Shikumen: Shanghai's Urban Culture Steps into Expo

On January 4th 2010, the Expo organizers revealed Shanghai's exhibition theme "New Horizons Forever" in China's pavilion at the World Expo 2010. Shanghai is the second to last exhibitor in the group to unveil its theme and site plan, the final exhibitor being Beijing. In the area of 600sqm, the most eye-catching feature is the entrance resembling Shikumen. Translated it literally means ‘stone-gated house', a traditional style of housing in Shanghai. The design mixes both traditional Chinese styles and the more modern Western styles commonly found in Anglo-American countries. According to my sources, more than half of the professional designers, local and overseas, proposed to integrate elements of Shikumen in the final design. This was to highlight the local tradition and history of Shanghai, and express the recognition to the West for Shanghai's current culture and inspiration in the world.

Shikumen is a typology for the rapid urbanisation and increased westernisation in China during the late 19th century, and early 20th century. During the upheaval of the Taiping Rebellion in the late 1900's, hordes of refugees, migrants, burglars and vandals from Zhejiang and Jiangsu Province, fled to Shanghai for the safety of the foreign concessions, which resulted in a massive demand for housing. Due to the increased demand, the government transformed the old, cheap, wooden-built lane houses into stone/brick-walled ones. Considering the limited space in Shanghai, Shikumen made full use of every nook and cranny to sustain both communal and private modes of living.

Greatly influenced by the foreign and local cultures, Shikumen featured a fusion of elements found in western architecture and traditional Chinese terraced houses: tall and heavy brick walls, stone arches were combined with sunshine-filled balconies and courtyards. In the1930's, Shikumen style housing covered more than 80% of the residential area in town, and will forever have an eternal place in history in Shanghai's development. According to the statistics in 1950s, Shikumen-styled lanes amounted to over 9,000, apartment units and over 200 thousand individual homes.

Blending the features of East and West, Shikumen is widely considered as a totem in Shanghai's culture, and readily found in the local literature and daily life. Though Shikumen may not look as magnificent anymore or even meet the huge housing demands in the present modern day, the daily life in and out of Shikumen has been fused into the memory of most Shanghainese residents, and one they deeply cherish in their hearts. For the locals, it might be a symbol of their bitter sweet memories of the past, with most of them being able to tell their own stories which unfolded behind Shikumen alleys.
Shikumen homes were the first lodgings for those who left the rural areas to come to the city. It was in Shikumen where they were first learned to be familiar with the urban environment, expectations of the modern career spirit, and the urban-featured regulations and rules. Meanwhile various professions and trades popped up from Shikumen alleys, including hostels, workshops, press houses, radio stations, private schools, troupes, and many more.

Shikumen not only witnessed the daily life of the average people, but also housed the more famous celebrities in cultural, economic and political circles during Shanghai's most historical moments. It was at Shikumen homes where the Chinese Communist Party was originally founded in 1921, where famous authors lived and wrote, such as Eileen Chang (a major figure in 20th century Chinese literature) and LuXun (the pioneer of modern Chinese literature). It was also where the Left-Wing Writers' League originated from, and where Shanghainese spirit was nurtured and developed into what it is today.

Shikumen's integration of both the East and the West creates a unique aesthetic that cannot be found anywhere else in China. Unfortunately due to the rapid modernization of Shanghai, very few neighborhoods remain standing today. After years of neglect, the Shanghai government is finally embarking on a project to preserve the cultural heritage, and restore these forgotten buildings to their former glory. You can see the old grand art-deco Shikumen complexes today, as new creative art parks in the form of Xintiandi, Tianzifang, Cool Dock, and various others. So it should come as no surprise that the Shanghai Pavilion would exhibit the significance of the city's "tolerance, energetic and innovation" in a Shikumen-styled design.

Why not find the time to take a stroll around and feel the real Shanghainese spirit before the World Expo 2010 finally arrives in Shanghai.

Xintiandi/新天地
Location: Madang Lu, near Xingye Lu/马当路（近兴业路）

Cool Dock/老码头
Location: 479 S. Zhongshan Lu/中山南路

Tianzifang/田子坊
Location: 210 Taikang Lu/泰康路

Bugaoli/步高里
Location: 387 S. Shaanxi Lu/陕西南路

Shanghai Old Street/上海老街
M. Fangbang Lu (between S. He'nan Lu and Renmin Lu)/方浜中路（河南南路和人民路中间）

S. Pudong Lu, near Weifang Lu/浦东南路（近潍坊路）
South Gate in Huangpu District (Yaqiaojia Lu, S. Guangqi Lu)/黄浦区大南门（ 睚乔家路、光启南路）

Along Hengshan Lu/衡山路

Along Ruijin Lu/瑞金路

Along S. Huangpi Lu/黄陂南路