INTRODUCTION
Located beside the Dishui Lake in Pudong New District in Shanghai, China Maritime Museum is the first national-level maritime museum approved by the State Council and was jointly built by the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. The museum occupies a land area of 24,830 square meters and a floor area of 46,434 square meters. The display area is 21,000 square meters indoors and 6,000 square meters outdoors.
As the largest and the highest-level thematic maritime museum in China, China Maritime Museum covers cultural relics collection, academic research, social education, exhibition, science education, etc. With “navigation” as the mainstream and “wide collection” as the basis, the museum is divided into six exhibition halls: Hall of Chinese Navigation History, Hall of Ships, Hall of Navigation and Ports, Hall of Maritime Affairs and Sea Safety, Hall of Seafarers and Hall of Military Navigation as well as two specific exhibition zones: Fishery Zone and Marine Sports & Recreation Zone. In addition, it has a planetarium, a 4D Movie Theater and a Children’s Center.
Multiple nautical elements are used inadvertently in the display to show details, constituting the unique personality of China Maritime Museum. Thousands of years of Chinese maritime history unfolds like a picture scroll, and the long-buried marine civilization becomes alive through the combined exhibition of compasses, sails and apron flashings, large-scale models of modern steel ships, chart rooms, cabs, sailing simulators, diving bells and marine navigation technology in the six exhibition halls.
Hall of Chinese Navigation History
The Hall of Chinese Navigation History on the east side of the first floor is divided into Ancient, Modern and Contemporary zones based on timeline. The collections about "Ship Evolution", "Ancient Shipwrecks and cultural relics", “Zheng He’s Expedition” , "Exported Artworks", "China Merchants Steamship Navigation Company", "Sino-Japanese Naval War" and "New China Shipping", etc. displayed in the hall, reveal the Chinese maritime development history over thousands of years.
Hall of Ships
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The Hall of Ships on the west side of the first floor is divided into two parts: ship structure & equipment, and ship manufacturing, giving the audience a clear picture of ships through the demonstration of the ship structure, equipment and construction process. Besides, various types of ship models are displayed in the museum, providing the audience with a rich knowledge of marine ships.
Hall of Seafarers
The Hall of Seafarers is on the southwest side of the first floor and displays a series of physical objects and documents reflecting the work and life of seafarers. The audience can experience the feeling of being a captain by operating the navigation simulator in the hall.
Hall of Military Navigation
The Hall of Military Navigation is located on the southwest side of the second floor. It demonstrates the construction of the Chinese People’s Navy and the knowledge of warships. It also contains cultural relics and documents reflecting major historical events of the Chinese Navy, as well as various warship models..
Hall of Navigation and Ports
The Hall of Navigation and Ports on the east side of the second floor mainly displays technical materials about marine environment and various instruments to ensure navigation of ships from ancient times to the present, including terrestrial navigation, astronomical navigation, radio navigation, etc. What’s more, it displays a large number of cultural relics and objects reflecting ports and waterways.
Hall of Maritime Affairs and Sea Safety
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The Hall of Maritime Affairs and Sea Safety on the west side of the second floor is composed of two independent exhibition sections: Maritime Affairs and Sea Safety. The Maritime Affairs Section displays the maritime history and maritime supervision & enforcement through physical objects and auxiliary graphics. The Maritime Safety Section displays maritime rescue, maritime salvage and anti-piracy through physical objects, models and electronic maps, etc.
Fishery Zone
The Fishery Zone is on the northeast of the first floor, where large quantities of physical objects such as fishing boats and fishing gear in Taihu Lake are displayed to present Chinese fishery culture.
Marine Sports and Recreation Zone
The Marine Sports and Recreation Zone lies along the corridor of the second floor and displays objects and models related to nautical sports and leisure, such as sailing boats, sailboards, canoes, motorboats, rowing boats and racing boats, as well as objects donated by Olympic champion Xu Lijia, Captain Guo Chuan and Wei Jun.
4D Movie Theater
The 4D Movie Theater on the northeast side of the second floor employs the most advanced digital projection technology in the world. Through special environmental effects emulating storms, thunder, lightning, raindrops, as well as specific physical effects of falling and shaking produced by the dynamic seats, a full-perceptive environment consistent with the content of the film is created, allowing the audience to experience an on-site and unparalleled super dynamic journey.
Planetarium (Dome Cinema)
Located on the southeast side of the second floor, the Planetarium is an advanced high-tech digital dome cinema for astronomical demonstration and dome movie. It integrates with education and recreation, providing the audience with extraordinary and perfect audiovisual experience.