Shanghai announces a batch of new sporting and cultural landmarks
Scaffolding can be seen wrapping up the Shanghai History Museum today.
The Shanghai History Museum will open in a permanent location this October as part of the city's plan to open or begin building a batch of new cultural and sports facilities by the end of the year, the government announced yesterday Monday.
The museum, which previously had no permanent site, instead hosting temporary exhibits in different locations, will take up residence at the former address of the Shanghai Art Museum on Nanjing West Road and will open from October 1. The Shanghai Revolution History Museum will be combined with the history museum upon its opening.
The city's ancient, modern, contemporary and revolution histories will be displayed inside the building, which originally housed a horse-racing club when it was built in 1933, the city's information office said on its official WeChat account.
Currently, the Shanghai History Museum has about 110,000 pieces in its collection, which focuses mainly on the city's history spanning from the opening of the port in 1843 to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The collection includes calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, handicrafts and publications.
It has also begun assembling exhibits from around the world. The museum promises to lift the tariff and other taxes for exhibits contributed by overseas donors as well as reward or subsidize donors if they meet its economic criteria.
Shanghai aims to develop itself into an "international cultural metropolis" by 2020. To achieve this goal, the city government will build a batch of the world's top facilities for cultural performances and high-end sports games as well as meet the rising demands of citizens, the city government said.
Six other cultural projects will commerce construction by the end of September, mainly to make up for inefficient cultural and sporting venues in Pudong, the government said.
A two-square-kilometer Expo Culture Park, which is planned to offer free admission, will incorporate cultural facilities including a grand opera house at the former World Expo 2010 site in Pudong. The former France, Russia, Italy and Luxembourg pavilions at the Expo will be preserved inside the park as part of the city's Expo memory.
The east branches of Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Library will be built in the Huamu area of Pudong. The two branches will work in concert with the main site downtown to display China's ancient culture and offer various public services.
On the west side of the river, a new venue called Xujiahui Sports Park — based at and including the existing Shanghai Stadium — will feature new parts including Shanghai Gymnasium, Shanghai Swimming Pool and Dongya Mansion, to become the city's largest sports venue.
A new art gallery will be built in Gubei of Changning District, and will be named after and exhibit the artworks of the Chinese calligrapher, painter and cartoonist Cheng Shifa (1921-2007).
The Wanping Theater in Xuhui, built in 1988, will be demolished and rebuilt. A new theater, scheduled to open in 2019, will become the home venue of the Shanghai Opera House and Shanghai Yue Opera House.
Furthermore, construction will begin by the end of the year on the Shanghai Juvenile and Children's Library in Putuo District, as well as a professional football field in Pudong with 35,000 seats, an 10,000-seater indoor basketball court, and a new citizen sports park near the Shanghai Circuit in Jiading District.
