Xintaindi (literally meaning “New Heaven and Earth”) is on of the most affluent and posh areas of Shanghai, located in the heart of the city south of Huaihai Zhong Rd the district boasts with some of the most expensive and high end shopping and dining venues in town. What makes Xintiandi stand out among other places of interest in Shanghai are its unique shikumenbuildings – historical type of residential buildings found nowhere else in China or the rest of the world.
Shikumen, meaning “stone gate” is a architectural style developed in Shanghai in 1860’s, as many things of that era in the city this style creatively combines Chinese and Western influences. Turbulent events of Chinese history of the second half of the XIX century, such as the Small Swords and the Taiping rebellion prompted many people to seek the relative safety of Shanghai’s International Settlement. The influx of newcomers prompted developers to build compact residential blocks that could accommodate Shanghai’s growing population. European concepts of urban planning, such as townhouses and terraced houses, inspired the lanes of shikumen with their narrow alleys – longtang running along, and buildings adjoining one another. Like many traditional Chinese houses shikumen feature courtyards, greatly reduced in size they still created familiar living conditions for the tenants.
At some point in Shanghai history up to 60 or even 80% of the housing stock of the city was made up of shikumen buildings. In some parts of Shanghai shikumen housed upper-middle class families and had all of the necessary amenities of the time, while in other areas great numbers of people were crammed into shikumen and were living in slum-like conditions.
In the XX century continuous population growth and fast development of the city gradually forced shikumen out of the Shanghai urban scene; in most neighborhoods they were replaced with taller modern buildings which could accommodate more people. The shikumen thus were slowly sinking into oblivion, until in 1997 a decision was made to redevelop the Xintiandi area and restore its remaining shikumen arhcitecture. The idea was quite successful, and not surprisingly the area soon became one of the tourist attractions of the city.
Redevelopment was carried out by the Shui On Group, a Hong Kong construction company, whereas Benjamin Wood, an American architect, the Japanese Nikken Sekkei architecture firm and Shanghai Tongji University Urban Planning, Design and Research Institute were responsible for planning and design. Due to the fact that at the time when redevelopment of the area began many Xintiandi were in a run-down condition as they stood neglected for decades, it was not possible to restore all of the building, therefore some of the most dilapidated structures had to be demolished to create a more open composition and make space for new venues, some were rebuilt and restored according to the old plans and photographs, and some were touched up and refurbished. The redevelopment project was finished in 2002; its success received recognition in China and abroad – it was awarded national “Innovation China 2001 – Architecture Award“, “AIA Hong Kong Citation 2002” (American Institute of Architects Hong Kong Chapter) and 2003 Award for Excellence from US-based Urban Land Institute.
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