Shanghai Photo Gallery - Simingcun

Shikumen, meaning stone gate houses, first appeared in the 1870s. They were modeled after traditional Chinese courtyard homes and became the popular housing architectural style by the turn of the 20th century. These are gated communities where all the action happened at street level within the alleys. Simingcun is located south of Jing'an Temple and was built in the 1930s as a staff dormitory for the Ningpo Commercial and Savings Bank. Unlike other shikumen of the time, it had wider alleys of 5-6m for vehicles to pass.

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