Shanghai Municipal History Museum, a recreation of old Shanghai

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October 14, 2010

museum The Shanghai Municipal History Museum despite its somewhat dull-sounding name is always a delightful experience for the curious visitor. The museum is located beneath the well-known Oriental Pearl Tower; there is a great contrast between the tower’s contemporary design and the view of modern Shanghai it provides when compared with the charming glimpse of eras past provided by the museum.

There is no doubt that Shanghai inherits a long and colourful history. In the museum the age-old environment of Shanghai in years past has been painstakingly recreated, with a special focus on the colonial phase between 1860 and 1949. For much of your tour in the museum you will be quite literally a spectator of this earlier age, experiencing day-to-day sights and sounds. Some of the models are life-size and some miniature, but they are all perfectly created. The many portrayals include the traditional life of farmers and fishermen, typical bars, stores, a teahouse, medicinal shops, a courtroom, and a scene of a beheading.

Visitors will see dioramas of the foreign concessions, the river, main streets, authentic relics of years past, as well as paintings, photos and film, with a video of the old racetrack being a highlight.

The first section of the museum features an enchanting collection of vintage transport, including rickshaws, a US Army jeep, old trams with life-size creations of the driver and passengers and a selection of antique cars.

Next the visitor will encounter a number of halls with dioramas depicting scenes from the city’s past; some of these models are so realistic that sometimes visitors find it difficult to distinguish human from mannequin – some visitors have nodded and smiled to the diorama’s barman! Areas focused on include war, opium, foreign traders and daily life, each from a local standpoint.

The museum’s final section features miniature models of Shanghai’s notable old buildings, many of them linked with the city’s tumultuous history. Intriguing features of the museum include such items as boulders which served as signposts of the boundaries of foreign concessions, an elaborate ornate palanquin used in weddings and even chits issued by brothels.

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