China Art Museum

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SHANGHAI - NOV 20: Exterior of China Art Museum in Shanghai on November 20. 2025 in China. , License Type: media, Download Time: 2026-08-25T19:16:14.000Z, User: LP_NZhan, Editorial: true, purchase_order: 65050 - Digital Destinations and Articles, job: App Content, client: Lonely Planet  App, other: Nadine Zhan

Set on the former site of the World Expo China Pavilion, this 160,000-sq-meter, five-floor, modern-art museum hosts some excellent international exhibitions, and the inverted red pyramid building is a modern icon of Shanghai. On the downside, the permanent Chinese art collection is prosaic with lots of propaganda, there's a lack of information, and the layout is quite confusing. Any captions that do exist are clumsily translated.

If you need a snack or drink stop, there is a Jamaica Blue cafe and a Starbucks on-site. Otherwise, across the road is the River Mall – although aside from Sichuan Folk, the choice there is pretty limited.

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