The 150-old years since it opened to foreign traders in the mid 19th century has witnessed the greatest humane development in Shanghai. In that period we have seen a Shanghai co-inhabited by Chinese locals and foreign nationals, the formation of the Shanghai Painting School, the building of Shikumen (stone-framed gate) houses, the development of time-honored firms or shops, and so on and so forth. As a result, the 150-year period has added a new chapter in the history of the old town in Shanghai.
