According to Yang Zhigang, director of the Shanghai Museum, many of the 151 objects on display belonged to the original collection of the Museum of North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

In 1952, the museum operator, the Royal Asiatic Society, was closed and the museum collection was transferred to the municipality. The artifacts were later given to the Shanghai Museum of Natural History.

The displays of the ongoing exhibition have been arranged in a vintage style to recreate the original experience of going to the Asiatic Society Museum. For example, the first specimen of a Chinese giant panda is exhibited in a box that looks just like the original exhibition space at the Asiatic Society Museum.

Visitors to the exhibition at 325 Nanjing Road West can also enjoy interactive experiences and learn more about the exhibits through a mobile application.