SHANGHAI MUSEUM
This free multi-storey museum displays a wide range of artifacts
demonstrating ancient wisdom and philosophy. The exterior design of the
round dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea of a round heaven
and a square land. The shape of this museum is designed to resemble a Ding
– a Chinese cooking vessel. There is a huge atrium area so that on each
level there are up to four sections, one on each side of the building.
The museum's four floors are divided into eleven galleries
and three exhibition halls. The eleven Galleries cover most of the major
categories of Chinese art: Ancient Bronze, Ancient Ceramics, Paintings,
Calligraphy, Ancient Sculpture, Ancient Jade, Coins, Ming and Qing Furniture,
Costumes, Seals, and Minority Nationalities.
Since China is one of the earliest countries to use currency,
the nearly 7,000 pieces in the Gallery of Chinese Coins reveal the development
of Chinese currency and the growth of economic exchange between China and
foreign countries.
The development of Chinese cultures and skills are well
laid out and informative. The exhibits and descriptions have English translations.
There is an audio tour and the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly.
* The first floor contains ancient Chinese sculpture and
bronze galleries.
* The second floor boasts a massive ceramics gallery.
* The third floor contains the Painting, Seal, and Calligraphy
galleries.
* The fourth floor contains galleries covering art from
different nationalities: costumes, jade pieces, a furniture exhibit, and
an overview of the evolution of Chinese currency (from stone, to metal,
to paper).
We've tried to give a representative cross-section of
the artifacts with our photos which are presented over the five pages in
this museum series. We actually took hundreds more photos but decided to
cut back a bit but ran out of time, space and energy :)
FOR MORE MUSEUM PHOTOS
See our
2013 visit
China
Gallery 50
Shanghai
Museum :: Part
2
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