In Shanghai, a city that blends modern prosperity with humanistic heritage, there are not only the bright lights of the Bund but also the classical elegance of Yu Garden. Beside Moganshan Road along the Suzhou Creek in Putuo District, there hides a unique artistic secret — Shanghai M50 Creative Park. It is not a traditional tourist attraction, but a creative cultural landmark transformed from an abandoned old textile factory. It retains the profoundness of a century of industrial relics and surges with the vitality of contemporary art, with full walls of graffiti, numerous art galleries and studios. Open to the public free of charge without complicated reservations, it has become an excellent window for foreign tourists to closely experience Shanghai’s creative Culture and feel the collision between industrial history and contemporary art. Here, you can walk along industrial-style streets and take photos with graffiti art; enter niche art galleries to appreciate avant-garde works of art; visit artists’ studios to feel the warmth of creation; shuttle through cultural and creative stores to select unique souvenirs. A slow trip will let you encounter the most distinctive artistic atmosphere of Shanghai.
Shanghai M50 Creative Park is located at No. 50 Moganshan Road, Putuo District, adjacent to the Suzhou Creek. With a superior geographical location in the core urban area of Shanghai and convenient transportation, it is a well-known creative industrial Park in Shanghai and even the whole country, as well as a nationally recognized cultural industry demonstration base. Tracing its history, the predecessor of M50 was Shanghai Chunming Rough Textile Factory founded in 1937, which was once an important position of Shanghai’s textile industry and witnessed the rise and fall of China’s modern textile industry. In 1999, with the transformation and upgrading of the textile industry, this old factory gradually became idle. Around 2000, a group of artists discovered this space full of industrial charm and settled down to open studios one after another. Later, the park was gradually renovated and upgraded, retaining the original industrial architectural style, and attracting more art galleries, design studios and cultural and creative enterprises. Because its address is No. 50 Moganshan Road, it is abbreviated as “M50”. Today, the park covers an area of about 41 mu and has 50 historical buildings with different styles, all retaining the industrial relics of the old textile factory — towering chimneys, weathered red brick walls, huge boilers and crisscross pipelines. These elements carrying the memory of time are perfectly integrated with contemporary works of art and creative graffiti, forming a unique style of “industrial retro + contemporary creativity” and becoming a hidden art check-in spot in Shanghai.
For foreign tourists, the most attractive feature of M50 Creative Park is its unpolished industrial art atmosphere, as well as the tangible, interactive and perceptible art experience. Entering the park gate, the first thing that catches the eye is the weathered red brick factory buildings, with green vines climbing on the walls, forming a sharp contrast with the bright graffiti on the walls, instantly making people feel the beauty of the collision between industrial retro and street art. On both sides of the main road in the park, there are dozens of art galleries, including well-known institutions such as Yibo Gallery and Shanghai Huoli Art Gallery. Most of these galleries are open free of charge, and the exhibited works cover various forms such as oil painting, sculpture, photography and installation art, including works by well-known domestic artists and creations by international avant-garde artists. Most of them are equipped with English explanations, allowing foreign tourists to clearly understand the creative concept and connotation of the works. For example, Yibo Gallery, one of the earliest galleries settled in the park, has held more than 200 art exhibitions covering various art styles. Occasionally, there are activities such as on-site creation by artists and work sharing sessions. Foreign tourists can appreciate works of art up close here, communicate and interact with artists, and feel the charm of contemporary art.
In addition to professional galleries, the graffiti walls in the park are the iconic landscape of M50 and a must-visit place for foreign tourists to take photos. The walls along Moganshan Road, the factory walls in the park, and even the pipelines and street lamps are covered with graffiti works by artists from all over the world. Each work is unique, with bright colors and different styles — some are full of street fashion, some contain profound humanistic thinking, some are simple and abstract, and some are vivid and concrete. These graffiti works are not static but updated regularly, bringing new surprises every time you visit. Foreign tourists can take photos freely here, take group photos with their favorite graffiti works, and feel the freedom and vitality of street art. It is worth mentioning that there is also a special graffiti creation area in the park. Occasionally, artists create on-site. Foreign tourists can watch the graffiti creation process up close, and even experience simple graffiti creation under the guidance of artists, drawing a graffiti work of their own and leaving a unique travel memory.
