Shanghai Trip Part 13: Natural History Museum, Ocean Aquarium and China Art Museum

[Introduction]

I traveled to Shanghai, China, in late May. If I had been fluent in Chinese, I could have enjoyed the trip more, but I was impressed with a fine mixture of retro and modern elements in Shanghai. In this article, I will write about Natural History Museum, Ocean Aquarium and China Art Museum as part of Day 4. When I go traveling and encounter rainy days, I often visit museums in the travel destination. In that sense, I find there are a variety of museums in Shanghai.

[Visit Places (series of articles)]
* Day 1: Fly to Hongqiao International Airport
* Day 1: Waitan (The Bund)
* Day 1: Waitan (The Bund) (Light-up)
* Day 2: Oriental Pearl Tower
* Day 2: Jin Mao Tower
* Day 2: Shanghai Tower
* Day 2: Shanghai World Financial Center
* Day 2: Pudong (Light-up)
* Day 3: Yu Garden
* Day 3: Xintiandi, Middle Huaihai Road, Hengshan Road and Tianzifang
* Day 3: East Nanjing Road (Light-up)
* Day 4: Shanghai World Expo Museum
* Day 4: Natural History Museum, Ocean Aquarium and China Art Museum [This article]
* Day 4: Yu Garden (Light-up)
* Day 5: Great World (Dashijie), Jing’an Temple and Shanghai Exhibition Center
* Day 5: Return Home from Pudong International Airport

[Travel Date]
2018.05.23 – 27

[Main Part]

Following the previous post, I will go around several museums in the rain on the fourth day.

Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆)

To begin with, “Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆)”.

“Shanghai Natural History Museum (上海自然博物馆)” is one of the largest natural history museums in China. It was originally opened in Waitan in 1960 and then moved to the current site in 2015.

The museum was divided into 10 areas.

A variety of ancient animals were exhibited.

Monkeys and gorillas.

Several species are extinct now.

Pandas.

Mammoth.

Dinosaurs.

The basement floor had a different atmosphere.

I just found miniatures of Japanese bullet train.

Skeltons of dinosaurs and mammoth.

Exhibits in the open ceiling space.

I was fascinated with the sophistication of taxidermy.

This area showed a projection mapping.

As time passed, the lighting and animation changed, so I was not board at all.

Exhibits against a high ceiling.

The final shot was specimens of butterflies.

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆)

Then, “Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆)”.

“Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆)” was opened in 2002 adjacent to “Oriental Pearl Tower”. I visited “Oriental Pearl Tower” on the second day (see the related article) and revisited the area in the rain.

“Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆)” had nine zones and showed 300 species and 10,000 underwater lives from all over the world.

To tell the truth, I didn’t plan to visit “Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (上海海洋水族馆)” at first and went to the aquarium due to the rainy weather, but I enjoyed the aquarium. Here are some snaps.

Jelly fish.

Ray.

Last but not least, I will show you this world longest 155 meters undersea tunnel.

China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)

The final destination of my going around museums in Shanghai was “China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)”.

“China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)” is a museum that reuses the building of the Chinese pavilion in the Shanghai Expo. I heard it used to be necessary to make an online reservation, but now visitors are able to visit the site without any reservation.

First of all, the exterior of the museum was so attractive that it was well worth a visit just to see the architecture.

The entrance was based on red color.

Moving to the exhibition floor.

“China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)” had five stories and 24 exhibition spaces and exhibited mainly modern art works in China.

When I visited the museum, the number of visitors was modest (neither crowded nor quiet), so I felt comfortable. Here are some photos.

This area had a huge screen.

The last shot was this impressive picture.

The River Mall (世博源)

There was a chopping mall called “The River Mall (世博源)” near “China Art Museum (中华艺术宫)” and I stopped by the mall.

It used to be a site of the Shanghai Expo and this equipment was used for energy generation.

I just found a “Kumamon (くまモン)” shop in the mall.

I will have dinner in this mall. I dropped by a Chinese restaurant.

The restaurant had a fancy atmosphere.

The first dish.

The second dish.

Then, I will revisit “Yu Garden”, which I visited on the third day morning, to take photos of its light-ups.

[Closing]

That’s it for the article about Natural History Museum, Ocean Aquarium and China Art Museum as part of Day 4.

When I go traveling, I try to avoid rainy season as much as possible. If I encounter rainy days, however, I often visit museums in the travel destination. In that sense, I find there are a variety of museums in Shanghai 🙂

In the next article, I will write about evening scene in Yu Garden as part of Day 4.

[Map]

1 Shanghai Natural History Museum
2 Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
3 China Art Museum
4 The River Mall