Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shanghai Art Museum
Shanghai Art Museum
Past the Grand Theatre, turning right along Huangpi Bei Lu will bring you
ultimately to the
Shanghai Art Museum
(daily except Mon 9am-5pm, no
entry after 4pm; ¥20;
www.cnarts.net/shanghaiart), whose distinctive clock
tower was once nicknamed “Little Ben”. You can see hints of its former
function as the racecourse clubhouse in the equestrian detailing on the balus-
trades (see box opposite). It's very popular to get yourself photographed among
the witty bronzes to the right of the entrance; portraits of migrant workers by
Liang Shuo, they were put up for the 2000 Biennale and proved so popular that
they became a permament fixture. On the east side of the building a huge
bracket, or
dougong
, of the kind usually seen on temples clings to the facade, a
remnant from the 2006 Biennale.
Inside, the museum has no permanent exhibition, but its shows of contempo-
rary art are always worth a wander round. It's a must during the Biennale every
other autumn (see p.133), when it's full of work by the hottest international
artists and you'll have to queue to get in. The third-floor café is okay but you'd
be better off heading up to
Kathleen's 5
restaurant (see
W
p.117) on the top floor
for afternoon tea and fantastic views over the square.
Renmin Park
Just east of the Art Museum is the north gate to lovely
Renmin Park
(open
24hr; free). It's surprisingly quiet, with rocky paths winding between shady
groves and alongside ponds - the only sign that you are in the heart of a
modern city is the skyscrapers looming above the treetops. In the morning, the
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