Shanghai Museum, Shanghai

A relatively new museum, the Shanghai Museum houses wonderful collections and a good gift shop. The museum arranges items by type rather than by historical period; I particularly liked the furniture and jade exhibitions. The main gift shop is nice, but skip the antique section of the gift shop (located off the restaurant on the second floor) - the selection is undistiguished and the items are overpriced. All in all, one of my favorite places in Shanghai!

I spent over four hours looking through the museum. My feet were so sore from walking on the polished stone floors that I could hardly stand, but I was, after seeing the bronze, determined to see everything. I was astonished to immediatly recognise the West lake in Hangjoue in a painting painted in 530 B.C. that I had visited only a few days earlier. I strongly recommend a visit to everyone going to Shanghai. You will not be dissapointed.Allow at least 4 hours. I will revisit and allocate more time(and wear more comfortable shoes). Human history going back 30 plus centuries makes our 200 years puny.

The museum houses an excellent collection, which is often described as one of the best in China. Pity the boring, unremarkable building - which is, unlike many other top museums around the world, not a work of art itself.