Shanghai has more to offer than busy streets and skyscrapers. The city is also proud of its cultural heritage and art scene. Renovated historical buildings and workshops house small and large galleries, where paintings, photography, installations and sculptures sit ready to be discovered. It's worth spending some time exploring the city's thriving and fascinating art scene, Yang Yijun reports.

1) M50

M50, the city's first and largest artistic park, is in a former textile mill near Suzhou Creek. Over 130 artists from 17 countries and regions have set up galleries and art studios in M50. Among them, ShanghArt Gallery and BizArt have earned the highest reputations. With many art exhibitions and promotional activities put on by galleries and art organizations in the park, M50 has become a symbol of modern culture in Shanghai.

The graffiti wall is M50's must-see attraction.

Nowhere else in the city can visitors find so many art pieces in one place, including works by Shanghai local graffiti artists and elaborate and playful pieces by international underground artists.

Address: 50 Moganshan Road

Transport: Metro line 1, 3 and 4

Opening hours: 9:30 am-6:30 pm

Admission: free

Tel: 021-6266-3639

2) Rockbund Art Museum

Rockbund Art Museum, the only contemporary art museum in the historic riverfront area of the Bund, opened on May 4 with an exhibition by prize-winning Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang. The building that houses the museum was originally the Royal Asiatic Society building, China's first public museum.

Cai Guoqiang will fill the six floors of the museum with an exhibition titled Peasant Da Vincis, which features inventions in the past 40 years - including submarines, flying machines and robots - by people living in rural areas. The show will run until Aug 8.

Address: 20 Huqiu Road

Transport: Metro line 2

Opening hours: 10 am-6 pm (No entry after 5:30 pm, closed on Mondays)

Admission: 15 yuan

Tel: 021-3310-9985

3) Minsheng Art Museum

The newly opened art museum, which mainly focuses on Realism and Modernism, now features the exhibition: Three Decades of Contemporary Chinese Art: Painting (1979-2009). A total of 100 paintings by more than 80 Chinese artists tell the lives of common people. Many milestone works are included, such as Chen Danqing's Tibet Series. The show will run until July 18.

Address: Bldg F, 570 Huaihai Road W

Transport: Metro line 3, 4 and 10

Opening hours: 10 am-9 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Admission: free

Tel: 021-6282-8729

4) Shanghai 800 Art Zone

Located in the city's northeast Yangpu district, Shanghai 800 Art Zone covers an area of about 60,000 square meters. There are 40 galleries in the zone for art creation, including KING Space, Uwantart, The Gallery and TONY & TINA.

The Art Zone has started a one-month show of 10 masterpieces in Chinese contemporary art, including oil paintings, photographs, wash paintings and calligraphy. The works will reflect various kinds of contemporary subjects by using traditional skills and modern art language.

Address: 800 Guoshun Road E

Transport: Metro line 10

Opening hours: 10 am-6 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Admission: free

Tel: 021-5506-9814

5) Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai

The museum, better known as MOCA, in People's Park was originally the park's greenhouse. In retaining its clear glass exterior, MOCA Shanghai maintains access to bright light and a stunning park landscape. The museum is dedicated to contemporary art and design primarily from China, but also from around the globe. The museum offers special exhibitions and temporary installations.

The exhibition, Squares of Rome, which will run until June 4, displays 20 large-format works of photographic art and 20 sculptures that present a modern image of the most beautiful squares of Rome and illustrates the role of squares as a space for dialogue.

Address: People's Park, 231 Nanjing

Road W

Transport: Metro line 1, 2 and 8

Opening hours: 10 am-6 pm

Admission: 20 yuan

Tel: 021-6327-9900

6) Shanghai Art Museum

The Shanghai Art Museum, on the edge of People's Square, was built in the 1930s and is the city's best-known art gallery. The building was originally the clubhouse for the Shanghai Racing Club. It is worth visiting just to see this beautifully restored building.

There are 12 exhibition halls on five floors displaying modern and traditional art. The gallery has one of the best collections of Chinese contemporary art in the country, as well as many notable traditional works. It is also home of Shanghai's Biennale.

From Monday to June 1, the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, France, will present The Body Image exhibition at the museum, displaying over 70 pieces - including paintings, photographs and videos - from the Rhne-Alpes region of France.

Address: 325 Nanjing Road W

Transport: Metro line 1, 2 and 8

Opening hours: 9 am-5 pm

(No entry after 4 pm)

Admission: 20 yuan

Tel: 021-6327-2829 ext 200

7) Shanghai Sculpture Space

Shanghai Sculpture Space is a public art gallery housed in deserted steel factory workshops, with most of the authentic, industrial structure remaining intact. The diverse sculptures exhibited in the space represent Chinese sculptural art of the past 100 years. The sculptures embody the vigor of urban art and the spirit of modern times.

Address: 570 Huaihai Road W

Transport: Metro line 3, 4 and 10

Opening hours: 10 am-4 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Admission: free

Tel: 021-6280-5629

8) Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art

The museum is on Duolun Road, where many famous cultural figures in Chinese history created their literary and art works. The museum's permanent collection covers a wide range of categories, including installation art, film, photography, sculpture and painting. Most of the artworks have been donated to the museum by the artists.

Address: 27 Duolun Road

Transport: Metro line 3, 4 and 10

Opening hours: 10 am-5 pm

(Closed on Mondays)

Admission: 10 yuan

Tel: 021-6540-2003