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Explore the Old and New Charms of Xintiandi in Shanghai
Published by Camilla Cheung, Writer
Country: China 
The Experience
The Xintiandi district of Shanghai is where the trendy, well-heeled and in-the-know go to dine, shop, and be seen. This award-winning district is located near the French Concession of Shanghai, in the heart of Shanghai's expatriate-friendly dining and nightlife area. Walking through Xintiandi (which means “New Heaven and Earth”) is a strange but charming juxtaposition of old and new. One of the first lifestyle centres to be deliberately renovated and designed in Shanghai, Xintiandi is composed of renovated shikumen (traditional stone gate houses) that have now been turned into art galleries, restaurants, and shops.
These stone houses, shikumen, were enormously popular in Shanghai in the 1860s, and are comprised of stone townhouses that line narrow stone alleyways. They were known for their strong stone doorways with large stone lintels demarcating the entrance to the house. Throughout the 1920s, they were common residential houses in Shanghai. A small shikumen museum is located in the heart of Xintiandi, if you'd like to learn more about the traditional houses.
Today, however, the happening district of Xintiandi is everything but traditional. Restaurants here are priced like Western restaurants, and you won't get the feeling that you're in the “real China”. Of course, what is the real China? Isn't the “real China” the modern as well as the traditional? In that case, Xintiandi embodies much of what Shanghai is becoming as it steps out onto the world stage. This is especially true when you consider the hundreds of people who were relocated in the building of Xintiandi, a widespread phenomenon among the rapid development of Shanghai.
There are a few excellent restaurants here that offer the best of Shanghai cuisine. I often go to Xintiandi to visit Bellagio, a Taiwanese restaurant that offers innovative and modern Asian dishes, such as celeriac salad, and durian shaved ice. Din Tai Fung has one of their branches in Xintiandi, and this excellent noodle and dumpling restaurant has some of the best “xiao long bao” (steamed soup buns), in the city. These dumplings, a Shanghai specialty, have thin, tender skins steamed to perfection, filled to bursting with succulent meat and fragrant soup. Ye Shanghai is another great restaurant for upscale Shanghainese cuisine. For more familiar Western food, the patisserie at Paul's offers excellent pastries and coffee. As for shopping, you can find a branch of global fashion brand Shanghai Tang here, as well as various shops specializing in local artists' products.
If your goal is to experience traditional Chinese culture, Xintiandi probably won't be at the top of your must-visit list. However, if you want to see how urban Chinese centers like Shanghai are evolving, in the style of trendy global hot spots like Soho in New York and Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong, Xintiandi is the perfect place to go.
These stone houses, shikumen, were enormously popular in Shanghai in the 1860s, and are comprised of stone townhouses that line narrow stone alleyways. They were known for their strong stone doorways with large stone lintels demarcating the entrance to the house. Throughout the 1920s, they were common residential houses in Shanghai. A small shikumen museum is located in the heart of Xintiandi, if you'd like to learn more about the traditional houses.
Today, however, the happening district of Xintiandi is everything but traditional. Restaurants here are priced like Western restaurants, and you won't get the feeling that you're in the “real China”. Of course, what is the real China? Isn't the “real China” the modern as well as the traditional? In that case, Xintiandi embodies much of what Shanghai is becoming as it steps out onto the world stage. This is especially true when you consider the hundreds of people who were relocated in the building of Xintiandi, a widespread phenomenon among the rapid development of Shanghai.
There are a few excellent restaurants here that offer the best of Shanghai cuisine. I often go to Xintiandi to visit Bellagio, a Taiwanese restaurant that offers innovative and modern Asian dishes, such as celeriac salad, and durian shaved ice. Din Tai Fung has one of their branches in Xintiandi, and this excellent noodle and dumpling restaurant has some of the best “xiao long bao” (steamed soup buns), in the city. These dumplings, a Shanghai specialty, have thin, tender skins steamed to perfection, filled to bursting with succulent meat and fragrant soup. Ye Shanghai is another great restaurant for upscale Shanghainese cuisine. For more familiar Western food, the patisserie at Paul's offers excellent pastries and coffee. As for shopping, you can find a branch of global fashion brand Shanghai Tang here, as well as various shops specializing in local artists' products.
If your goal is to experience traditional Chinese culture, Xintiandi probably won't be at the top of your must-visit list. However, if you want to see how urban Chinese centers like Shanghai are evolving, in the style of trendy global hot spots like Soho in New York and Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong, Xintiandi is the perfect place to go.
When to Go to Xintiandi Shanghai
Get to Xintiandi after dark on a weekend for the most lively experience. Many of the restaurants and bars don't open until later in the day, so if you arrive too early, the place is deserted. If you do arrive in the late afternoon, many of the cafes offer open-air terrace seating, which creates a nice opportunity to relax after a day of sightseeing, and allows you to avoid the crowds later into the evening. Xintiandi is popular throughout the year.
It may be easiest to take a taxi to Xintiandi as it is a good walk from the nearest subway station (and the Shanghai subway is typically packed, especially downtown). However, if it's raining, taxis are scarce and streets tend to flood, so plan accordingly.
It may be easiest to take a taxi to Xintiandi as it is a good walk from the nearest subway station (and the Shanghai subway is typically packed, especially downtown). However, if it's raining, taxis are scarce and streets tend to flood, so plan accordingly.
Odds n' Ends
Keep in mind that most of the regulars at Xintiandi are either well-off Chinese or expatriates, dressed up for an evening on the town. If only for your own comfort, you may wish to dress a little nicer as well.
Places to Stay Nearby
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Books and DVDs
- Lonely Planet Shanghai Encounter
- Easy navigation with full-color pull-out map, detailed neighborhood maps and Chinese characters throughout the book
- Culture Shock! Shanghai: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! At Your Door: A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette)
- Whether you're conducting business, traveling for pleasure, or even relocating abroad, one mistake with customs or etiquette can leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth. International travelers, now more than ever, are not just individuals from the United States, but ambassadors and impression makers for the country as a whole.
Elsewhere on the Web
- Xintiandi City Guide
- Tours, attractions, and general info inc. FAQs.
- Xintiandi bar and restaurant guide
Media References
- Shanghai, Riding High (newspaper)
- Shanghai developments as reported in the Financial Times.
- Shanghai's Merger Plan Gets a 'Go' (newspaper)
- The central government has accepted a plan to merge two districts in Shanghai.
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