SINCE opening in 1996, Shanghai Museum has never closed to the public — not even for a single day.

However, due to needed upgrading, it will close every Monday starting from October 9 for a refurbishment.

According to the museum, the repairs involve the building’s outer wall, water pipes and air-conditioners.

“Shanghai Museum has opened to the public through the entire year since our opening,” said Li Feng, the museum’s vice director. Now some of the equipment is no longer able to perform adequately, he said.

Early in 2015 the museum suggested to the government that an extensive refurbishment was needed. The current plan is that for the first phase of the refurbishment the museum remains opens to the public except for Mondays.

The second phase will involve a more thorough renovation including adjusting of the interior space, and for this phase, the museum will be closed.

“There will be a branch of Shanghai Museum in Pudong that will be opened to the public in 2020,” Li said, “At that time, all the staff, antiques and exhibitions will move to the new site so that we can carry out the second phase.”

Originally phase one was set to have begun last June, but because of a popular exhibition on loan from the British Museum, phase one will start when it ends next month.

Shanghai Museum, which is sited in People’s Square, receives about 2 million visitors a year.