Shikumen in Shanghai

Shikumen is a type of residential architecture that came into being with the urbanization of Shanghai. Over the years, these buildings have served as the maj or accommodation for most Shanghai residents.
Shikumen architecture was first introduced into Shanghai in the 1850s and 1860s. This was a type of building that used less land, smaller quantities of building materials and less money. It usually consisted of three rooms upstairs and three rooms downstairs. The middle room downstairs served as a living room, and the same layout was applied upstairs. Smaller scale Shikumen buildings were later constructed, with two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs ; or even smaller : with one room upstairs and one room downstairs. The door of a Shikumen building was made of thick black wood framed with slates of granite or red stone from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, hence the name "Shikumen" or literally Stone Warehouse Gate. Later, to cater to the needs of the rich middle class, new-style Shikumen housing appeared the high walls and black gates were removed bathrooms and gas stoves equipped and the small yard turned into a garden-known to people as Renovated Shikumen.