Any trip to Shanghai must take in Xin Tian Di, which has both the city's cultural and historical legacies wrapped up in one.

A fashionable pedestrian street in the centre of Shanghai City south of Huaihai Zhong Lu, this area has antique walls and exteriors like the Shikumen housing of old Shanghai, but also embraces the modern, with its international gallery, bars, boutiques and theme restaurants.

The Shikumen style of building first appeared in the 1800s, and is composed of a mix of Chinese and Western architectural styles.

It was the standard for residential buildings in Shanghai in the early 1900s, but as the city developed the style went out of favour.

However, it has been revived in Xin Tian Di.

The area is divided into two main blocks, the North - which is filled with shopping, gyms, cinemas and all the other trappings of modern life - and the South, which is full of Shikumen buildings and highlights the growing international flavour of the city, filled as it is with restaurants from around the world.

There is simply too much in Shanghai Xin Tian Di to mention - the only way to find out what's there is to go.


12/08/2008