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The Introduction of Shanghai Museum

As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. Founded and first open to the public in the building previously of the horseracing club at 325 W. Nanjing Road in 1952 and then moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 S. Henan Road in 1959, the museum developed very quickly in aspects of acquisition, conservation, research, exhibition, education and cultural exchanges with other institutes. In 1992, the Shanghai municipal government allocated to the Museum a piece of land at the very center of the city, the People's Square, as its new site. The whole construction took three years, from August 1993 to its inauguration on October 12th, 1996. The 29.5 meters high new building has a construction space of 39,200 square meters. Its unique architectural form of a round top with a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese philosophy that the square earth is under the round sky, is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional feature and modern spirit. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. It extends warm welcome to the visitors from all over the world.

Gallery of Chinese Ancient Bronze
As a symbol of China's ancient civilization and cultural heritage, bronze artifacts have been regarded as important treasures ever since the Shang and Zhou dynasties. When you step into the gallery, you will feel being surrounded by a mysterious and artistic atmosphere in which ancient bronze artifacts are displayed in plain and archaic wooden showcases and set off by different levels of illumination. More than 400 pieces of exquisite bronzes are shown within the space of 1,200 square meters, providing an overall perspective of bronze art in ancient China.

Ancient Ceramics
The collection of ancient ceramics is another unique feature of Shanghai Museum. Masterpieces of pottery and porcelain selected from different periods are displayed in a green background, giving a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere. More than 500 fine specimens are shown in the space of 1,300 square meters, including painted and gray pottery of the Neolithic period, proto-type celadon of the Shang, the Zhou, the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods, fine celadon of the Eastern Han and famous polychrome-glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty. During the Liao, the Song, and the Jin dynasties, celadon kilns emerged in various places of China. Green, white, black-glazed ware and porcelain with painted designs became popular, thus a wide variety of porcelain blossomed in lots of color. Throughout the Yuan, the Ming and the Qing dynasties, Jingdezhen was the center of porcelain production and its exquisite products became well known all over the world.

Paintings
Chinese paintings have a long tradition and a unique style. This has been an art by using " dots and lines" as expressive skill and brush, inkstick, silk and Xuan paper as main implements. Taking a form of traditional Chinese architecture, the gallery is arranged into long corridor-like showcases with large panels of glass, upturned eaves and low banisters. In order to protect ancient paintings and provide audiences with a clear view as well, a sensitive lighting system is installed. More than 120 masterpieces ranging from the Tang dynasty to the present are shown within the space of 1,200 square meters. The exhibition fully displays age-old tradition and profound foundation of Chinese paintings.

Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a writing art to express Chinese characters by using brush. With an age-old tradition, Chinese calligraphy originated in the Shang dynasty and matured in the Eastern Zhou period. During the Jin, the Sui and the Tang dynasties, a number of distinguished calligraphers emerged and calligraphic exploration were elaborated. Based on the achievements of previous periods, new skills and updated artistic conception were created during the Song, the Yuan and the Ming dynasties, inspiring diversified calligraphic schools and styles. During the Qing dynasty, calligraphers absorbed their predecessors' merit, advocated model and inscription on ancient steles especially those of the Northern Wei, and created fresh styles. The masterpieces of different periods are displayed chronologically to reveal a developmental trajectory of Chinese calligraphy. Perfect combination of showcases, sensitive illumination and exhibits makes this gallery full of brilliant taste of calligraphic art.

Ancient Sculpture
Using gold, red and black as three basic colors, the gallery is full of a warm and serious atmosphere. Within a space of 640 square meters, more than 120 specimens are put either in shrine-like showcases separated by lotus-petal shaped partitions or on open freestanding pedestals. This special design and arrangement will give audience a true feeling of walking in grottos or temples. The exhibits, dating between the Warring States period and the Ming dynasty, reveal artistic styles of Chinese sculpture in different periods. The most attractive sculptures are Buddha statues with different styles, such as simple and delicate Buddha statues of the Northern Wei, elegant and vivid Buddha statues of the Northern Qi and the Sui dynasties, gorgeously shaped and full-bodied Buddha statues of the Tang dynasty, and novel and secular Bodhisattva of the Song dynasty. Audience could watch a process how Buddhism, a foreign culture, was merging into Chinese traditional culture.

Ancient Jade
Well known for the reputation of "the Country of Jade" around the world, China has a 7,000-year history of jade production. In ancient times, Chinese favored jade not only for its intrinsic beauty but also for its mystical allure. It was used either as the symbol of wealth and power by rulers or as personal ornaments by ordinary people. It was also widely used as a ritual implements and burial objects. Therefore, the nature of jade was endowed with the significance of humanity and moral. Using specially designed stands and fiber optics for illumination, the exhibits provide audience a sparkling and smooth appearance. Even the details of fine design are perfectly exposed. The exhibits reveal elegant jade culture and its consummate skill in ancient China.

Coins
China is among the earliest countries in the world to use coins. Taking the advantage of its super collection, Shanghai Museum provides a historical overview of Chinese currency in this 730 square meters gallery. More than 7,000 specimens show a historical development of ancient coins and economic exchange between ancient China and foreign countries. The light grayish background sets off primitive simplicity of these ancient coins. In addition, there is a special show room for ancient central-Asian coins from Silk Road generously donated by Mr and Ms. Roger and Linda Doo.

Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery
Classical Chinese furniture has a long history of development and reached its climax during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Although furniture between the Ming and the Qing differed apparently in style, both of them are artistically successful. In this 700 square meters gallery, you will feel like walking in a traditional Chinese house with a garden behind grilled windows. Among more than 100 pieces of furniture, there are the Ming furniture that were simply in style but elegantly prepared or tightly formed by tenon- mortise technique and the Qing furniture that were imposingly produced and elaborately decorated. In addition, there is an exhibition of a study room and a drawing room, giving a vivid presentation of utilization.

Gallery of Chinese Seals
This is the first gallery specifically designed for displaying Chinese seals in the world. By using many advanced techniques, specimens are displayed in showcases with different levels and heights in coordination with supplementary exhibition. In a space of 380 square meters, more than 500 masterpieces between the Western Zhou and the Qing dynasty are selected from the collection over ten thousand pieces in Shanghai Museum. The display fully illustrates a long history of Chinese seals and diversified styles in different historical periods.

Chinese Minority Nationalities' Art Gallery
Glorious Chinese civilization has been created by various nationalities. Due to dive- rsified social and ecological environments, different nationalities in China have produced their rich and colorful cultures. Being set off by a warm background, various handicrafts of different nationalities provide audience with a happy and harmonious atmosphere within an artistic garden of Chinese nationalities. More than 600 handicrafts are shown in this 700 square meters gallery, including costumes, textiles, embroideries, metal wares, sculpture, pottery, lacquer wares, cane and bamboo plaited vessels as well as wooden masks.