Shànghǎi Museum

11th April 2013.

On the morning of our second day in Shànghǎi, we received a phone call from the airport to say our luggage had arrived from Hong Kong and would be sent to our hotel.  Excellent!  We had bought a few essentials to tide us over, so set off for the day in good spirits.

 

Shànghǎi has beautifully-tended flowers growing everywhere.

 

We passed the Shànghǎi Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, which features Shànghǎi’s idealised future circa 2020 – will have to see that next time.

 

Both the Shànghǎi Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and the Shànghǎi Museum are situated in the immaculate People’s Park.  I don’t know what these Chinese characters say.  Maybe People’s Park?

The Shànghǎi Museum is designed to resemble the shape of an
ancient Chinese dǐng vessel (of which we saw many, still don’t know what the little loops at the top are for).  The museum houses a magnificent collection of Chinese crafts through the centuries, in amazing condition:

 

You could listen to a recording of these bells playing – they were really pretty.

“Pottery belongs to all mankind, but porcelain is China’s invention.”

Of all the different exhibits, which included bronze, sculpture, calligraphy, painting, jade, furniture, coins and ethnic costumes, I think I was most impressed with the exquisite ceramics.  Here are a few:

 

 

 

 

This beautiful bowl was practically transparent.

 

 

 

In the section on paintings, the descriptions were as worthy of study as the exhibits.  I especially enjoyed reading about this “flouting mist” and the nesting buildings.  

 

I had to think that this “Man’s salmon leather (fish skin?) ensemble, 20th century” in the ethnic costume section, was somewhat tongue in cheek.

 

Cherry blossom, near the Shànghǎi Museum.

 

Looking down on the orderly traffic, from a pedestrian overpass near the Shànghǎi Museum.  You can see the Shànghǎi Urban Planning Exhibition Hall in the beautifully maintained People’s Park to the left.