Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Explore the region
About Xintiandi
Traditional stone-gate house forms were adapted and, in places, reconstructed to accommodate restaurants, shops and other commercial spaces.
The result is both an architectural setting and an example of urban redevelopment. The nearby First CPC Congress site preserves a different historical purpose within the same district. Comparing the commercial lanes with that protected meeting site is more informative than treating all of Xintiandi as an unchanged old neighbourhood.
Xintiandi was developed as part of the wider Taipingqiao redevelopment project in the former Luwan district, financed by Hong Kong's Shui On Group (瑞安集团), and opened in 2001 after Shanghai authorities began large-scale demolition and reconstruction of dilapidated shikumen housing across the city in the 1990s. The project was originally called the Yida redevelopment (一大); its final name combined the characters for 'one' and 'big' into 'sky,' paired with 'earth' to suggest a world spanning into a new century, giving the name Xintiandi, literally 'new sky and earth.' Designers kept some of the district's shikumen features while introducing new architectural elements during reconstruction.
The redeveloped area covers about 30,000 square metres of land with a total floor area of 60,000 square metres, drawing celebrities, artists and entrepreneurs to open boutiques and upscale restaurants and leisure venues. In November 2010 a third phase, the Xintiandi Style shopping mall, opened, focused on Chinese and international designer labels and youth fashion brands.
What to look for
- Stone-gate house forms shape the narrow commercial lanes.
- The adjoining First CPC Congress site adds a distinct protected historical building to the district.
Background & history
Xintiandi (Chinese: 新天地; pinyin: Xīntiāndì, Shanghainese: Shinthidi lit. "New Sky and Earth", fig. "New World") is an affluent car-free shopping, eating and entertainment district of Shanghai. Xintiandi now refers to the wider area centered around Madang Road which includes both pedestrian-only and motor traffic roads.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Xintiandi · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
Location & getting there
Getting to Xintiandi
Approach the pedestrian core around Madang Road using Xintiandi station as a named rail reference, then select the lane or institution you intend to visit.
Combine your visit
A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.
-
Shikumen commercial lanes
Look at the adaptation of traditional house forms for new uses.
-
First CPC Congress site中共一大会址
Compare the redeveloped district with a specifically preserved historic meeting place.
This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.
Find Xintiandi
新天地 · 黄浦区
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party中共一大会址
Less than 1 km awayThe First CPC Congress site is preserved in shikumen buildings on Xingye Road. The meeting held here in July 1921 gives the house its historical significance within what is now Xintiandi.
View guide →Shanghai Museum — People’s Square上海博物馆人民广场馆
Less than 1 km awayShanghai Museum’s People’s Square building is the branch on Renmin Avenue in central Huangpu. Its current programme is devoted to the Ancient Americas exhibition, scheduled from July 2026 to November 2027.
View guide →People's Square人民广场
Less than 1 km awayPeople’s Square occupies part of Shanghai’s former racecourse in Huangpu. Its transformation into a civic centre brought museums, theatres, fountains and public space into the middle of the city.
View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Xintiandi” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1371761328.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "新天地", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92291879.