The Shanghai Art Museum is housed in the former clubhouse of the race course. It has more than 8000 collections of Chinese and international artworks. The Shanghai Art Museum was opened at its present location in the year 2000. The building was constructed by the British in 1933 in neoclassical architectural style with a distinctive clock tower. It has five floors and the interiors have exquisite teak woodwork with marble staircases. The building housed the Shanghai Museum and later the Shanghai Library before it became the art museum. Today, the 5th floor has a fine dining American restaurant called, ‘Kathleen’s 5’. The 12 exhibition halls showcase artwork from traditional Chinese oil paintings from the Qing Dynasty to modern pop art by contemporary Chinese and international artists. There are also colourful Chinese New Year pictures, serial paintings and bronzes. It is also a centre for the study of art and Chinese art history. Lectures and seminars are held in addition to showcasing art at the museum. Temporary international art exhibitions take place here from time to time. From 1996, the art museum has hosted the Shanghai Biennale that has become the most important world renowned cultural event in the city.

The Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art hosts temporary exhibitions of modern art by Chinese and international artists. It is located near People’s Park in Shanghai.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is a not for profit private institution and the first of its kind in Shanghai. It is a joint venture of the Shanghai Municipal Government and the Samuel Kung Foundation. Hong Kong based jewellery makers Samuel Kung provided the funds for the museum. The building was once a greenhouse and has a glass shell. It has a leaf themed door by Chinese artist, Michael Lin. There are three floors showcasing temporary exhibits connected by a curved ramp. It was opened to the public in the year 2005. The third floor has a restaurant serving Italian food for the comfort of visitors.
The museum has many paintings, photographs and sculpture by contemporary Chinese and international artists. Notable collections include the works of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and photographer Yang Yongliang. In 2008, the museum hosted an exhibition featuring 50 shoes designed by Salvatore Ferragamo accompanied by small flat screen televisions showing movies where the shoes were featured. In 2007 an exhibition featured eco friendly products made by 300 Japanese designers and artists.

The Urban Planning Exhibition Hall has a museum dedicated to the future of Shanghai. It shows visitors the history of the city and what it will look like, based on a master plan, in the year 2020. The Urban Planning Exhibition Hall has six floors and two basement levels that house the museum. It was designed by architect Ling Benli of the East China Architecture Design and Research Institute. The exterior is covered with white aluminium and the roof has a modernized traditional Chinese design. The shape is that of a white magnolia, the official flower of Shanghai. The structure has received the White Magnolia Cup and the China Luban Cup which is the highest award for architectural design in China. The highlight of the exhibits in the museum is a life like model of the City of Shanghai in the future. One can see the model close up or look from the gallery above for a better view. A small theater with a 360 degree screen shows a video giving visitors a feeling that they are being taken to the Shanghai of the future. The museum also has a large archive of photographs and exhibitions dedicated to wastewater management and other civic issues.

The Shanghai Museum has the best display of Chinese art and cultural exhibits in China. It has a collection of over 120,000 exhibits from almost all the dynasties that added to the vast culture and history of the country. The first Shanghai Museum opened in 1952 in the club house of the former Shanghai Race Course. The present building located in the People’s Square was inaugurated in 1996. The museum has five floors and an area of 39,200square meters. It was designed by local architect, Xing Tonghe in the shape of an ancient Chinese cooking vessel called the Ding with a round top and square base. The museum has eleven galleries and three exhibition halls. The exhibits are grouped as ancient, bronze, ancient ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, ancient sculpture, coins, seals, furniture and artefacts from Minority Nationalities. There are over 400 objects from Bronze Age China, a wealth of ceramics from every Chinese dynasty, paintings and calligraphy from different eras in Chinese history and Buddhist sculpture. It also has an impressive coin collection that will interest numismatists because China was once of the first countries to use coin and paper currency. A notable rare object at the museum is one of the last three existing transparent mirrors from the Han Dynasty.

Located in what was once the cotton exchange, this is the largest natural history museum in China. It covers an area of 12,880 square meters and is divided into 4 sections.
The Shanghai Museum of Natural History is housed in a grand British style colonial building. The stained glass windows in the lobby and mosaic flooring are the only remaining parts of the historic structure. It was converted into a museum in 1956 and the department of animals was opened in 1960. It has 240.000 exhibits consisting of plants, animals, Stone Age objects found in China and minerals. The museum seeks to educate visitors about the evolution of mankind.
One exhibition hall is devoted to objects showcasing the History of the Ancient Animals. There is a stuffed Mamenxi dinosaur placed in the atrium that is over 140 million years old with a length of 22 meters. The Hall of ancient anthropology has objects unearthed and restored to show the stages of evolution. The hall of animals has stuffed Chinese animals and rare species like the Yellow River Mammoth, a giant Salamander, a Giant Panda and an alligator from the Yangtze River. The museum also has a library with an impressive collection of documents and books on natural history.

The Bund Museum forms part of what was once the Bund Signal Tower. This 150 year old slender brick structure was once the tallest in Asia. The Bund Signal Tower was built by members of the Shanghai Society of Jesus. Signals were flashed from the tower at hourly intervals to enable Shanghai residents to set their clocks and watches. The observatory still offers spectacular views of the Huang Pu River.
The Bund Signal Tower has three floors. Most of the exhibits of the Bund Museum are found in the first floor. It is called the Bund History Exhibition Hall. There is a photo exhibition about the Bund and Shanghai focusing on the history culture and changing architecture of the city through the ages and pieces of Bund memorabilia. The second floor houses a bar. Visitors can relax and watch historical movies about Shanghai here. The movies show early Shanghai when it was called the Paris of the East. The fee is waived for adults who want a drink at the bar.
The best part of the Bund Museum for visitors of all ages is the observatory on the third floor. They can enjoy viewing the river and the boats sailing by under changing skyscapes.