Shanghai’s Public Security Museum – A Possible Kids’ Activity

I say “possible” because if you’ve got young kids, you might want to give this one a miss. Even though my 4-year-old is fascinated with police and firemen, he was terrified by the mannequins wearing uniforms. My friend steered her kids clear of the video playing footage of gruesome traffic accidents and the photos of real crime scenes on the third floor.

But if your kids can stomach these, then they might have a lot of fun. There are two mock jail cells – one shows the old black and white uniforms prisoners used to wear and the other is padded – perfect for playing and jumping around in. There’s also a mock courtroom where your kids can sentence you to hard labor. I enjoyed the fourth floor fireman exhibit where old photos of Shanghai show how they used to fight fires with buckets (probably not very effective). It’s an interesting way to discover some of Shanghai’s history and if your kids are into policemen and firemen, then all the better.

A note on some kids' activity centers' closings: two Expat kid favorites Kidtown (in Hong Qiao) and Thinktown (on Changshou Road) have closed. There’s no word if and when they’ll re-open.

The Shanghai Public Security Museum is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm. Entry is 8rmb. It’s located at 518 South Ruijin Road (瑞金南路518号) near Xietu Road.