Be a tourist in your own city as Time Out presents your guide to the best museums in town

14 Shanghai Natural History Museum

Yanan Dong Lu, Huangpu district, 5RMB
The Natural History Museum is one of Shanghai’s forgotten museums. Housed in a 1920s building (the city’s former cotton exchange), the museum’s three floors of exhibits have been largely neglected by both staff and visitors, though reports that the museum is set to move to new premises in Jingan Sculpture Park next year have seen a small increase in interest.

Until then, the current space provides an opportunity to experience a museum from yesteryear – exhibitions consist almost entirely of rows and rows of wood and glass cases filled with taxidermy and models.

Entering through a beautiful wood and tile-clad entrance hall, you’re greeted on the first floor by the 22-metre long skeleton of a giant Mamenchisaurus (a long-necked dinosaur from the late Jurassic Period), whose bones were discovered in Sichuan province. The rest of the first floor is given over to explaining the evolutionary processes that led to homo sapiens and, in a side room, two preserved Ming dynasty bodies discovered near Xietu Lu and Dapuqiao in the early 1990s.

English language captions are limited (both in quality and quantity) on the first floor, but disappear altogether on the second and third levels. Here, the animal kingdom is represented with preserved specimens and models ranging from butterflies to giant turtles. Alas, condensation on the cases, peeling plaster and stained floors are common.

The museum’s endless rows of display cases can feel repetitive, but it’s worth the 5RMB entry fee to see those dinosaur fossils looming among the fading period architecture. One to check out on a lunchbreak rather than plan a day around.

Must-see The Mamenchisaurus and the various dinosaur skeletons at its feet.

Shanghai Natural History Museum, 260 Yanan Dong Lu,near Jiangxi Lu.See full address details. 

13 Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre

People’s Square, Huangpu district, 30RMB
Much of the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre can be skipped. Aside from the odd interactive ‘fly over’ of parts of the city and some interesting then and now photos, there are few exhibits that you can’t pass by.

Must-see The enormous scale model of the city on the third floor is the main reason to come here. Occupying almost the entire floor, the model is surrounded by visitors pointing excitedly to their homes (unless they live in the very outer reaches of Putuo or Minhang that is) and other familiar landmarks. The sheer scale of it all is worth the 30RMB entrance fee alone.

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre, 100 People's Avenue, near Huanhe Lu. See full address details.

12 Shanghai Museum

People’s Square, Huangpu district, Free
Shanghai Museum has easily one of the most impressive collections of historical artifacts in the country. The trouble is, the sheer quantity of it is overwhelming. As important as they are, entire rooms given over to calligraphy or coins can be wearing for even the most ardent history buff.

Fortunately, the museum has been free since waiving its entry fee in 2008 and this allows for quick visits. Good for a few hours, but, ultimately, the Shanghai Museum proves that bigger isn’t always better.

Must-see The fourth floor’s collection of traditional ethnic minority costumes can feel a bit tokenistic following all the Han-dominated history below, but it also offers a refreshing burst of colour when you get tired of looking at yellowed scrolls.

Shanghai Museum, 201 People's Avenue, near Huangpi Bei Lu. See full address details.

11 Shanghai Municipal History Museum

Oriental Pearl Tower, Pudong, 35RMB
Another often overlooked attraction, the Shanghai Municipal History Museum in the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower provides a whistle-stop tour through ‘old Shanghai’ via an array of scale models and waxworks. Iin contrast to the numerous lifeless waxwork displays at museums across the city, here visitors are free to clamber into the mock street, shop and bar scenes for photo opportunities. fact, taking photos seems to be the main draw (there’s even a green screen room where you can have your picture superimposed onto old city scenes). The museum is fairly information-light, but the models of opium dens and courts keep things interesting for a few hours.

Must-see As impressive as the models of The Bund and Nanking Lu in the 1930s are, our favourite section is the walk-through area of neon-lit massage parlours and bathhouses from the same period, which show just how far Shanghai has come.

Shanghai Municipal History Museum, 1 Century Avenue, near Lujiazui Ring Road. See full address details.

