M50 Creative Park (M50 Art District)

Situated on the south bank of Suzhou River, an old manufacturing district, 50 Moganshan Art Gallery, or M50 was considered as the cradle of Shanghai's contemporary art scene. If you seek a kind of sense of art in Beijing, you know you need go to 789 Art Zone; in Shanghai, you have to visit M50 Art District. Less than 10 years old, it is the hottest art district in Shanghai, rivaled only by the 798 Art Zone in Beijing as the center of Chinese modern art. This complex has been turned into the premier location for Shanghai's modern art movement.

There are more than 130 artists from all over the world, as well as galleries and art studios. There are also some creative graffiti and cafes and so on. The main features are graffiti along the street and free gallery exhibitions, which can be seen in abstract, watercolor, oil painting and other works of various artists. These make it a hot shooting place of TV play.

Shanghai M50 Art District Facts

Development

Formerly a set of dilapidated warehouses, the complex, just south of Shanghai's Suzhou Creek, has been turned into the premier location for Shanghai's modern art movement. M50 Creative Park, formerly known as Shanghai Chunming Textile Factory, has been transformed into an art and creative park since 2000. In July 2011, Shanghai Chunming Textile Factory was renamed as Shanghai M50 Cultural and Creative Development co., LTD.

The buildings owned by M50 are more than 50 industrial buildings from various historical periods from the 1930s to the 1990s, which are also relatively complete remains of national industrial buildings along the Suzhou River. With the establishment of M50 Art District, these old buildings have been injected with artistic aura. In the process of continuous improvement and renewal, the contents have become richer and richer.

In order to attract artists, Shanghai M50 has invited big names, including Liu Jianhua, Yang Fudong, Yang Zhengzhong and Xu Zheng, to open studios - at low rent. Some of the galleries are run by foreign expats, such as the celebrated Shangh ART, which is run by Swiss native Lorenz Helbling. Helbling chooses the staggered floor at Building 16 as their artwork storehouse and exhibition space. Big workshops are mostly occupied by design companies and galleries. With all kinds of art exhibitions and promotional activities done by galleries and art organizations in Moganshan, M50 has become an important symbol of Shanghai’s modern culture. There are more than 140 artists, filmmakers, architects and graphic design firms now inundate the area. A visit to this Chinese Art Mecca, you can check out some of the most avant-garde paintings and artistic works going on in Shanghai today.

>> Recommended China tours to M50 Shanghai: 

Abandoned workshops are often popular with artists and gallery owners because of the cheap rent and the open ended architecture. If you are hankering for a sit down or just need a nice bite, there are a few cafes and teahouses scattered around M50. Bandu Music Café is a great place to grab a cup of coffee and explore the world of Chinese folk music. There are, however, a few shops and clothing stores, mostly owned and run by fresh young Shanghai fashion designers. Most notable are the artful designs of Shirt flag and its sister shop, Hi Panda.

What to Do at M50 Shanghai?

1. Do as a "literary and artistic" youth do. When you pop into M50 Art District, you can see some youth taking pictures or vlog on different corner of this area. You can also find somewhere you like and shoot them down. Or you can find a café or a restaurant to have a rest.

2. Buy artworks. This is the place where new artist works. The artworks are not only for displaying, but also sale.

3. Do some exercise along Suzhou River. There is a beautiful and ethereal path between M50 Shanghai and Suzhou River where the youth or locals like to run in the morning or at night. If your hotel is near Suzhou River, you can also do some exercise along the river as you can enjoy the graffiti or painting on the wall of M50.

M50 Art Season

From July to September, the Shanghai M50 Art Season is based in the M50 Art Industrial Park. A total of 64 galleries and art institutions, along with 117 artists from different countries and regions, will host over 137 exhibitions during the art season. The "M50 Rising Star Award" is an upgraded version of the "M50 Annual Creative Rising Star Selection", which has been held for eight years. Based on the experience of past events, the focus has been expanded from the original students in school to the group of young artists and designers, and the focus is projected on the future development of the young artists and designers after the selection.

How to Get There?

If you want to take a subway, Line 1, 3 or 4 will run to Shanghai Rail Station, get off and find your way from the South Square Exit or Exit 3. Then you can see Suzhou River is not far away from you, walk along it about 1.5 km, you can reach the destination.

We do not recommend taking bus to M50 Creative Park. Though many bus can bring you to the around, it’s still hard to find the right way to the entrance. We recommend take a taxi so that you won’t get lost.