Shikumen Open House, Xintiandi

Shikumen houses — literally "stone gate" houses — were Shanghai’s dominant housing form from the 1870s onward, and shaped how this city lived for a century. This small museum reconstructs one furnished as it would have been.

It is not a major museum, but it makes everything you see in the lanes considerably more legible.

Why it matters

Once you understand that a shikumen held several families around a shared courtyard, walking Xintiandi or Tianzifang changes meaning entirely.

The exhibits cover daily objects, room arrangement, and who lived where within a single house.

Practicalities

Located within the Xintiandi development, free or very cheap, and takes under an hour.

Combine with lunch nearby.

Verdict

Worth thirty minutes, particularly if you have been walking the lanes and want to know what they were like inside.

Skip it if

You are not interested in how the housing worked.