10 Matchbox and Brand Museum

Changfeng Park, Putuo district, Free
Just around the corner from the Jackie Chan Museum – which we’re starting to doubt will ever open – the Matchbox and Brand Museum celebrates Shanghai’s business and advertising legacy with displays of classic ads, old packaging and, in particular, vintage matchboxes.

Shanghainese pride is on full display as collections of old biscuit cans, insect repellents and Shanghai lady posters chart the progress of the citys’s branding industry from the Qing dynasty to modern day. Along the way there are tributes to Shanghainese businessmen such as Yang Jichuan (the ‘King of the electric fans’) and Zhu Baosan (the ‘King of cooking oil’).

The building itself is worthy of note, too. One wall is decorated to look like a giant matchbox, while the entranceway is propped up by two enormous match pillars. The rolling grounds on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek (the museum is part of the creekside area’s significant redevelopment in recent years) also make for a pleasant stroll, as does the fantastic Changfeng Park just across the road.

Must-see The best exhibit is left until last. On the third floor, there’s a technicolour sea of matchboxes, arranged in rows by country and province that blur the line between art and commodity.

Matchbox and Brand Museum, 251 Daduhe Lu, near Yuanling Dong Lu.See full address details.

9 Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum

Changyang Lu, Hongkou district, 50RMB
Between 1937 and 1941, Shanghai received over 25,000 Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi regime in Europe. Most were housed in Hongkou district and this recently revamped museum set in the Ohel Moshe synagogue tells their story through photos, detailed captions and eyewitness accounts from former residents.

Understandably, it’s a quiet, somewhat solemn place, but the exhibits are clear and carefully arranged and the historical value of the building and its exhibition is hard to overestimate, especially given the destruction of numerous historical sites in the surrounding area in recent years.

Must-see Once you’ve finished touring the museum itself, head out onto the adjacent Zhoushan Lu. This beautiful street lined with terraced houses is one of the few places left in town where you’ll regularly find locals playing carrom, a raised table-top game which involves using snooker-like cues to shoot small pucks into pockets around the edges of the table.

Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum, 62 Changyang Lu, near Zhoushan Lu.See full address details.

8 Chinese Imperial Examination System Museum

Nanda Jie, Jiading district, 20RMB
A museum about exams might not be the most exciting of prospects for an afternoon out, particularly when visiting involves a trip to Jiading district, but the Chinese Iimperial Examination System Museum, part of the Jiading Museum complex beside Huilongtan Park, is actually far more interesting than it may sound. True, the English language captions are limited (‘paper for cheating’, for example, does little to enhance your experience of looking at a Qing dynasty cheat sheet), but there are some interesting displays.

The Iimperial Examination System, which began in the Sui dynasty in 605AD and continued until 1905, is explored via the usual museum staples of waxworks, scale models and displays of various artifacts, mostly from the Qing dynasty. The central exhibition hall also features a section on the international influence of the Chinese Iimperial system and features a quote from an 1888 edition of The Westminster Review stating that China’s approach deserves ‘termless laudability’.

Must-see One of the main reasons to visit the museum is its setting. Housed in a Confucian temple, the grounds and gardens are almost as interesting to explore as the exhibits themselves.

The museum is at its best when the two combine – such as in the recreated outdoor examination cubicles where scholars would spend nine days in the hope of making the grade for the civil service.

Chinese Imperial Examination System Museum, 183 Nanda Lu, near Tacheng Lu. See full address details.

7 The Shanghai Gallery of Antique Music Boxes

Oriental Arts Centre, Pudong, 50RMB
One of the city’s many decidedly niche museums, this hidden room within the Oriental Art Centre has a surprisingly broad appeal. Guided tours are led through the small room and its fascinating range of mechanical music players and though the tours are in Chinese only, there’s plenty for non-Chinese speakers to enjoy.

The world’s oldest music box (a tiny gold object made in 1796) is here, as are music boxes made to look like birds in cages, music boxes operated by sitting on a chair and music boxes shaped like pistols. Most of the exhibits are Swiss-made and while a music box musuem may sound bizarre, you can’t help but marvel at the mechanical wizardry and skilled craftsmanship on show.

