Read this before you come for the bronzes: they are not here. From 9 July 2026 to 14 November 2027 the People's Square building is given over entirely to 'Top of the World Tree', billed by the museum as the largest exhibition of ancient American civilisations ever staged (1,129 lots, nearly 3,000 objects from Mexico, Peru and Chinese collections), and shows nothing else. The permanent Chinese collection — bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy — is at the East Building in Pudong.
EntranceDuring the exhibition enter by the south gate on Wusheng Road, not the People's Avenue front; Metro Lines 1/2/8 People's Square Exit 1, or Line 14 Dashijie Exit 4 (museum visitor notice)
Last verified 2026-09-15
How to book
Real-name ticket: '上海博物馆参观预约' WeChat mini-program or Ctrip app in China; overseas visitors buy on Trip.com; on-site ticket office at the museum (sold to capacity, no guarantee of walk-up tickets). Monthly release on the 1st at 12:00 for the following month. Groups of 20 or more phone the group-booking line 7 days ahead, not counting the day (021-63724550), with a name list; visitor services 021-60226699 (9:00-17:00)Verified · 2026-09Source ↗
Beat the crowds
The previous blockbuster (ancient Egypt, July 2024 to August 2025) ran 13 months and the museum itself called tickets hard to get; assume the same here. Book the moment a month opens, choose a weekday morning, and treat the VR combos as an optional adult add-on, not a children's item (our advice)
Language
Not stated for this exhibition: the museum lists human guiding, smart guides, AR glasses and a mini-program guide without naming languages, and says special-exhibition devices are borrowed separately. The East Building has bilingual labelling, but this building does not say; the ticketing page addresses overseas visitors in English via Trip.com