Shanghai Natural History Museum

Shanghai Natural History Museum

The Shanghai Natural History Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Shanghai Natural History Museum is one of China’s largest natural history museums. It is located in the city center of Shanghai. The museum building features British classical architecture and covers a construction area of 12,880 square meters.

The preparatory office of the Shanghai Natural History Museum was successively located at No. 2, Mingdeli, Nanchang Road; No. 20, Huqiu Road; and within the Shanghai Institute of Entomology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on Chongqing South Road. In August 1958, it moved to No. 260, Yan’an East Road (formerly the site of the China Cotton & Yarn Trading Co., Ltd.), a six-story British classical-style building facing south, covering an area of over 2,600 square meters with a construction area of more than 12,000 square meters. In February 1960, Guo Moruo, then President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, inscribed the name “Shanghai Natural History Museum.”

The Shanghai Natural History Museum is a comprehensive museum encompassing various natural sciences including paleontology, botany, zoology, anthropology, geology, and astronomy. Its primary mission is to conduct scientific research and social education based on the collection of natural specimens and literature. On January 27, 1960, the Zoology Branch opened at the main museum site; in 1984, the Botany Branch was completed at No. 1102 Longwu Road, covering an area of over 1,800 square meters across six floors, with a construction area of 3,065 square meters. The exhibition space spans over 4,000 square meters, featuring content divided into three parts: ancient animal history, ancient human history, and modern animals. Modern animals include invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Including the Shanghai-area ancient human remains exhibit and the marine animal exhibition, there are a total of nine exhibition rooms. The Botany Branch has an exhibition area of over 2,200 square meters, focusing on the evolution of plants.

The entire display is arranged from lower to higher forms of life, reflecting the process of biological evolution. It showcases representative species from various phyla, classes, and orders of the animal kingdom, accompanied by various ecological dioramas. These displays not only scientifically present the basic characteristics of different animals but also vividly reflect their habitats and close relationship with humans. Many of these species are endemic to China or are Class I and II protected animals. In addition, the museum frequently holds special exhibitions, live demonstrations of animal specimen preparation and fossil restoration, offering a variety of services to visitors.

Since 1984, the Shanghai Natural History Museum has secured a total of 19 scientific research grants. Among them, “Marine Mesozoic Gastropods of Tibet” and “Discussion on the Reconstruction of Wild Milu Deer Populations in China” won second and third prizes respectively in the Municipal Science and Technology Progress Awards; “Research and Development of Medicinal Minerals” and “The Current Status, Structure, and Development Trends of Natural History Museums in China” received second and third prizes in the Shanghai Academy of Sciences Science and Technology Progress Awards. The museum has independently or collaboratively written and published 33 academic works and color atlases in biology, mineralogy, and other fields. In addition, around 20 papers on museology have been published in domestic and international journals. The museum also publishes the academic series “Exploration and Research,” releasing one to two volumes per year, mainly showcasing the research findings and fieldwork of the museum’s scientific staff.

International cultural exchanges include five aspects: specimen exchange, exhibition collaboration, cooperative research, academic exchange, and information exchange. Since the “Exhibition on the Evolution of Animals” was displayed in Singapore in November 1985, a total of seven exhibitions have been showcased in countries such as Singapore, the Philippines, and Italy.

The current organizational structure includes: Department of Zoology, Department of Botany, Department of Geological Paleontology, Department of Anthropology, Department of Astronomy, Department of Science Education and Popularization, Department of Information, Art and Design Department, Specimen Preparation Center, and the editorial office of the magazine Nature and People. There are 145 professional staff members.

Address: No. 510 Beijing West Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai (within Jing’an Sculpture Park)

Type: Museum

Recommended visiting time: 0.5–1 day

Phone: 021-62620280; 021-68622000

Official website: http://www.snhm.org.cn/

Opening hours:

Tuesday–Sunday: 9:00–17:15 (ticket sales stop at 16:30), closed on Mondays (except public holidays)

Transportation

Metro: Line 1 Xinzha Road Station, Line 2 Nanjing West Road Station (Exit 2), Line 13 Natural History Museum Station (Exit 1). Bus: Beijing West Road Chengdu North Road (Bus 324), Shimen Second Road Shanhaiguan Road (Bus 41, 301, 324, 927), Shimen Second Road Beijing West Road (Bus 104), Beijing West Road Taixing Road (Bus 15, 955), etc.

Tickets

Adult ticket: 30 RMB; seniors aged 60–70 with ID: 25 RMB; children over 1.3m and minors under 18, full-time undergraduate students and below with ID: 12 RMB; seniors over 70, children under 1.3m (inclusive) or 6 years old (inclusive), retired cadres, active-duty military personnel, people with disabilities, and families of martyrs with ID: free.