Shanghai Urban History Development Museum

Located at the ground floor of the Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠塔) is Shanghai Urban History Development Museum (上海城市历史发展陈列馆). Covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, the Shanghai Urban History Development Museum displays the urban development in Shanghai from its earliest years to its transformation to one of the world’s most important financial centers.

Main entrance to the Shanghai Urban History Development Museum

The museum consists of 6 halls including a prologue hall called “History of the Transportation” (车马春秋). One can see the evolution of transport in Shanghai specifically and China generally in this prologue hall. There are sedan chairs, pedicabs, rickshaws, carriages and many others.

Sedan chairs

Pedicab

Rickshaws

Carriage

The other 5 halls are “Overview of the Old City” (城厢风貌), “The Architectural Landscape of Shanghai at the Beginning of the 20th Century” (开埠掠影), “The Metropolis Infested with Foreign Investors” (十里洋场), Past Traces of Old Shanghai” (海上旧踪) as well as “Architecture Collections” (建筑博览). There are over 1,000 cultural relics and some 100 waxwork figures on display in these halls.

Light inside the Shanghai Urban History Development Museum is very dim. As I did not bring along an external flash with me on that day, excuse me for the poor picture quality taken inside the museum.