Must-see Towards the end of the tour, you’re given a demonstration of a remarkable moving sketch artist model, which is more like a mechanical puppet than the small trinket boxes that may come to mind.

Shanghai Gallery of Antique Music Boxes, 425 Dingxiang Lu, near Yingchun Lu. See full address details.

6 Shanghai Postal Museum

Bei Suzhou Lu, Hongkou district, Free
Housed in a beautiful 1920s building which was formerly the city’s China Post headquarters, the Shanghai Postal Museum is worth a visit to see the architecture alone. Particularly impressive is the cavernous central hall, which is filled with replicas of postal vehicles and features a model of China’s first regular air mail plane hanging from the ceiling.

Tracing the evolution of the postal service (from messages scrawled on tortoise shells in ancient times, to the present day), the exhibition within is informative rather than riveting. There are a few highlights along the way however, such as letters from the Postal Commissioner in 1911 venting his anger at posties’ unacceptable behaviour including cycling around town with their shirts unbuttoned, smoking on the job and delivering mail late. How times have changed.

Elsewhere, extensive collections of stamps and relics such as Qing dynasty post boxes can only divert your attention for so long, although the ‘Future Cinema’ provides a memorably bizarre opportunity to see how the people behind the museum believe the post will evolve.

Must-see The real reason the Shanghai Postal Museum is so high on our list is its tranquil rooftop garden. Perched atop the building is a small seating area and patio. Here, beside the museum’s baroque tower decorated with telecommunication cables and figures of Eros and Hermes, you can enjoy sweeping views down Suzhou Creek towards The Bund and over to Lujiazui. It’s one of the best free views in the city.

Shanghai Postal Museum, 276 Bei Suzhou Lu, near Sichuan Bei Lu. See full address details.

5 Shanghai Museum of Glass

Changjiang Xi Lu, Baoshan district, 20RMB
One of Shanghai’s newest museums, the Shanghai Museum of Glass is also one of the most impressive. The exhibitions of ancient and contemporary glassworks on display include some stunning specimens, but it’s the building itself that has made it one of our favourite museums in town.

Set in a huge former glass-making factory, the museum’s interior is like a cross between a house of mirrors and David Bowie’s lair in Labyrinth. Walking through the museum’s numerous rooms feels disorientatingly like you’re inside one of the artistic glass objects that it displays. The building is a work of art in itself.

Must-see In a large, open industrial space at one end of the museum, regular glass-blowing classes are held. You’ll need to book ahead and it’ll cost you 300RMB/30 minutes, but it’s a unique experience.

Shanghai Museum of Glass, 685 Changjiang Xi Lu, near Gangsi Lu. See full address details.

4 Shanghai Museum of Public Security

Ruijin Nan Lu, Xuhui district, Free
Few of the captions feature any English here, but plenty of the exhibits, such as the row of old police vehicles that line the entranceway or displays of small spy cameras, are enjoyable nonetheless. Following the development of the city’s beloved public security forces since they were founded back in 1854, the museum is certainly worth a few hours of your time.

Rows of guns and knives sit beside models of Tilanqiao Prison (built in 1902 and still operating in Hongkou district) and waxworks of various foreign concession police officers. It’s perhaps not the most child-friendly display, but it is an interesting one for adults.

On the third floor, things get really grown up. Here, the ‘Criminal Iinvestigation’ section features 1,000 exhibits detailing various murder cases and some of the evidence. Displays include grisly items such as a human skull impaled with a scissor blade along with graphic photos from murder scenes including that of a man axed repeatedly over the head.

Must-see Also on the third floor, the collection of weaponry – from knuckle dusters, to sawn-off shotguns and even pistols carried by Sun Yat-sen – is oddly fascinating.

Shanghai Museum of Public Security, 518 Ruijin Nan Lu, near Xietu Lu. See full address details.

3 Shanghai Animation Museum

Zhangjiang Hi-Technology Park, Pudong, 30RMB
Bringing together Chinese animation classics such as Shanghainese waif San Mao and Western favourites such as Jessica Rabbit (pictured above), the Shanghai Animation Museum is a kid-friendly museum that can easily occupy an afternoon.

