Shikumen are Shanghai's own housing type: stone-framed lane houses built from the 1860s onward, combining Chinese courtyard planning with Western terraced rows. After the Second World War the old blocks became crowded, and by the 1990s many were scheduled for demolition. Tianzifang survived because artists moved in, and it was converted building by building rather than redeveloped as a whole.
The layout
There are only a few main alleys and a web of side passages, all at first-floor scale. The buildings keep their original brick, stone door frames and timber shutters, and the shops fit into rooms that were once living quarters. It is easy to walk past an entrance thinking it is a private doorway and find a gallery inside.
What is there
Independent studios selling ceramics, textile work, prints, jewelry and small furniture; a handful of galleries showing Chinese contemporary work; craft shops specializing in hand-bound notebooks, tea and calligraphy supplies; and a large number of cafes and small restaurants occupying courtyards with a few tables. Prices are higher than the surrounding neighborhood, and the quality varies. The interesting shops are usually off the main lanes.
Practical notes
Tianzifang is in the former French Concession, near Dapuqiao metro station. It opens mid-morning and is at its best on weekday mornings; weekends are extremely crowded and the alleys are narrow. Allow about ninety minutes. It is a fifteen-minute walk from Xintiandi, so the two can be done in one afternoon, but they are different experiences and worth separate visits.
