Shanghai Museum of Natural History

Located in the former Cotton Exchange Building (built in 1923), the exhibits at this dusty and gloomy museum haven’t been touched since the 1950s – now that’s something! It is easily the city’s most forlorn attraction and is horribly out of date, but, like the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, it’s a bizarre experience and it has its fans. The museum’s former chairman, the gangster Du Yuesheng, built the dramatic red-brick building across East Yan’an Rd as the Chung Wai Bank (with a private bullet-proof elevator). It’s all expected to go soon, though. City officials feel it’s something of an embarrassment and a new natural history museum (more in line with post-1950s scientific theories) is scheduled to open in the Jìng’ān district in 2012.