Shanghai's newest museum turns the world upside down

A new spectacle in Shanghai turns the ordinary on its head — very literally.

Welcome to the Paradox Museum, Asia's first immersive gallery that tests the senses and defies logic.

This museum, in Shanghai's Huashi Plaza, is a maze of mind-bending illusions and eye-tricking wonders. Imagine walking on the ceiling, half-disappearing corpses, water drops that defy gravity and flow upwards, weightless bridges, and glass mazes. It is not magic; rather, the Paradox Museum is bringing the impossible to life.

The Paradox Museum has 15 centers in major cities across the world and specializes in creating a world full of paradoxes. It combines seemingly conflicting occurrences and concepts using the force of science, technology, and art to provide an experience that goes beyond ordinary thinking.

The museum's goal is not just to wow visitors with breathtaking visual effects, but also to motivate them to question, ponder, and innovate, promoting the discovery of science's mysteries and appreciation for art's allure with each visit.

Chinese elements like metal, wood, water, fire, and earth have a significant influence on the design of Asia's flagship museum. The creative team cleverly separated the 1,300 square meter room into five dynamically themed areas, each dedicated to an element and reinvented using current technology and artistic expression. This not only gives the room a significant cultural depth but also gives visitors a distinct charm in which technology and art combine across time and space.

The museum's launch showcases several world-first exhibits. The "Water and Laser Paradox" section aims to challenge people's perceptions of water and light by providing a visual feast of technology and art.

In the "Butterflies and RGB Mural Room," visitors are transported into a lifelike digital ecosystem where they can dance in a dreamlike mood among fluttering virtual butterflies.

The "Zero Gravity Space," an interactive experience zone that provides a taste of the weightlessness one might expect in outer space, is, without question, the museum's most notable feature. This is more than simply a reference to humanity's spacefaring dreams; it's a dramatic display of turning the unattainable into reality through technological advances.

The museum has also created a "Dragon Year Commemorative Room," which pays homage to this symbol of prosperity, strength, and transformation. Visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves in the dragon's riches and power, seeing the harmonious coexistence of tradition and modernity.

If you're looking for an encounter that will push the boundaries of your imagination, the Paradox Museum is waiting for you. Enter a world where the laws of physics are bent and your perceptions are challenged at every turn.

Opening hours: 10am-8pm (Monday-Thursday); 10am-10pm (Friday-Sunday)

Admission: 168 yuan (

Address: 688 Huaihai Rd M.