Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum

Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum

The Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum officially opened in October 2002. It features three major exhibition halls—Folk Crafts (first floor), Carving (second floor), and Textile & Embroidery (third floor)—as well as specialized workshops. The museum’s exhibitions strive to comprehensively represent the various categories of Shanghai’s arts and crafts industry, along with their historical evolution, stylistic features, and technical characteristics. It also serves functions such as collection, exhibition, public education, cultural exchange, and tourism.

Over the past few centuries, Shanghai’s arts and crafts have widely absorbed techniques from different regions. With an open mindset, they have developed a distinctive regional style known as “Haipai” (Shanghai-style) arts and crafts. Master artisans of the older generation left behind exquisite and elegant works, marking a glorious chapter in the nation’s arts and crafts history and leaving behind a valuable legacy for future generations. Many of these works have reached the pinnacle of their respective fields and remain unmatched to this day. The Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum houses and displays a collection of such masterpieces for public viewing and research. The current exhibits and collections consist of modern and contemporary arts and crafts masterpieces collected after the Shanghai Museum’s holdings, including categories such as velvet embroidery, needlework, lantern art, dough modeling, paper-cutting, jade carving, ivory carving, wood carving, lacquer engraving, inlay work, inkstone carving, bamboo carving, porcelain carving, fine engraving, theatrical costumes, knotting, and craft painting. The displays emphasize the lineage of the artisans, the production processes, materials, and tools used, and are complemented by live demonstrations. This people-centered approach distinguishes the museum from traditional object-focused exhibitions. Currently, the museum holds over 500 exhibits and collections.

Admission fee for Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum: 8 RMB

Ticket sales hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

♦ Group discount (10+ people): 5 RMB

♦ Discount for middle school, high school, and university students with a student ID: 5 RMB

♦ Discount for seniors over 70 years old with a senior ID: 5 RMB

♦ Adults may bring one child under 1.3 meters for free

♦ Free admission for retired cadres, active-duty military personnel, and people with disabilities upon presentation of valid ID

♦ Visitors coming for work-related purposes must register before entry

Address: No. 79 Fenyang Road, Shanghai (at the intersection with Taiyuan Road)

Postal code: 200031

Public transport: Bus routes 15, 42, 45, 96, 926, 920, 911, 945, 816, etc., as well as Metro Line 1, Line 7, and Line 10 (nearby landmarks: Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai Conservatory of Music)

Further reading:

· National Third-Class Museum of China