China Guide
Shanghai
Moganshan Art District
Opening time: Many of the galleries are closed on Mondays
Address: 50 Moganshan Lu, 10min walk from Shanghai Zhan metro stop
An old factory beside Suzhou Creek in the north of the city, Moganshan Art District is a complex of studios and galleries that makes up the city's biggest arts scene. Attracted by cheap rents, artists took over the abandoned buildings and used them as studios. Then the art galleries moved in, and now the design studios and cafés and more commercial galleries are arriving. What makes it so fascinating – at the moment – is the way the area is both shabby and sophisticated, jumbling together paint-spattered artists, slick dealers, pretentious fashionistas and baffled locals. Most of the smaller galleries double as studios and there's something for all tastes, so expect to spend at least a morning poking around.
Of the 35 or so galleries, one of the biggest is Eastlink (daily 10am–5.30pm; 
021/62769932, 
www.eastlinkgallery.cn ) on the fifth floor of Building 6; it's the oldest gallery here, resolutely resisting commercial pressures to water down its content. Another heavy hitter is ShangART (daily 10am–6pm; 021/63593923, www.shangartgallery.com ), housed in buildings 16 and 18. The most credible gallery is the Bizart Centre on the fourth floor of Building 7 (Mon– Sat 11am–6pm; 021/62775358, www.biz-art.com ); it's a not-for-profit gallery that promotes Chinese and foreign contemporary art, with an artist-in-residence programme. The ArtSea Studio and Gallery, on the second floor of Building 9 (Wed– Sun 10am–6pm; 021/62278380) is the best photography gallery.