Both Western and Chinese animation histories are retold with opportunities to watch early cartoons such as Steamboat Willie, the first animation film with sound. Some of the more static exhibits and the frustrating amount of displays at adult eye-level may mean certain areas need to be skipped if you’re with very young children, but generally there’s plenty to keep them entertained. We recommend you skip the 3D cinema on the third floor however.

Must-see The second floor features the most interactive section of the museum. Sand drawing and cartoon tracing activities are available, but the real highlight is the clay moulding station where (from as little as 10RMB) you can recreate cartoon characters in ceramics.

Shanghai Animation Museum, 69 Zhangjiang Lu, near Guoshoujing Lu. See full address details.

2 Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

Century Avenue, Pudong, 60RMB
Although in some of the less interactive areas, Shanghai’s mammoth Science and Technology Museum can feel a touch dated, in general it’s one of the best museums in the city and provides easily enough entertainment to fill an afternoon.

Immediately inside the second floor entrance, you’ll find the Animal World. The main exhibit in this section consists of a large, open room full of stuffed and model animals with a seeming emphasis on the predatory nature of the animal kingdom (growling, screeching attacks are found among each region’s display). Video screens, informative bi-lingual captions and binoculars are helpful touches and, aside from a pathetic attempt to portray Australasia’s animal world (which appears to be more of an animal hamlet here), the exhibition is generally well done.

Once through this first room, you’re offered a trek through the rainforests of Yunnan, complete with dozens of plastic trees, running waterfalls, rickety wooden bridges and some oversized insects. Dotted throughout is the occasional live specimen, but Animal World is very much dominated by models and taxidermy.

After this, things get much more interactive. Iin the east wing, the World of Robots offers the opportunity to compete against machines at Go and archery. On the next floor up, the Space Navigation area features a ‘tetraxon balancer’ where you’re strapped into a spherical machine and spun upside down at various angles. Around the corner is an opportunity to test the Coriolis effect by shooting balls at a target as you rotate in a giant, boat-like craft, while next door in the Human and Health area, you can take penalties against a computerised goalkeeper and ride through the human body in a piece of fruit car.

Skip the central Iwerks 4D cinema, which is a let down considering the extra 30RMB entry fee. Otherwise, this remains one of the best museums in the city.

Must-see The easily missed Light of Wisdom area, on the first floor, is like a big playground with all manner of fun games and ‘experiments’. Specially weighted bicycles that help you ‘dance on a rope’, games controlled by your concentration and exhibits for you to shoot at, hit and ride, make for an entertaining section.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, 2000 Century Avenue, near Jinxiu Lu. See full address details.

1 Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre

Huashan Lu, Xuhui district, 20RMB
Yang Peiming, founder of the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre, acquired his first ever propaganda poster by mistake. ‘Iin 1995, a friend asked me to get some Shanghai lady posters,’ he says, ‘but ended up with the wrong kind of poster.’ Since then, Yang has collected over 5,000 Chinese propaganda posters from between 1949 and 1979. Having displayed them in the hidden basement of a nondescript Huashan Lu tower block since 2008, Yang was finally given official recognition for the museum earlier this year.

The collection, which Yang prefers to view from an art point of view rather than from a political one, features numerous examples of vitriolic, xenophobic messages alongside Communist slogans and colourful displays of China’s power and technological advancement. There is also a collection of the Shanghai lady posters that Yang was originally supposed to buy over 15 years ago.

Yang, who will happily guide visitors around the basement rooms in English and Chinese, has been asked to provide works from his collection for international galleries such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and says that ‘no one in the world has as big a collection as Ii do.’ Iit’s a fascinating, important collection and an absolute must-see museum.

Must-see Tucked away in one corner toward the back of Yang’s basement exhibition area is a small room sectioned off from the main hall. Displayed here are some of the most sensitive materials in Yang’s possession – hand-written and painted denunciation notices that were posted on university campuses during the height of the Cultural Revolution.

Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre, 868 Huashang Lu, near Zhenning Lu. See full address details.