China Art Museum, Art museum in Pudong, China

The China Art Museum occupies the former China Pavilion of Expo 2010, a 63-metre red building whose stepped upper facade echoes a traditional dougong bracket and a bronze ding cauldron. Architect He Jingtang led the design. Inside, 27 galleries spread over 64,000 square metres of exhibition space, with the permanent collection on the 49th and 41st floors.

The building originally served as the China Pavilion during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and was converted into an art museum two years later. The institution itself was founded in 1956 and moved to this new location to gain more space for its growing collection.

The building is called "Crown of the East" for its stepped red form, likened to an ancient crown and to the dougong bracket and bronze ding. Inside, the permanent display "The Bright Moon Rises from the Sea" traces Shanghai's modern art from the late Qing Shanghai School onward, and the Noted Painters halls hold donated works by artists such as Lin Fengmian, Guan Liang and Wu Guanzhong.

The museum stands at 205 Shangnan Road in Pudong, next to the China Art Museum station on Metro Line 8; Yiaohua Road station on Line 7 is also within walking distance. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00, and closes on Mondays except on national statutory holidays. Allow several hours: the galleries cover 64,000 square metres across 27 halls.

The building's red façade comes from its earlier role as an Expo pavilion and recalls traditional Chinese architectural elements. A viewing platform on the roof offers wide views over the city.