How a determined director built a world-class museum from the ruins of history

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Shanghai Museum holds over 120,000 artifacts, yet its modern home almost never existed. When city planners excluded the project from their 1992 reconstruction agenda, director Ma Chengyuan launched a bold, independent campaign to secure a site on People's Square, transforming a vision into an architectural icon of ancient philosophy.

Founded in 1952, the Shanghai Museum began its life in a former racecourse clubhouse. Its initial holdings were a patchwork of history, assembled from artifacts seized by the military during the civil war, items confiscated by customs, and pieces sold by private collectors under the intense pressure of political purges. During the 1950s, the museum further expanded by absorbing collections from foreign institutions, such as the Royal Asiatic Society, as those organizations departed the city.

The institution’s trajectory shifted dramatically under Ma Chengyuan, who served as director from 1985 to 1999. When the city government omitted a new facility from its 1992 development plan, Ma personally lobbied Mayor Huang Ju. After securing a prime location on People's Square, Ma faced the daunting task of self-funding the construction. He raised $25 million by leasing the museum's former premises to a Hong Kong developer and secured an additional $10 million through donations from the Shanghai diaspora. The city eventually contributed 140 million yuan to finalize the project.

Inaugurated in 1996, the current building is a testament to ancient Chinese cosmology. Designed by architect Xing Tonghe, the structure mimics a bronze ding vessel, featuring a round top and a square base to represent the traditional concept of a round sky and a square earth. Today, the museum serves as a repository for national treasures, including rare Han dynasty bronze mirrors and an extensive collection of Silk Road coinage. It stands not only as a cultural venue but as a monument to the persistence required to preserve China's artistic legacy.

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