Xintiandi is a highly-fashionable pedestrianized district in the heart of the city, which combines historic architecture with modern living. Behind the traditional stone building façades, you’ll discover high-end boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and bars. Spend a few hours exploring this fascinating redevelopment site to see how the old and the new fuse to create a vibrant 21st century city identity.
This district is characterised by the Shikumen, or “stone gate”, buildings, which date back to the mid-19th century. The style blends both Chinese and Western architecture. Originally, these were the houses of the middle-classes, but as the city expanded, these dwellings fell out of favour. Xintiandi was regenerated in the late 1990s, with careful preservation of the stonework, tiles and carvings that adorn the outside of the buildings, whilst transforming and modernising the interiors.
Wander along the narrow streets of the North Block and imagine yourself back in Shanghai of the 1920s, before stepping through heavy wooden doors into one of the many upscale art galleries or gourmet restaurants. By contrast, the South Block is occupied by a modern 25,000 square-metre shopping complex bursting with boutiques, cinemas and international restaurants.
For an authentic insight into Xintiandi of the 1920s, head to the Shikumen Open House Museum. Here, both the exterior and the interior reflect the conditions of the period. Explore the five rooms of this two-storey museum, full of furnishings, cooking utensils and items from daily life. You’ll be astounded by the cramped conditions of the tiny Tingzijian room, the former living quarters of impoverished writers.
If you are interested in politics, don’t miss the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a former meeting place, now considered as the birthplace of Chinese Communism. It now houses a museum full of fascinating documents and artefacts documenting the rise of this political movement.
The Xintiandi experience does not end at sundown. Party into the night at the district’s famous nightclubs, which frequently host top international DJs.
Xintiandi is 20 minutes on foot from downtown Shanghai. The closest metro stations are South Huangpi Road and Xintiandi.
