Table of Contents

Preface
Foreword
Features of Shikumen Houses
Shikumen in the Past
The Origin of the Name
The Evolution of Shikumen Houses
Early Shikumen Houses
Late Shikumen Houses
Shikumen Houses with Cantonese Style
New Lane Houses
The Evolution of Doorways
The Evolution of Shikumen Doorways
The Evolution of Doorway
Features of Courtyards in Shikumen
Features of the Decoration of Shikumen Houses
Names of Lanes in Shikumen
Landlords in Shikumen
Second Landlords in Shikumen

Shikumen in Recent Days
Meilanfang
Shangxianfang
Wanyifang

Prospects of Shikumen
Commercial Model
Private Conservation Model
Government Conservation Model

The Living Habits of Residents in Shikumen
Living Habits
Having Meals
Washing Clothes
Dumping out the Chamber Pot
Enjoying the Cool Air

Slang in Shanghai Dialect
Practicing Daochang-Taoist or Buddhist Rites-in the Shell
of a Snail
Hatching in the Sunshine
Opening a Dormer Window
Opening the Dormer and Getting it Straight

Relationships Between Neighbors
Appellations Used to Address Each Other within the
Neighborhood
Care for Each Other
Courtesy on Both Sides
The Custom of Sharing
Borrowing from Each Other
Helping Each Other Receive Guests
Frugality in Household Management
Shrewd Housewives
Making New Clothes out of the Old

Vendors in Lanes in Shiknmen
Cries in the Lanes
Cries from Dawn till Dusk
Dawn
Early in the Morning
Breakfast
In the Evening
Late at Night

Cries in Different Seasons
Early Summer
Midsummer
Late Summer and Early Fall

Cries of Selling Snacks
Specialties
Sweet Porridge
Gingko
Rice Flour Balls with Sweet Fermented-Rice
Gardenia
Pear-Flavored Sugar

The Repairers' Cries
Crying for "Buying"
Brolly Maintenance
Wooded Frame Coir Rope Mattress Maintenance
Sharpening Knives and Polishing Scissors
Chinaware Maintenance

Stalls and Shops in the Lanes
Shoemaker's Stall
Book Stand
Barber Stand
Popped Rice
Tiger Stove

Children's Games in Shikumen
Hide and Seek
Leapcamel
Rolling the iron Ring
Playing Diabolo
Knee Wrestling
Spinning the "Wretch"
Slapping Tofu-Like Paper Cards
Police and Pirates
Dropping the Handkerchief
Rubber Band Jumping
Kicking the Shuttlecock
Hawk Catching Chicks
Rope Skipping
Pulling the Carrots
Rock- Scissors - Paper
Where Is My Friend？
Marbles
Slapping the Paper Cards
The Cigarette Cards
Playing with the Strings
Fling the Little Beanbags
Hopscotch

Humanities of Shikumen
The Historical Sites of Shikumen
The Site of the First National Congress of CPC:
Shude Lane
The Former Site of the Central Committee of China
Communist Youth League: Yuyang Lane
Activity Base of a New Culture: Mingde Lane
Home of the Theatre Activists Sisters: Hehefang
Favourite of the Foreign Heads: Bugao Lane
Foundation of the Southern China Society:
Huaihaifang
Chinese Painting Masters: Yongyu Lane
Romantic Encounter: Shangxianfang

Big Names out of Shikumen
Lu Xun and Jingyun Lane
Mao Dun and Jingyun Lane
……
Folk Literature of Shikumen
Appendix
Tecent:Prize-Winning Compositions on Memories of Shikumen
Bibliography
Postscript

Sample Pages Preview

From the middle of the 19th century to the end of the 20th century, the majority of citizens in Shanghai lived in Shikumen. When it became increasingly crowded, people began to move part of their lives to the lanes outside of Shikumen. Narrow as they are, these lanes provide public space for the residents, who have cre- ated unique lifestyles and customs with their years of experience of living there. Living Habits
The living habits of residents in Shikumen are very unique. For decades, they have been carrying out their daily lives and con-ducting business in the lanes, including having meals, washingclothes, trimming vegetables for cooking and dumping out cham-ber pot.
Having Meals
Since many of the residents in Shikumen only have limitedspace inside their houses, they often choose to have their meals inthe lanes, especially in summer. In front of every household, thereis a table on which can be found several dishes of meat andvegetables, as well as pickles. All the family members, old and young,sit around the table and enjoy their meals. Some men are evenbarebacked due to the sweltering heat in summer, and womenleisurely fan themselves ith palm-leaf fans while enjoying theirmeals.

Preface
As a kind of residential building unique in Shanghai,Shikumen houses have been in existence for about 140 years sincethey first came into being in the middle of 19th century. Duringthat long period of time, millions of citizens in Shanghai as well asimmigrants from others parts of the country have been carryingout their daily lives in Shikumen, to which they felt attached bothphysically and emotionally.
Recently, as a symbol of Shanghai and a witness of the his-tory the city has gone through, Shikumen has attracted much at-tention both at home and abroad due to its unique form of archi-tecture and special life style as well as the rich cultural traditionsassociated with it.
In the 21st century, with the impact of modernization andinternationalization, the city of Shanghai has gradually been los-ing its unique identity by toppling down many old Shikumenhouses which represent the historical and cultural heritage of thecity. On the other hand, great efforts are being made to explorenew conservation models that can rebuild old Shikumen houseswhile preserving their original look and charm. The reconstruc-tion ofXintiandi, Tianzifang and Bugao Lane are successful ex-amples of the new models, showing the world that with creativityand effort, Shikumen.