them, particularly if your time or budget is limited. The permanent collection is certainly vast enough to occupy frugal travelers.
The Shanghai Museum is located at #201 Renmin Avenue in Shanghai, at the southern end of People’s Square. You can take the subway to People’s Square and follow the signs, or tell your taxi driver to take you to “Shanghai boh-oo-gwan.” It opens daily between 9 am and 5 pm.
