Field notes · 25 notes

Museums & Historic Houses

Art, science, city history and the houses where public lives left private traces. My choices, with Chinese and English addresses and the details that make a visit work.

Latest in Museums & Historic Houses

25 notes

An elevated view of the Museum of Art Pudong beside the Huangpu River

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

Museum of Art Pudong: the Bund becomes part of the room

Museum of Art Pudong’s Jean Nouvel building, river-facing glass, international exhibitions and evening visit, with bilingual entrance address and official foreign-visitor ticket link.

Series · 21 October 2026Two ways to look at Pudong · 2 of 2

The red pavilion housing Shanghai Art Museum, also known as China Art Museum

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

China Art Museum: look past the red roof

How I would approach Shanghai Art Museum (China Art Museum), from Shanghai-themed paintings to public cultural history, with the new 153 Shangnan Road entrance in English and Chinese.

Series · 19 October 2026Two ways to look at Pudong · 1 of 2

The pale geometric exterior of West Bund Museum

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

West Bund Museum: choose a show, then read the plan

West Bund Museum’s current Computer Worlds exhibition, Chipperfield architecture and riverside entrances, with bilingual address and useful booking distinctions.

Series · 14 October 2026Art on the working waterfront · 2 of 2

Former industrial structures and the chimney of Power Station of Art

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

Power Station of Art: give the building a proper look

A focused guide to Shanghai’s Power Station of Art, its former power-plant architecture, contemporary art and Huangpu setting, with bilingual address and entry details.

Series · 12 October 2026Art on the working waterfront · 1 of 2

The garden of Sun Yat-sen’s former residence, one stop on the Republican Shanghai route

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Chiang Kai-shek, the Soong family and Shanghai: a history journey with real doors

A practical Shanghai political-history journey linking Sun Yat-sen, Soong Ching Ling and Zhougongguan, with Chinese addresses and an exterior-only Dongping Road stop.

Series · 5 September 2026Three histories of public life · 3 of 3

Courtyard and former Ohel Moshe Synagogue at Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum: begin with a name, not a number

Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum at 62 Changyang Road: personal objects, Ohel Moshe Synagogue, wartime history and a respectful Hongkou walk.

Series · 3 September 2026Three histories of public life · 2 of 3

Visitors outside the brick shikumen site of the First CPC National Congress

Museums & historic houses · 6 minute read

The CPC First Congress Memorial: read the documents, then the room

A clear guide to Shanghai CPC First Congress Memorial and the historic Xingye Road meeting site, with Chinese addresses and a document-focused visit.

Series · 1 September 2026Three histories of public life · 1 of 3

Historic buildings of the Shanghai Literature Museum and Ba Jin Library complex

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Literature Museum: read a city through its writers

Shanghai Literature Museum and Ba Jin Library: two Chinese addresses, free admission, reading rooms, manuscripts and an alternative to the closed Wukang house.

Series · 28 August 2026Rooms for culture · 3 of 3

The historic Rockbund Art Museum building and its tall facade

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

Rockbund Art Museum: a small footprint, a sharper question

Rockbund Art Museum’s contemporary art and former Royal Asiatic Society building, with current free-entry rules, bilingual address and the correct plaza entrance.

Series · 26 August 2026Rooms for culture · 2 of 3

Concrete vaulted forms at Long Museum West Bund

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

Long Museum West Bund: the concrete earns a visit

Long Museum West Bund’s coal-hopper remains, vault-umbrella structure and private collection, with an opinionated architecture route and bilingual address.

Series · 24 August 2026Rooms for culture · 1 of 3

Sweeping circular forms of Shanghai Astronomy Museum in Lingang

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Astronomy Museum: is Lingang worth a day?

Is Shanghai Astronomy Museum worth the journey to Lingang? A considered guide to the architecture, galleries, booking and exact Chinese and English address.

Series · 21 August 2026Beyond central Shanghai · 3 of 3

Yuz Museum location guide: former West Bund campus at 35 Fenggu Road, current Panlong campus at 8 Lane 123 Panding Road, Qingpu

Museums & heritage · 7 minute read

Yuz Museum: contemporary art belongs in Panlong now

Yuz Museum’s current Qingpu location, Jiangnan-inspired building and contemporary-art approach, with bilingual addresses and an honest distinction from its former West Bund site.

