Begin at the original meeting place where the CCP was founded in July 1921. The adjacent museum charts China’s modern upheavals—from the Opium War in 1840, through the revolutionary fervor that led to the Party’s creation, to the triumph of the People’s Republic in 1949—using artefacts, interactive displays, and detailed timelines.

Step into the 1924 home on Rue Wantong, where Mao Zedong lived with his wife Yang Kaihui, their sons Mao Anying and Mao Anying, and his mother-in-law Xiang Zhenxi. This half-year residency was Mao’s longest family stay in Shanghai. Discover archival materials documenting Mao’s work in Shanghai, from original manuscripts to period photographs, and wander through meticulously recreated living quarters, complete with lifelike wax figures of Mao and Yang Kaihui, alongside a special exhibition on Cai Hesen.

Conclude at the eaves of Zhou Enlai’s wartime office and lodging, where he, Dong Biwu, and other leaders negotiated the uneasy truce between Nationalists and Communists in 1946–47. View original meeting rooms and personal quarters to understand the strategies, compromises, and personalities that shaped China’s mid-century trajectory.