World Expo Museum

Shanghai Old City

LoginSave

Located at the former site of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, this museum showcases the history of world expositions. Using old video footage, interactive displays and intricate models, the exhibit focuses on the World Expo's history from its inauguration in 1851 to the present day. Considerable attention is given to China’s 2010 World Expo, including details of the event's planning and construction. There’s also an interesting montage of highlights projected onto a screen covering an entire wall.

Last entry at 4.15pm, closed Mondays.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • My only regret is that the moment was almost too perfect...

    Yuyuan Gardens & Bazaar

    2.27 MILES

    With its shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, plus pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, and roving packs of Japanese…

  • Sunrise on Bund Shanghai with walking man

    The Bund

    2.99 MILES

    Symbolic of concession-era Shanghai, the Bund was the city’s Wall Street, a place of feverish trading and fortunes made and lost. Originally a towpath for…

  • Close-Up Of Gold Male Statue In Jade Buddha Temple

    Jade Buddha Temple

    3.87 MILES

    One of Shanghai’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure…

  • China, Shanghai, Pudong, Shanghai Tower against sky

    Shanghai Tower

    2.97 MILES

    China’s tallest building dramatically twists skywards from its footing in Lujiazui. The 121-storey, 632m-tall, Gensler-designed Shanghai Tower topped out…

  • Souvenir shop in Tianzifang.

    Tianzifang

    1.19 MILES

    Tianzifang and Xintiandi are based on a similar idea – an entertainment complex housed within a warren of lòngtáng (弄堂, alleyways). Unlike Xintiandi,…

  • Xintiandi, Shanghai, China, Asia

    Xintiandi

    1.85 MILES

    With its own namesake metro station, Xintiandi has been a Shanghai icon for over a decade. An upmarket entertainment and shopping complex modelled on…

  • Shanghai,People's Square,Shanghai

    Shanghai Museum

    2.31 MILES

    This must-see museum escorts you through the craft of millennia and the pages of Chinese history. It's home to one of the most impressive collections in…

  • People at ShanghART art gallery, Moganshan Road, Shanghai, China, Asia

    M50

    4.15 MILES

    Shanghai may be known for its glitz and glamour, but it's got an edgy subculture too. The industrial M50 art complex is one prime example, where galleries…

View more attractions

Nearby Shanghai Old City attractions

2. M21: 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum

0.75 MILES

This contemporary art museum is a sister gallery to the Minsheng Art Museum in Red Town. It occupies the former French Pavilion in the World Expo site and…

3. Shanghai Museum of Public Security

0.83 MILES

This offbeat and macabre museum over three floors details how the Chinese authorities keep control. Display cases depict the illicit activities local cops…

4. China Art Museum

0.92 MILES

Set on the former site of the World Expo China Pavilion, this 160,000-sq-metre, five-floor, modern-art museum hosts some excellent international…

5. Power Station of Art

1.04 MILES

The vast Power Station of Art in the disused Nanshi Power Plant holds modern large-scale installations, design shows and other temporary exhibitions, some…

6. Liuli China Museum

1.13 MILES

Founded by Taiwanese artists Loretta Yang and Chang Yi, the Liuli China Museum is dedicated to the art of glass sculpture (pâte de verre or lost-wax…

7. Tianzifang

1.19 MILES

Tianzifang and Xintiandi are based on a similar idea – an entertainment complex housed within a warren of lòngtáng (弄堂, alleyways). Unlike Xintiandi,…

8. Beaugeste

1.22 MILES

One of Shanghai's top galleries, this small space is concealed high above the street-level crowds. Curator Jean Loh captures humanistic themes in…