After a few minutes of taking photos and seeing a good panorama of the city from the viewing deck, Ed and I left our group and decided to visit the Shanghai Municipal History Museum (not included in the package tour). Going down, we lined-up a ridiculously looong queue for the elevator. It was hot, stuffy and tiresome. After waiting 20 minutes of torture, luckily we arrived at the basement. We went straight ahead and purchased the admission tickets (RMB 35 per person) at the entrance of the museum.
This modern museum is about Shanghai history with emphasis on the pre 1949 era. Over 1,000 relics are housed here. Some of the exhibits include a Wedding Sedan-Chair luxuriously decorated with a hundred children.
A Rickshaw - was once the favorite mode of transportation during the early days.
There are multitudes of dioramas and miniature / life-size wax model.
A display depecting "Opium session".
"The gunfire of the Opium War and the signing of the Nanjing Treaty plunged China into the abyss of Semi-Colonialism. In 1845, foreign settlements and concessions were established in Shanghai, and Chona's sovereignty was further eroded. Nonetheless, the forced opening had far-fetching effect on the development of the city's municipal works, economy and culture."
There are also audio/video exhibits, plus many period paintings. Displays are well annotated in English and Chinese. It took us a good hour to discover and see the entire museum.
More Information:
Opening hours: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Phone: +86 (0) 21 5879 3003
Direction: Located in the Pudong District, in the basement of the Oriental Pearl Tower
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