The dream of resurrecting an imagined cosmopolitan past has had a debilitating effect on local culture. Shanghainese are more interested in assimilating international yuppie culture than anything quirky or local. No Beijing-style marathon discussions please, they're too busy shopping at Ikea. The old building is lovely, though the Chinese tendency to over-renovate is unfortunately also present. More progressive is this November's Shanghai Biennial , for which the museum has brought in Shimizu Toshio of Japan and Chinese exile Hou Hanru as curators.
Artists occasionally organize unofficial shows, though much less often than in Beijing.
A number of new galleries have opened, although most sell oil paintings of flowers, etc., and don't have a program in the sense that Shanghart does. All rights reserved.