The Shanghai Museum is a must for visitors to the city, who should set aside at least a day, or possibly more, to do it full justice. Opened in 1994, its architecture is resolutely modern in style, with a floor plan that is a eulogy to the Earth and the Cosmos. Its bright and airy exhibition space is the setting for extraordinary collections which highlight China’s history from its very early incarnation onwards. The museum is organised around three themes: a collection of bronzes (18C BC – 3C AD), ceramics, and a gallery of paintings, in which every Chinese artistic trend and school is represented.