SHANGHAI, CHINA: Shanghai Museum & Museum Shop

• Address:  201 Renmin Ave, Shanghai, 200003
• Location:  On the People's Square in the Huangpu District
• Phone:  021/6372-5300
• Web Site:  www.shanghaimuseum.net
• Price:  Free admission; special exhibitions around ¥20
• Hours: Mon-Fri 09:00 - 17:00 Sat 09:00 - 20:00

NEW YORK TIMES: 

This museum in People’s Square is an important repository of ancient Chinese art, including bronzes, jade, ceramics, calligraphy and painting. It’s located just next to the Shanghai Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

PETER  GREENBERG:

On the artistic front, the city’s creative culture is alive and well, trumping the common misperception of Shanghai as a purely industrial locale. For example, the Shanghai Museum, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday, houses some the world’s foremost collections of jade, seals, calligraphy, coins, and furniture. Even better—as of March 10, the prestigious museum now offers free admission all day, everyday. Peoples Great Road, #201; 86-21-63723500, shanghaimuseum.net

FODOR’S:

China's best museum houses an incomparable collection of art and artifacts, including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, and fantastic bronzes.

Shanghai Museum Shop

• Address: Shanghai Museum, 201 Renmin Dadao, Huangpu, Shanghai
• Phone: 021/6372-3500

The selection of books on China and Chinese culture at the main store is impressive, and there are some children's books. Expensive reproduction ceramics are available as well as smaller gift items such as magnets, scarves, and notebooks. Cool purchases like a Chinese architecture-ink stamp (Y90) make great gifts. A delicate bracelet with Chinese charms costs Y150.

• Other location: 123 Taicang Lu, Luwan, Shanghai, 021/6384-7900

LONELY PLANET:

Rocked slightly from its jealously guarded throne by the 2006 unveiling of Běijīng's tip-top Capital Museum, the monarch of China's museum world remains one of Shanghai's highlight sensations. Expect to spend half, if not most of, a day here. A primer of Chinese civilisation recounted via 120,000 exhibits, the intelligently designed museum guides you through the pages of Chinese history.

Before you go in, admire the exterior of the building. Designed to recall an ancient bronze dǐng (a three-legged food vessel used for cooking and serving), the building also echoes the shape of a famous bronze mirror from the Han dynasty, exhibited within the museum.