Xintiandi 新天地
- Open air, pedestrianized mall
- Name means "New Heaven and Earth"
- Restored area of traditional shikumen ("stone gate") houses
- Converted housing now stores, bars and restaurants
- Popular with tours groups from Hong Kong & Japan
- Preserves an atmosphere of "old Shanghai"
The Xintiandi development in Shanghai was something of a first in China. As blocks of traditional shikumen ("stone gate") houses were being torn down in the 1990's, two blocks were saved from the wrecker's ball.
The original roof tiles, antique walls and exteriors were preserved, while the interiors were modernized to become trendy bars, up-market restaurants and an art gallery.
The area is completely car free and the narrow alleys (longtang) are prefect for strolling and open out into a central square.
There is both indoor and outdoor seating and the area is a good place to unwind from the hustle and bustle of contemporary Shanghai.
Shikumen Open House Museum
The Shikumen Open House Museum (11 am-11 pm; daily; Tel: 021 3307 0337 ) is in a renovated Shikumen house built in the 1920s in the northern block at Xintiandi.
The exhibits in the rooms include genuine household items from the 1920's and 1930's, showing how a typical family lived in Shanghai at that time.
Tingzijian Literature
One of the rooms in a shikumen house was known as tingzijian - a small room at the turn of the stairs, above the kitchen that was often rented out to single lodgers.
These small rooms were often taken up by artists, writers and political dissidents fleeing unrest in other parts of China in the 1930s. "Tingzijian Literature" is the name given to works of writers such as Ba Jing, Lu Xun and Ding Ling, who lived and worked in these small rooms.
Xintiandi Access
Xintiandi (xintiandi.com)
Tel: 021 6311 2288
The nearest subway station to Xintiandi is South Huangpi Road on Line 1. Xintiandi is on Zizhong Lu.
Hotels in Xintiandi
If you wish to stay in this area of Shanghai there are several options. The five-star The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi is the most luxurious choice with a spa, an indoor pool and several stylish restaurants.
Lanson Place Jinlin Tiandi Residence Shanghai offers apartments with a balcony, cable TV and a modern kitchen.
The Sukhothai Shanghai is another five-star property with a bar, a fitness center, and two fine restaurants.
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