Housed in the former Royal Asiatic Society building (1933) – once Shànghǎi's first museum – this private space behind the Bund focuses on contemporary Chinese art, with rotating exhibits year-round and no permanent collection. One of the city’s top modern-art venues, the building's interior and exterior are both sublime. Check out the unique art deco eight-sided bāguà (trigram) windows at the front, a fetching synthesis of Western modernist styling and traditional Chinese design.
The interior is all textbook deco lines and curves, including the fine staircase. Head to the rooftop terrace for excellent views, despite the hulking form of the Peninsula hotel blocking out much of Lùjiāzuĭ. A cafe on the top floor dispenses free cups of tea.
