The first state-owned contemporary art museum on the mainland of China, the Power Station has helped Shanghai rival Beijing as a cultural centre since its high-profile opening. The building was originally the site of the Nanshi Power Plant, constructed in 1897, with its chimney soaring 165 metres up in the air. This area just next to the Huangpu River held Shanghai’s first national iron and steel enterprises, the first cotton yarn factory set up by foreign investors, and the first power plant.
The site is therefore not only part of the city's architectural heritage, but also a relic of China's earliest industrial endeavors. After renovation, the station became the Shanghai Expo's Pavilion of the Future, and its chimney became a landmark thermometer for the city. In 2011, it was decided that it would become an art museum, and the Power Station of Art emerged a year later with the ninth Shanghai Biennale as its inaugural exhibition. Its big shows have since ranged from major western surrealist artists to contemporary Chinese museum architecture.
ADDRESS: 200 Huayuangang Road
TEL: 021 3110 8550
WEBSITE: www.powerstationofart.org
沪ICP备15036271号-2
