Shanghai Museum East
The Shanghai Museum's new building in Pudong
Why it's worth the trip
From the basement entrance, an escalator carries you up under a round skylight into a bright hall, where people sit on wide steps with a coffee. The galleries off it are hushed and softly lit. Here are bronze vessels three thousand years old, Buddhist figures carved in white stone and a Song dynasty dish the blue-green of the sky after rain. Every floor has tall windows or a terrace to rest your eyes, and chairs line the corridors, so a long day never turns into a march.
Its best-known treasure comes with a war story. The Da Ke Ding, a great bronze cauldron, belonged to the Pan family of Suzhou, who also owned another giant, the Da Yu Ding. In 1937 Pan Dayu, the woman who ran the household, had both buried. After the city fell, Japanese soldiers searched the house several times and never found them, and in 1951 she gave both to the state. Upstairs, the paintings and calligraphy keep their own rhythm. Too fragile to stay out, they change about every six months, and when a famous scroll goes back into storage, people queue for a last look.
East now holds the museum's permanent collection, in thirteen galleries from bronze and jade to porcelain, coins, seals, painting and calligraphy. Seeing them all properly would take at least seven hours, so choose two or three and take your time. Bronze plus painting and calligraphy makes a strong first visit; add ceramics if you love porcelain. The older building at People's Square is a separate visit until November 2027, given over to a single ticketed exhibition, so be sure which building you are heading for.
Don't miss
The Da Ke Ding
It stands in the bronze gallery on the ground floor, almost a metre tall and about 75 centimetres across the mouth, and it weighs about 200 kilograms. One broad wave pattern runs right round its belly, and a beast face stares out from the top of each of its three legs. Inside, 290 characters cast into the bronze record a king's gifts to a man named Ke, who made the cauldron to praise the king and honour his grandfather.
A kilometre of scrolls
On the second floor, the calligraphy and painting rooms run together as one route about a kilometre long, with small garden scenes and Chinese-style benches along the way. The scrolls change about every six months, so check what is on show before you go; the most famous pieces may be out for only a few months.
The garden on the roof
Follow the spiral walkway up to the fifth floor and into Yunlin, the Cloud Forest, a new roof garden built like the old gardens of the Yangtze delta, Suzhou's among them. On the west side are little bridges, running water and pavilions; on the east, an open courtyard ends at an old-style opera stage. Check that it is open on your day.
Fitting it in
- Time to give it
- Three hours covers two or three galleries and the roof garden. Seeing every room properly would take at least seven.
- When to go
- Weekday mornings are calmest. Numbers inside are capped, so at weekends and on holidays you may queue at the door even though no booking is needed. The museum closes one weekday each week, which our guide covers, so check it before you fix a date. It also makes a good plan for a rainy day.
- Pair it with
- The museum stands beside Shanghai Science and Technology Museum station on Metro Line 2, three stops east of Lujiazui. That makes an easy day: the museum in the morning, the Shanghai Tower at sunset. Century Park is one stop further east if you want a walk under the trees afterwards.
- Who can skip it
- If ancient Chinese art leaves you cold, give it an hour for the bronze gallery and the roof garden, then move on. With only a day or two in Shanghai, the Bund and the old lanes will tell you more about the city itself.
Questions travellers ask
Is Shanghai Museum East worth visiting?
Yes, if you have half a day for Chinese art. It holds the Shanghai Museum's permanent collection in 13 galleries, from 3,000-year-old bronzes to Song porcelain and famous scrolls, in a bright new building with a garden on the roof. Ordinary entry is free. Choose two or three galleries and give them about three hours.
Shanghai Museum East or People's Square: which should I visit?
Choose East for the permanent collection: its 13 galleries hold the bronzes, ceramics, jade, painting and calligraphy. Until November 2027, the People's Square building shows a single ticketed special exhibition, so go there only if that exhibition appeals. The two buildings have separate rules, so check the right one before you go.
How long do you need at Shanghai Museum East?
About three hours for two or three galleries and the roof garden. Seeing every gallery properly would take at least seven hours, more than most visitors want. Chairs along the corridors and a café in the main hall make a long visit easier.
Do I need to book Shanghai Museum East?
No, not for ordinary entry: individual visitors walk in free with an original ID document, and our guide explains what to check if yours is a foreign passport. Two hands-on areas, the Curio-City and the Digital Gallery, need separate bookings in advance. Numbers inside are capped, so expect a queue at busy times, and check the weekly closing day before you go.
How do I get to Shanghai Museum East?
Take Metro Line 2 to Shanghai Science and Technology Museum station, three stops east of Lujiazui; Shanghai's visitor guide points to Exit 8. Individual visitors use the east entrance on the basement level, so follow the signs once you arrive. The Shanghai Tower is on the same line, so the two fit into one day.
Sources: Shanghai Museum: visiting the East buildingShanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism: Shanghai Museum East fully opens (2024)Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism: the painting and calligraphy galleries change their display (2025)Shanghai government: Shanghai Museum East visitor guideNational Museum of China: the Da Yu Ding, the Da Ke Ding and the Pan family
Booking at a glance
From our attraction-booking rules.
Shanghai Museum East (general entry)
- Face value
- Free, no reservation
Free walk-in for individual visitors: there is no reservation to make, so there is nothing to book and no fee. Bring your original ID to the B1 east entrance. Closed most Tuesdays.
Checked
Shanghai Museum East: Curio-City and Digital Gallery
Release times, passport use and prices are confirmed for your date when you ask, in writing before you pay.
Book this with usUSD 7 per person per sight, plus the ticket at face value.
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