Shanghai Historical Museum — Attraction in Shanghai

No advance ticket reservations needed. The building used to be the Shanghai Race Club clubhouse, where the outdoor garden on Level 5 now gives a view of People's Park, which was part of the racing track back then.

5 levels of exhibits but I jumped straight into Level 2 - 古代上海, where the volunteer live guide tour had started a few mins prior. There are 2 main halls here - Red and White halls, which used to be huge ballrooms for social events in the clubhouse and now fitted with display cases filled with artefacts. Broad overview of the cultures that existed in Shanghai and the historical figures behind famous districts now such as 陆家嘴 and 徐家汇.

Level 3 - Modern Shanghai history from just before the Opium War to the birth of the Communist Party. This level used to be private rooms in the clubhouse so they've retained the structure and placed the exhibits within "each room".

Spent a good 2.5 hrs here and a pity the iconic 汇丰银行石狮 were covered up due to a private event so didn't get a picture of it.

I enjoyed the museum and recommend anyone visiting Shanghai for the first time to go too. In fact, it should be one of the first places to see as you'll then keep a lookout for parts of history that still remains today, such as 徐光启's tomb in 徐家汇, 邵万生's replica 招牌 and shop front along Nanjing East Road, 外白渡桥 and 苏州河 (or what's previously known as 吴淞江).

My key takeaway from the guide is this: To understand China's development, dating back 3,000 years go to Xi'An, 1,000 years visit Beijing, 200 years see Shanghai.

From my perspective, I like to add, 5,000 years,...

As of November 2024, no ticket/reservation or passport is required for entry - just walk in and pass the security check. The building itself is one of the highlights. Its marble vestibules, winding staircases with horse head motif and impressive clocktower from when it was home to the Racing Club tie in perfectly with the most interesting part of the museum: the International Settlement period. The ancient Shanghai section had very clunky English translations which were difficult to follow while the sections dealing with the 1920s onwards had very little or no English translation at all. I found this a good introduction to my stay in Shanghai. 2 hours would be more than enough if you are really interested in the history as I was. I went on a Sunday morning and there was very few local and...

Located on the northwest corner of People's Square, the Shanghai History Museum is dedicated to preserving the city's history. The collection focuses on the approximately one hundred years from the treaty opening of the port in 1843 to the communist take-over in 1949. Today, the Shanghai History Museum occupies the main building of the former Shanghai Race Club. The newly renovated and opened space retains much of the original building's architecture and interior design. If you have ever wondered what Old Shanghai was like, you can find the answer at the Shanghai History Museum. As an important cultural attraction, the it is well...