The charm of M50 Creative Park lies not only in appreciating art but also in being able to participate deeply and feel the joy of creation. There are dozens of artists’ studios in the park, covering many fields such as pottery, silver jewelry making, oil painting creation and graphic design. Some studios are open to the public. Foreign tourists can enter the studios, watch the artists’ creation process, understand the creation skills of different art forms, and also participate in simple interactive experiences — for example, in the pottery studio, make a simple pottery work by hand and feel the temperature of the soil; in the silver jewelry studio, learn basic silver jewelry polishing skills and make an exclusive small pendant; in the oil painting studio, draw a simple oil painting under the guidance of artists and experience the happiness of creation. Most of these interactive experiences need to be booked in advance at an affordable price. They not only allow foreign tourists to deeply understand the process of contemporary Chinese art creation but also gain a unique hand-made souvenir, making the trip more meaningful.
In addition to art galleries and studios, the park also has many cultural and creative stores and characteristic cafes to meet the leisure and shopping needs of foreign tourists. The cultural and creative stores sell various creative products, including art derivatives, hand-made accessories, creative stationery and characteristic posters. Most of these products are designed and made by artists and designers in the park, unique, practical and commemorative. Foreign tourists can choose their favorite cultural and creative products here as souvenirs of their trip to Shanghai, taking the artistic atmosphere of M50 home. The characteristic cafes in the park are also very stylish, most of which are transformed from old factories, retaining industrial elements and decorated in a simple and elegant style. Among them, BWT Water Tower Coffee is particularly well-known, perfectly integrating art and coffee. Order a premium coffee with a dessert, rest in an industrial-style environment and enjoy the artistic landscape outside the window. It can not only relieve the fatigue of the journey but also better feel the artistic atmosphere of the park. In addition, there are characteristic spaces such as TREEART Art Space and FU PIECE in the park, displaying Oriental aesthetic works and artistic cultural and creative products respectively, providing foreign tourists with more diverse aesthetic experiences.
For foreign tourists, it is very convenient to get to M50 Creative Park by relying on Shanghai’s improved public transportation network. The most convenient way is to take the Subway. Take Metro Line 13 to Jiangning Road Station, exit from Exit 2, and walk for about 15 minutes to arrive. You can also take Metro Line 7 to Changping Road Station, walk for about 20 minutes to arrive, and enjoy the scenery of the Suzhou Creek along the way, feeling the urban atmosphere of Shanghai. If you choose to travel by bus, you can take bus lines such as No. 68, No. 105 and No. 316 to Moganshan Road Changhua Road Station, and walk for 5 minutes to reach the park gate. If you choose to drive by car, there are a few parking lots around the park, making parking convenient, suitable for family trips or traveling with friends. The parking fee is affordable, so you don’t have to worry about inconvenience.
Foreign tourists need to know in advance about the precautions for the visit to ensure a smooth visit. M50 Creative Park is open free of charge all year round without appointment. The opening hours are 10:00-18:00 every day (the opening hours of some galleries and studios are slightly different, subject to on-site notice). It is recommended that foreign tourists visit in the afternoon, when the light is soft, suitable for taking photos, and there are relatively few people, allowing you to better feel the artistic atmosphere of the park. During the visit, respect the artists’ creative achievements and do not randomly paint or damage graffiti works and art exhibits; when entering galleries and studios, keep quiet, do not make loud noises or chase, and abide by on-site regulations when taking photos. Some exhibits are prohibited from being photographed or using flash to avoid affecting others. In addition, smoking and littering are prohibited in the park, and you need to jointly maintain the clean environment of the park; it is recommended that foreign tourists wear comfortable flat shoes because there is a lot of walking in the park, and some roads are stone slab roads, so wearing flat shoes is more convenient. There are rest areas in the park with simple rest facilities, and some cafes and cultural and creative stores can also provide rest services, convenient for foreign tourists to rest at any time.
After visiting M50 Creative Park, foreign tourists can also visit the surrounding niche scenic spots and start an artistic and leisure trip. The park is adjacent to the Suzhou Creek Trail. Walking along the Suzhou Creek, you can enjoy the scenery on both sides of the river and feel the urban changes of Shanghai; there are also nearby scenic spots such as 1000 Trees and Jing’an Sculpture Park. 1000 Trees is famous for its unique architectural style, integrating nature and art, and is also a popular check-in spot for art lovers; Jing’an Sculpture Park is full of various sculpture works, open free of charge, suitable for walking and resting. In addition, there are many niche restaurants and cafes around the park, covering food from all over the world. Foreign tourists can taste authentic Shanghai food or enjoy familiar exotic flavors here, feel the diverse food Culture of Shanghai, and fully experience the charm of Shanghai.
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