The exhibition begins with “Dawn of a New Era”, chronicling Shanghai’s post-1949 reconstruction, retracing its revival of infrastructure and built environments, alongside its metamorphosis into a national industrial powerhouse. From the iconic workers’ new villages to contemporary high-rise apartments, “Evolution of Housing” reveals how public residential spaces reshaped the city’s urban fabric and redefined the daily lives of its citizens. Focusing on the early years of China’s reform and opening-up, “Harbingers of Reform” highlights the emergence of groundbreaking structures—international hotels and cultural landmarks—that heralded the modernization of urban functions. “Constructing Lujiazui” traces the meteoric rise of the Lujiazui Central Business District, illustrating how its skyscrapers redefined the city’s spatial dimensions and skyline identity. Through iconic architectural projects, “Toward a Global City” maps Shanghai’s ascent as a global metropolis, cementing its status as a nexus of international commerce and culture. Showcasing bold innovations by local architects, “Experimental Frontiers” explores their creative responses to globalization, blending tradition with avant-garde design philosophies. Using the 2010 Shanghai World Expo as a case study, “World Expo, Global Connections” examines how mega-events transformed the city’s urban identity and amplified its global visibility. “Reviving Waterfronts” unveils the adaptive transformation of industrial heritage along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, breathing new life into post-industrial landscapes. Through urban renewal practices like the Bund’s historic architecture revitalization, “Adaptive Regeneration” finally demonstrates how Shanghai balances heritage preservation and innovative design in its high-density urban core.

“Building Shanghai: Architecture, Urbanism, and Culture since 1949” will open alongside the landscape-themed semi-permanent exhibition “Reinventing Landscape” presented by the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project. Together, the two exhibitions seek to create a dialogue between global cultural narratives and locally grounded research, connecting broad thematic perspectives with the specific context of contemporary Shanghai.