One of the most important museums in China traces its origins back to 1952, though the current incarnation in the center of the Shanghai’s People’s Square was the brainchild of Ma Chengyuan, who was its director from 1985 to 1999. Ma independently raised $35 million, primarily from overseas Chinese donations before the local government stepped in to complete the project.
The five-storey building was designed by local architect Xing Tonghe to resemble an ancient bronze cooking vessel known as a ding. Its round roof is said to symbolize heaven, with a square base representing the earth. The museum is divided into eleven main exhibition halls covering bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, jade, coins, paintings, seals, sculpture, minority dress and foreign art. Significant collections include the bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy.
The Ancient Chinese Bronze Gallery is one of the best collections in the world, consisting of beautifully decorated food and wine vessels, musical instruments and weapons dating from the Xia to the Warring States Period (2200 – 221 B.C.) The Ceramics Collectioncomprise a unique array of works spanning pretty much the whole of Chinese history from the Neolithic era (7000 – 2200 B.C.), right the way through to the end of the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911). The Ancient Chinese Painting Gallery hosts an eclectic selection of masterpieces tracking both the evolution of Chinese painting techniques and development of Chinese culture. The gallery of Ancient Chinese Calligraphy marks the beginnings of the Chinese language with a display of ancient oracle bones. As the written language evolved calligraphy soon became an established art form and has continued to grow in popularity ever since.