On December 21, 2022, the Shanghai Museum will celebrate its 70th anniversary. Today (December 12) at the press conference held by the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Expo announced the "Great Museum Plan" - in the future, the Shanghai Museum will build the main building of the People's Square, the East Building and the General History of Chinese Ancient Art Exhibition. The basic pattern of "one body, three halls, and the whole city linkage" is the North Hall with the No. 2 ancient ship as the core. Its mission is to create a "spiritual homeland" of Chinese culture and an "encyclopedia" of human civilization.

Shanghai Museum, "Why China" Cultural Relics and Archeology Series Exhibition

This week, Shanghai Expo will also usher in intensive activities for the Museum Celebration Week. "Ruise Condensation: Special Exhibition of Ducklings in Kesi Lotus Pond in the Secret Collection of Shanghai Museum" will open on December 17. On the same day, a dialogue with international museum directors will be held, inviting the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and the Russian State Emmy Directors of Tash Museum, Tokyo National Museum, Palace Museum, Shanghai Museum and other well-known museums at home and abroad talked about "The Power of Museums: Empowering the Future of Cities".

Shanghai Expo will build a basic pattern of "one body, three halls"

Conference site

At the press conference, Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Museum, announced the "big museum plan".

Chu Xiaobo said that the "big museum plan" of the Shanghai Museum is based on the solid foundation laid by the 70th anniversary of Shanghai Expo. Taking advantage of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the museum and the construction of the East Pavilion as important opportunities, Shanghai Expo has carefully planned its future development in terms of future efforts and new positioning. "

The Shanghai Museum in the early 1950s,

In 1959, it moved into the former Zhonghui Bank Building at No. 16 Henan South Road.

Old photos of the exhibition hall of the Shanghai Museum.

The Shanghai Museum was officially opened on December 21, 1952, and its original site was the original Jockey Hall Building at No. 325 West Nanjing Road. In 1959, it moved into the former Zhonghui Bank Building at No. 16 Henan South Road. Since 1972, it has pioneered the trend of domestic museums, and changed the comprehensive display to special exhibitions such as Chinese bronzes, Chinese ceramics, and Chinese paintings, and established the basic model of permanent exhibitions in Shanghai Museum. On October 12, 1996, the People's Square Pavilion of the Shanghai Museum was fully completed and opened to the public. Its advanced management concepts and exhibition forms made it a benchmark in the cultural and museum circles across the country.

In the 1990s, the People’s Square building of the Shanghai Museum was under construction

On October 12, 1996, the People's Square Pavilion of the Shanghai Museum was fully completed and opened.

In 2002, "National Treasure Exhibition of Calligraphy and Painting of Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties" was exhibited at the Shanghai Museum

In 2016, the Shanghai Museum started the construction of the East Building. It is expected that the East Building of the Shanghai Museum will be completed and open around the end of 2023. Afterwards, the People's Square Pavilion will also usher in overall renovation and upgrading, and the construction of the Archaeological Theme Museum (hereinafter referred to as the North Pavilion) located on the Yangpu Riverside with the No. 2 ancient ship at the mouth of the Yangtze River as its core will start.

Shanghai Expo East Pavilion, in the design of the facade, the curve symbolizes the ocean, and the flatness symbolizes the land, embodying the concept of "confluence of land and sea"

The main goal of the "Great Museum Plan" is that by 2025, the East Hall of the Shanghai Museum, which focuses on constructing the most complete display of the general history of ancient Chinese art at home and abroad, will be completed and opened; Upgrading; the construction of the North Pavilion centered on the No. 2 ancient ship Changjiang Estuary has started, and the development pattern of "one body, three pavilions, linkage of the whole city, clear characteristics, and complementary integration" has basically taken shape. Strive to build a "world-class museum with Chinese characteristics" during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, a global core museum for cultural exchanges along the "Belt and Road", and a world-class ancient Chinese art museum.

The former site of the Shanghai Shipyard, the North Pavilion will be built in the future with the No. 2 ancient ship at the mouth of the Yangtze River as the core

As far as the long-term development vision is concerned, in the future, the Shanghai Museum will build a "3+X" new development pattern, that is, with the People's Square Pavilion, the East Pavilion, and the North Pavilion as the core, it will set up several branch museums at home and abroad to create a museum with world influence. Powerful, museum cultural brand with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese style. Strive to build the Shanghai Museum into a top hall of global art, an academic highland of international cultural museums, an excellent example of cultural and tourism integration, an important symbol of the people's city, and an image ambassador of mutual learning among civilizations by the middle of this century, and truly become a museum that embodies Chinese-style modernization. Characteristic world-class museums.

In order to match the ambitious goal of the "Great Museum Project", Shanghai Expo will focus on building large venues and creating cultural landmarks with more global symbols; actively promote the construction of an open and inclusive world and promote international exchanges; Create a strategic highland, allocate large resources, enhance the narrative ability of cultural self-confidence and self-improvement; create a big brand, and gather the powerful spiritual power of Chinese culture.

The Shanghai Expo East Pavilion under construction.

Conceptual drawing of Shanghai Bodong Pavilion, the circular ramp leading to the roof garden

Chu Xiaobo revealed that in the next few years, Shanghai Expo will improve the collection conditions and enhance collection efforts. After the reconstruction and upgrading of the People’s Square Pavilion of the Shanghai Museum and the completion and opening of the East and North Pavilions, the total construction area of the three pavilions will exceed 200,000 square meters, and will become one of the largest museum “aircraft carrier groups” in China. The number of visitors exceeds 6 million, and it will rank among the top ten museums in the world. A collection expansion plan will be implemented. In 2023, the global collection of public space art in the East Building of the Shanghai Museum will be launched. At the same time, further increase the collection of foreign cultural relics and modern and contemporary classic works of art, and effectively improve and enrich the collection system.

