Shanghai History Museum
Shanghai’s Sordid History
In the basement level of the Oriental Pearl Tower lies the entrance to a museum about Shanghai’s history - for a reasonable 45 RMB (much less than the cost of going up to any of the observation levels within the tower) you see how Shanghai became the city it is today, and get a schooling in colonialism. The anger felt for past transgressions against Shanghai is up front and center.
And it’s understandable. Shanghai, after all, was divided into 2-3 foreign concessions (starting with the British concession following the first Opium War, followed by the American concession and French concession) with their own laws, police force, and courts. This lasted until the end of World War II, when the concessions were finally returned to China. Yet in the mean time it had developed into the biggest financial center in Asia, a place where anything was possible, and a hideout for gangsters from all over the world.
So is this Shanghai History Museum Worth Seeing?
Simply put, yes. The museum does a great job of giving you a feeling of what Shanghai was like before it fully returned to Chinese rule. If you stop by Shanghai, and especially if you’re going to the Oriental Pearl Tower anyway, make sure to check out the museum on the bottom floor. It’s worth an hour or two of your time.
