Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆

The Shanghai Museum is one of the world's leading museums of ancient Chinese art. Founded in 1952, it traces its origins to the Shanghai Museum of the Asiatic Society, set up in 1874, and was among the first national key museums jointly built by central and local government. Its collection of more than 1.02 million objects, some 145,000 of them precious, covers 33 categories and is among the most complete holdings of Chinese art anywhere.

The museum now works across several sites. Its East building on Century Avenue in Pudong holds 20 galleries, including eight permanent halls for bronzes, calligraphy, painting, seals, ceramics, coins, sculpture and jade, together forming a kind of textbook of Chinese art history. The People's Square building at 201 Renmin Avenue is being developed as a museum of world civilizations, drawing on more than 10,000 sets of foreign objects.

Three of its pieces appeared on the 2017 television programme National Treasure: the Big Ding Tripod of Ke, a Western Zhou bronze with intricate patterns and a 290-word inscription; the Rectangular Sheng Measuring Vessel of Shang Yang, a standard capacity measure still used after Qin Shi Huang unified China; and a Southern Song silk tapestry in the exacting kesi technique.

Don't miss

• Big Ding Tripod of Ke: Western Zhou bronze, 290-word inscription
• Rectangular Sheng Measuring Vessel of Shang Yang, a Qin standard measure
• Southern Song silk tapestry worked in the fine kesi technique
• Eight permanent galleries, from bronzes and jade to calligraphy and coins
• Growing collection of more than 10,000 sets of foreign objects

Visiting tips

Book ahead through the museum's official WeChat Mini Program; overseas visitors can use trip.com. Bring original valid ID for entry at the South Gate. While the Americas exhibition runs at People's Square, go to the East site for permanent galleries.