Series · 19 August 2026Beyond central Shanghai · 2 of 3

Timber courtyard residence and Huang Yanpei portrait at Neishidi in Chuansha

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Huang Yanpei’s house in Chuansha: a different history of Pudong

Huang Yanpei Former Residence at 218 Xinchuan Road, Chuansha: the surviving courtyard, educational history, Chinese address and a realistic visit plan.

Series · 17 August 2026Beyond central Shanghai · 1 of 3

The corner house at 73 Sinan Road known as Zhougongguan

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Zhougongguan: when a residence was also a political office

Zhougongguan at 73 Sinan Road: the 1946 CPC delegation office, restored rooms, relief documents and the garden reopened in 2024.

Series · 10 July 2026Houses and public lives · 3 of 3

Trees and entrance at Soong Ching Ling’s former Shanghai residence

Museums & historic houses · 6 minute read

Soong Ching Ling’s Shanghai home: give her the full visit

Visit Soong Ching Ling Shanghai home at 1843 Middle Huaihai Road, with Chinese address, official tickets, room-reading advice and tour permission rules.

Series · 8 July 2026Houses and public lives · 2 of 3

Garden and facade at Sun Yat-sen’s former Shanghai residence

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Sun Yat-sen’s Shanghai house: politics at the scale of a home

Sun Yat-sen Shanghai residence at 7 Xiangshan Road: family life, political writing, the 1923 Sun–Joffe Manifesto and current partial-opening restrictions.

Series · 6 July 2026Houses and public lives · 1 of 3

The sail-like entrance structure of China Maritime Museum

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

China Maritime Museum: ships, trade and a trip to Lingang

A practical China Maritime Museum guide for Shanghai visitors: what to look for, why Lingang needs time, official tickets, and the Chinese and English address.

Series · 12 June 2026A working waterfront · 3 of 3

The illuminated clock tower of Shanghai’s former General Post Office

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Postal Museum: the systems behind the handsome facade

Shanghai Postal Museum explained: the correct entrance for each visiting day, free-entry arrangements, bilingual addresses, and a useful Suzhou Creek pairing.

Series · 8 June 2026A working waterfront · 1 of 3

The monumental entrance and facade of Shanghai Film Museum

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Film Museum: the work behind the screen

An opinionated Shanghai Film Museum guide: archive objects, animation, dubbing and production, with bilingual address, opening advice and the Film Park distinction.

Series · 29 May 2026Curiosity, three ways · 3 of 3

Curved glass facade and outdoor approach at Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum: what I’d see after the reopening

An opinionated guide to the reopened Shanghai Science and Technology Museum: what to choose, how to book, and the exact Century Avenue address in Chinese and English.

Series · 27 May 2026Curiosity, three ways · 2 of 3

Shanghai Museum East exterior in Pudong

Museums & heritage · 8 minute read

Shanghai Museum: choose the right building first

Shanghai Museum East versus People’s Square, with Chinese and English addresses, current entry rules and a focused route through bronzes, ceramics and Jiangnan crafts.

Series · 25 May 2026Curiosity, three ways · 1 of 3

The public entrance to Shanghai Natural History Museum

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Natural History Museum: more than the dinosaurs

A practical Shanghai Natural History Museum guide with the current Tuesday closure, Chinese and English address, booking advice and an opinionated half-day route.

Series · 27 April 2026A first Shanghai visit · 1 of 3

The white mansion at 79 Fenyang Road housing Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts

Museums & Historic Houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum: the mansion and the patient hand

Visit Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts at 79 Fenyang Road: mansion history, carving and embroidery, bilingual address, current split opening hours and what I would notice.

Series · 20 April 2026Close looking at craft · 1 of 3

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center illuminated at night

Museums & historic houses · 7 minute read

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center: read the model against the street

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center at 100 Renmin Avenue: what to notice, why Wednesday matters, and how to read city models with a critical eye.

Series · 25 March 2026Read the city first · 2 of 3

The former Shanghai Race Club clock tower, now Shanghai History Museum

Museums & historic houses · 6 minute read

Shanghai History Museum: start with the building, then the city

A practical Shanghai History Museum guide, with its Chinese address, Race Club architecture, bronze lions and a selective route through city history.

Series · 23 March 2026Read the city first · 1 of 3

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