Shanghai Museum
| Shanghai Museum | |
|---|---|
| 上海博物馆 | |
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| Established | 1952[1][2] |
| Location | 201 Renmin Avenue, People's Square, Shanghai, 200003[3] |
| Coordinates | 31°13′49″N 121°28′14″E / 31.230278°N 121.470556°E |
| Public transit access | People's Square station on Lines 1, 2, and 8 (Shanghai Metro) |
| Website | www.shanghaimuseum.net/cn/index.jsp |
The Shanghai Museum (simplified Chinese: 上海博物馆; traditional Chinese: 上海博物館; Shànghǎi Bówùguǎn) is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China.
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History [edit]
The museum was founded in 1952 and was first open to the public in the former Shanghai Racecourse club house, now at 325 West Nanjing Road. In 1959 the museum moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 South Henan Road, which previously housed insurance companies and bank offices. In 1992, the Shanghai municipal government allocated a piece of land on People's Square to the museum as its new site.[1][2]
Construction of the current building started in August 1993. It was inaugurated on October 12, 1996. It is 29.5 meters high with five floors, covering a total area of 39,200 m².[1] Designed by local architect Xing Tonghe,[2] the new museum building is designed in the shape of an ancient bronze cooking vessel called a ding. It is said that the inspiration for the design was specifically provided by the Da Ke Ding, now on exhibit in the museum. The building has a round top and a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese perception of the world as "round sky, square earth".
Collections [edit]
The museum has a collection of over 120,000 pieces, including bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, jades, ancient coins, paintings, seals, sculptures, minority art and foreign art. The Shanghai Museum houses several items of national importance, including one of three extant specimens of a "transparent" bronze mirror from the Han Dynasty.
Galleries [edit]
It has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. The permanent galleries are:[4]
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Bronze
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Sculpture
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Ceramics
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Jades
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Paintings
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Calligraphy
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Seals
- Gallery of Ancient Chinese Numismatics
- Gallery of Chinese furniture in Ming and Qing dynasties
- Gallery of Arts and Crafts by Chinese Minorities
Numismatic Collections [edit]
The Museum has an important collection of ancient coins from the Silk Road, donated since 1991 by Linda and Roger Doo. The collection contains 1783 pieces from the Greeks to the Mongol Empire.[5]
Selected publications [edit]
- Ancient Chinese Ceramic Gallery The Shanghai Museum. Shanghai: Shanghai Classics Publishing House, 1996. (English & Mandarin Chinese edition.) ISBN 7-5325-1721-7
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Shanghai Museum
- ^ a b c American Friends of the Shanghai Museum
- ^ Service Installation - Visitor's Information
- ^ Shanghai Museum
- ^ Chen, Doo, and Wang, 2006
Bibliography [edit]
Chen Xiejan, Doo R, Wang Yue (2006) Shanghai Museum's Collection of Ancient Coins from the Silk Road
External links [edit]
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