thumb|A preserved longdang at the site of the [[First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, showing the "stone gates" (at left) whence the name shikumen arose.]]

thumb|Renovated shikumen lanes in [[Xintiandi.]]

thumb|Shikumen buildings in the process of demolition in 2007 – a fate that has befallen many buildings of this type.

Shikumen (, Shanghainese: ', IPA: [zᴀʔ˩ kʰu˩ mən˨˦]) is a traditional Shanghainese architectural style combining Western and Chinese elements that first appeared in the 1860s.

The term is derived from the Shanghainese dialect , meaning "to frame or encase." referred to the characteristically "stone-framed door" of the tenement houses. At the height of their popularity, there were 9,000 shikumen-style buildings in Shanghai, comprising 60% of the total housing stock of the city; however, the proportion is currently much lower, as most Shanghainese live in large apartment buildings. Shikumen is classified as one type of lilong residences, sometimes translated as "lane houses" in English.

In 2010, "construction techniques of shikumen lilong architecture" was recognised by the Chinese government on the national non-physical cultural heritage register (no. VIII-210).

Shikumen houses were also introduced to other port cities in China. For example, many were built in the foreign concessions of Hankou (now part of Wuhan), and some can still be seen there today. Shikumen terraces can even be found as far afield as Beijing, where the two shikumen lanes Huakang Li and Tai’an Li, dating from the 1920s, are undergoing restoration.

Structure

Shikumens are two or three-story structures resembling Western terrace houses or townhouses, distinguished by high brick walls enclosing a narrow front yard. The name "stone gate" references these strong gateways.

Each residence abuts another and all are arranged in straight side alleys called longtang (, Shanghainese: ', IPA: [loŋ¹¹ dɑ̃²⁴], sometimes written as ). The entrance to each alley is usually surmounted by a stylistic stone arch.

The shikumen is a cultural blend of the elements found in Western architecture with traditional Lower Yangtze architecture and social behavior. Traditional Chinese dwellings had a courtyard, and the Shikumen was no exception. Yet, to compromise with its urban nature, it was much smaller and provided an interior haven to the commotions in the streets, allowing for raindrops to fall and vegetation to grow freely within a residence. Migrant labourers from surrounding provinces entered Shanghai in large numbers with the establishment of Shanghai as a treaty port in 1843. The 1853 Small Swords Rebellion and the Taiping Revolution drove more migrants and refugees into Shanghai. With the upsurge in demand, property developers began to build a large number of residential buildings for the new Chinese residents of the city. At first, these tended to be wooden buildings that were cheap and quick to build. These wooden buildings were built as terraces, and usually name with "Li" (, Shanghainese: ') as suffix. These were the first "lilong" buildings in Shanghai. Within 10 months from 1853, 800 dwellings of this type were built. The phenomenon blossomed after the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War: with refugees rushing into the unoccupied concessions from the Chinese zones in Hongkou and Zhabei, and further afield, there was dramatically increased demand for housing in the concessions. "Second landlords" used increasingly creative ways to sub-divide rooms and build add-ons and lean-tos in the courtyards and on the terraces. Shikumen residences became known for being crowded and disorderly. It was not uncommon for a single shikumen residence to be inhabited by dozens of families. A famous satirical comedy of the time, set in one of these houses, was called "The 72 Tenant Families" ().

Use

Although designed to be residential, other types of enterprises often operated from shikumen buildings as well, hidden within longtang developments. These include money lenders, traders, scribes, factories, entertainment venues and even schools. In the early 1950s, it was calculated that there were more than 9000 shikumen buildings, comprising 65% of residential housing stock by area in Shanghai. The forced demolition of crowded and stable shikumen communities gave rise to controversies, such as a 2005 incident where a real estate developer resorted to arson to persuade residents to leave, resulting in the death of two elderly residents.

Classification and architecture

thumb|right|180px|An entrance to a shikumen lilong on Shanhaiguan Road

Architectural historians classify shikumen into two types, the "old type" and the "new type". The old type was predominantly built from the 1860s until the end of the First World War, while the new type prevailed from after the First World War until the development of shikumen ceased after 1949. Old type shikumen is further divided into an early period and a late period.

The defining characteristic of a shikumen building is the prominent main gate - which also gives rise to the name "shikumen". Typically, this gate is located on the central axis of each dwelling, with twin doors made of heavy wood, painted glossy black. Typical width is around 1.4 metres, with a height of around 2.8 metres. The doors usually possess brass or iron knockers. The original documented name for such buildings was "shigumen" (, Shanghainese: zaq⁸ ku¹ men⁶), which in Shanghainese Wu meant "gate framed with stone", but over time corrupted into the similar-sounding "shikumen". The first kind takes the name of the freeholder or related party: for example Siming Cun is named after the Chinese name ("Siming Bank") of the project's main sponsor, the Ningpo Commercial & Savings Bank; similarly, Meilan Fang takes one syllable from each of the two owners' names - brothers Wu Meixi and Wu Silan. The second kind takes the name of a nearby road or landmark, for example Bao'an Fang is named after the nearby Temple to the Bao'an Situ. Originally a middle-class neighbourhood, the area became dense slums due to the influx of refugees in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Other than Cité Bourgogne, Shangxian Fang and Jianye Li, other heritage protected shikumen precincts are Siming Cun, Meilan Fang and Rongkang Li.

Different types of end-wall gables

<gallery>

File:A Type of Shikumen Gable in JixiangLi Shanghai.JPG|Jixiang Li

File:A Type of Shikumen Gable in Cité Bourgogne Shanghai.JPG|Cité Bourgogne

File:Gable of a Buling in Jianye Li.JPG|Jianye Li (matou style)

File:A Type of Shikumen Gable in ZhangYuan Shanghai.JPG|Chang Garden

File:The Wall with Decoration in Siming Cun Shanghai.JPG|Siming Cun

</gallery>

Different types of house gates

<gallery>

File:The Door of a Shikumen Building in East Siwenli before demolished.JPG|East Siwen Li (demolished)

File:A Shikumen Door in Cité Bourgogne.JPG|Cité Bourgogne

File:A Shikumen Door in Siming Cun Shanghai.JPG|Siming Cun

File:A Type of Shikumen Gate in Shanghai.JPG|A shikumen on Xinzha Road

File:A Type of Shikumen Gate in a Lilong on Daming Ed..JPG|A shikumen on Daming Road

File:The Door of a Shikumen Building in Rongkangli.jpg|Rongkang Li

File:A Type of Shikumen Gate in a Lilong on North Xiangyang Ed..JPG|A shikumen on North Xiangyang Road

File:Entrance of Provisional Government of ROK in Shanghai.JPG|A shikumen on Madang Road

</gallery>

Different types of lane entrances

<gallery>

File:Shangxian Fang.JPG|Shangxian Fang

File:Shanghai - Cité Bourgogne - 2.jpg|Cité Bourgogne

File:CCP Xintiandi 2209.JPG|Shude Li

File:The Entrance to East SiwenLi.JPG|East Siwen Li (demolished)

File:Xinxinli.JPG|Xinxin Li

File:XingshundongLi on Jiashan Rd..JPG|Xingshun East Li

File:Entrance of a Shikumen Lilong on Shanhaiguan Rd..JPG|A shikumen lane on Shanhaiguan Road

</gallery>

See also

  • Shikumen Open House Museum
  • Xintiandi
  • Tianzifang

References

  • The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum
  • Historic Shanghai