City dossier
Shanghai, China
Shanghai is all about contrast: Art Deco nostalgia, futuristic skylines, and a contemporary art scene that keeps expanding along the river. Museums here feel like the city's skyline—always adding another floor. It's like xiaolongbao: delicate craft on the outside, a burst of flavor on the inside. Just mind the steam release—in both cases, technique matters.
Local motto
Shanghai: Where the Bund Meets the Avant‑Garde
Highlights
Things not to miss
Curated essentials, minus the stiff whispers. We keep the jokes light and the brushstrokes heavy.
Shanghai Museum
A major museum for ancient Chinese art—bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy, and more. It's like a crash course in Chinese aesthetics, delivered with Shanghai efficiency. The circular architecture promotes excellent airflow, which the curators insist was purely an acoustic decision.
China Art Museum (Shanghai Art Museum)
Housed in the former China Pavilion from Expo 2010, this museum spotlights Chinese modern and contemporary art. It's like a giant red landmark that decided to become a gallery. The cavernous halls could absorb almost anything—sound, light, or the aftereffects of the street food stalls outside.
Power Station of Art (PSA)
A contemporary art museum in a converted power station—industrial scale, big ideas. It's Shanghai's reminder that creative energy can literally come from an old generator. The towering ceilings mean certain sounds simply rise and vanish, a feature visitors have quietly appreciated since opening day.
Rockbund Art Museum
A contemporary art museum set in a historic building near the Bund. It's like stepping from old Shanghai glamour straight into today's sharpest conversations. The intimate staircases between floors require a certain decorum—and perhaps lighter lunch choices.
Museum of Art Pudong (MAP)
A major new museum with blockbuster exhibitions and a prime riverside location. It's like Pudong decided it needed a cultural skyline to match the financial one. The river breezes through the outdoor terraces provide natural refreshment—and plausible deniability.
Long Museum West Bund
A contemporary mega-museum on the West Bund with ambitious programming and serious scale. It's like Shanghai built a museum that thinks in districts, not rooms. The concrete vastness swallows echoes whole—a quality that has earned it a devoted following among repeat visitors.
Long Museum Pudong
The Pudong counterpart with vast spaces for modern and contemporary art. It's like having a second season of a great show—same energy, new plot twists. The warehouse-scale galleries mean you're never too close to anyone, which some visitors consider the real artistic freedom.
Yuz Museum
A contemporary museum that's hosted major international exhibitions and big-name artists. It's like a sleek gallery stage designed for headline acts. The polished concrete floors carry footsteps beautifully, so visitors learn to move with intention—or at least pretend to.
Fotografiska Shanghai
A contemporary photography museum with exhibitions, talks, and nightlife energy. It's like a gallery and a city hangout had a very stylish baby. The thumping bass from evening events provides convenient ambient cover for those who partook too enthusiastically at the rooftop bar.
M50 Creative Park
A cluster of galleries and studios in a former industrial area—great for wandering and discovery. It's like Shanghai's sketchbook district, with pages you can walk through. The outdoor alleys between buildings ensure a constant fresh breeze, which the local artists claim inspires creativity but probably serves multiple purposes.