Shanghai Biennale, The Contemporary Cultural Environment

This paper served as a summary of the development of Shanghai Biennale in recent 10 years.It started with a brief review on its history and status quo. With the availability of a comprehensive set of data, the paper cut through the interaction between Shanghai Biennale itself, rooting in a contemporary context of China, and Shanghai's urban culture construction, to conduct a thorough exploration on it rise, referring to determination of themes, curating team build-up, government investments, additional fund raising efforts by the museum, and a variety of other issues about exhibition. As a consequence, opportunities and challenges faced by Shanghai Art Museum in the contemporary cultural environment were presented.The investigation into the organizational model of Shanghai Biennale scrutinizes materials on Biennale project management, including governmental supports and fund raising mechanisms, so as to provide some stepping-stones for contemporary art management research..In conclusion, 10 years' development of Shanghai Biennale made an overhaul of the concept of "shelves", spanning from easel paintings to conceptual arts, however, these exhibitions still focus on "manners". Shifting focus from "manners" to "issues" requires maximal exposure of issues concerning the public, museums, and governments with no breach of local policies. Sound curating mechanism, sophisticated fund management and keen market awareness form the basement of its road to becoming an outstanding international exhibition, contributing to development of contemporary art and culture in Shanghai and, more generally, in China.