Outside of Beijing, Shanghai probably has more museums per head than any other city in China. The city boasts well in excess of 100 museums, including both State-run institutions and privately-owned concerns. And these museums are a window on the world which enrich the lives of both residents and tourists.

And to commemorate the 26th anniversary of Shanghai's being recognized by the government as a Chinese Historical and Cultural City, a special exhibition has gathered together some 200 artefacts and 120 photos from the Shanghai History Museum and 13 other museums. They are all on show on the second floor of the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center until next month.

Foreign investment

The exhibition is divided into three sections, respectively The Opening of Shanghai Port, Urban Space, and Urban Industry. At the entrance to the show an oil painting depicts the Bund at the time it was first opened to foreign investment.

A hosiery machine provided by the Shanghai Textile Museum (128 Aomen Road, 6299-6969), is making its debut to the public. The American-made machine marks the historical point at which such electric-powered inventions were introduced into the city in the 1920s.

Also on view are three model ships provided by the China Maritime Museum (197 Shengang Avenue, 3828-7777), and a Ford Model A car from the Shanghai Auto Museum (7565 Boyuan Road, 6955-0055). A rarely-seen white postbox manufactured during the era of the Republic of China (1912-1949), has been loaned by the Shanghai Post Museum (395 Tiantong Road, 6393-6666) and a couple of fire hoses from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) from the Shanghai Fire Museum (229 Zhongshan Road West, 2895-5295) are also highlights.

Staggering collection

"We have carefully chosen the items from the collections of different museums, in order to present an overall view of Shanghai from its opening as a port to the foundation of the People's Republic of China," said Gu Yanyuan, head of the exhibition department of the Shanghai History Museum, which is one of the principal organizers of the exhibition. This museum has a staggering 100,000 items in its collection yet, incredibly, currently has no permanent home to call its own. Parts of this expansive collection is on show at the Shanghai Municipal History Museum (1/F, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 1 Century Avenue, 5879-1888).

And beside the interactive zones at the exhibition, in which visitors can watch a selection of videos, the show has also developed an app for visitors. The app is called Jindai Shanghai (Vicissitudes of Modern Shanghai) and it covers all the exhibits on show and gives an introduction to the aforementioned 14 museums and is now available for android users.

Date: Until January 3, 2013, 9 am to 5 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Venue: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center

上海城市规划展示馆

Address: 100 People's Avenue

人民大道100号

Tickets: 30 yuan

Call 6372-2077 ext. 299 for details