Actively plan and undertake the internationally influential "Global Top Museum M20+ Conference" (name to be determined), hold various high-level academic seminars, etc., to enhance the comprehensive influence of Shanghai Museum in the museum circle at home and abroad, and enhance the international academic discourse power.

Planning and launching the "Why China" series of cultural relics and archeology exhibitions focusing on the Chinese civilization exploration project. In the future, the "Why China" series of cultural relics and archeology exhibitions will be held for at least five consecutive years, systematically and in-depth display of the outstanding achievements of Chinese archaeology and Chinese civilization exploration projects; planning and launch of the "Dialogue World" series of cultural relics and art exhibitions focusing on the exchange and mutual learning of global civilizations . Cooperating with world-renowned cultural relics and art institutions such as the British Museum, the British National Gallery, and the Louvre in France, it introduces high-quality exhibitions from overseas every year, transcends barriers between civilizations with exchanges of civilizations, and surpasses conflicts of civilizations with mutual learning of civilizations, and promotes mutual understanding between people of all countries. Build a garden of civilizations that share beauty and beauty together.

"Why China" Cultural Relics and Archeology Series Exhibition

Continue to promote the archaeological research and underwater archaeological investigation of the "Maritime Silk Road" with Indonesia and other countries; organize and plan the first "going out" brand of Shanghai Bo culture - "Hundreds of things to see China" (tentative name) series of cultural relics and art outbound exhibition. Start the feasibility study of the overseas branch of the Shanghai Museum, and make every effort to build the first overseas museum of our country's museums, further expand the influence of Chinese civilization, enhance the depth and breadth of Chinese culture in the global cultural landscape, and show the Chinese concept and Chinese spirit to the world , Chinese road.

Chu Xiaobo said that the mission of the Shanghai Museum will be to create a "spiritual homeland" of Chinese culture and an "encyclopedia" of human civilization, and strengthen the exchange of world civilizations through the collection, protection, research, interpretation, and display of China's material and intangible cultural heritage. Mutual learning provides a more in-depth and warm experience for public education, appreciation, reflection and knowledge sharing.

Exhibiting the secret collection "Duckling Duck in the Lotus Pond" to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the museum

Tang Shifen, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Museum, introduced the series of activities for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the museum at the press conference. Since the beginning of this year, the Shanghai Museum has held a series of activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its establishment, including exhibitions, gratitude programs, academic seminars, professional publications, special performances, media projects, cultural creativity, etc., to pay tribute to classics, show style, and look forward to the future.

Southern Song Dynasty Zhu Kerou Kesi "Liantang Duckling Picture"

This week, Shanghai Expo will also start the intensive activities of the Museum Celebration Week. On December 17th, "Ruise Condensation: Special Exhibition of Lotus Pond Suckling Duck in Kesi in the Secret Collection of Shanghai Museum" will be launched, displaying a rare Chinese art treasure - Zhu Kerou Kesi of the Southern Song Dynasty "Liantang Suckling Duck"; participating in the "From The themed exhibition "Starting Here" will show Shanghai's 70 years of great changes and the improvement of people's cultural life. The exhibition will be held at the Shanghai History Museum on December 24.

Digital museum construction

In August, the Shanghai Museum held the "Spanning and Transcending—International Symposium on Museum and Art History", inviting well-known scholars and museum practitioners at home and abroad to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the development of museums in the new era. On the morning of December 17, a symposium on the 70th anniversary of Shanghai Museum will be held, "The Power of Museums: Paying Tribute to Classics and Recreating Glory", reviewing the development history of Shanghai Museum and providing ideas and countermeasures for high-quality development. On the afternoon of December 17, the "Power of Museums: Empowering the Future of Cities" International Museum Director Dialogue will be held, inviting the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of New York, the State Hermitage Museum of Russia, the Tokyo National Museum, the Palace Museum, and the Shanghai Museum Wait for directors of well-known museums at home and abroad to conduct online and offline dialogues, share new ideas and concepts for development, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to the development of international museums.

"From Botticelli to Van Gogh: Treasures from the National Gallery Collection" exhibition poster.

In addition, Shanghai Museum will also launch professional publications such as "Shanghai Museum Collection Series" and "Shanghai Museum Special Exhibition Overview". At present, the 15-volume "Complete Works of Ancient Chinese Sealing Clay", which was collected and compiled by the compilation team led by Mr. Sun Weizu, the only gold medal winner in the theoretical research direction of the 7th Chinese Calligraphy Franking Award and a research librarian of the Shanghai Museum, has been officially published. A new book launch will be held on December 13th.

"Mustard Seeds Sumeru—Exhibition of Sealing Clay Collected in Shanghai Museum" and "Complete Works of Ancient Chinese Clay Sealing"

On the evening of December 17th, the "Power of the Museum: The Light of Shanghai Expo" museum wonder night event will be held. Combined with the AR show of the Shanghai Expo Universe, the 70-year-old Shanghai Museum will be fully displayed through links such as meeting people, seeing things, seeing products, and seeing feelings. Years of development and achievements, review history, look forward to the future.