Xintiandi

Xintiandi Review

By World War II, around 70% of Shanghai's residents lived in shikumen or "stone gatehouses." Over the last two decades, most have been razed in the name of progress, but this 8-acre collection of stone gatehouses was renovated into an upscale shopping-and-dining complex and renamed Xintiandi, or "New Heaven on Earth." The restaurants are busy from lunchtime until past midnight, especially those with patios for watching the passing parade of shoppers.

Just off the main thoroughfare are the visitor center and the Shikumen Museum, a shikumen restored to 1920s style and filled with furniture and artifacts collected from nearby houses. Exhibits explain the European influence on shikumen design, the history of the Xintiandi renovation, as well as future plans for the entire 128-acre project. House 25, North Block, 123 Xingye Lu, 200021. 021/3307-033.