Xin Tian Di, Shanghai

If you're a party person, why not check this place out. Here, you'd see lots of foreigners and locals mingling, dancing and sipping cocktails. I was surprised to see a Filipino band playing in one of the bars there. I was also lucky to see people in their costumes for Halloween. :)

Shikumen (literally meaning "stone-framed door") houses are unique to Shanghai, and sadly disappearing all too fast in the face of rampant development. Developed in the early 1900s to meet the housing demands of booming old Shanghai, they are urban Western adaptations of traditional Chinese courtyards - a writer once described them as Chinese houses with a Parisian sensibility. Behind the stone-frame front door of a shikumen house lies a small courtyard, which is itself enclosed on the other sides by the building of the house.

Xintiandi (literally meaning "new heaven and earth") is an area south of Huaihai Zhong Lu where two blocks of old shikumen houses have been restored and renovated to house upscale bars, restaurants and shops. It is now a firm favourite hang-out place among visitors and locals alike.

One of these shikumen houses has been preserved as a museum, the Shikumen Open House. You can wander through the re-created rooms of a typical shikumen house, and there are anecdotal explanations in English and Chinese of life in old Shanghai. There is also a small exhibition of the development of Xintiandi. Entry fee is somewhat steep at RMB20. Open daily 1000-2200.

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After roaming around Xin Tian Di bars, my cousin took us to a nearby park with a lagoon. It is only a walking distance from the bars. The name of the park escapes me but it is nice to take a rest after the strolling we've done. We can see a very tall building which houses Price Waterhouse Firm. Beautifully lit buildings surrounds the area coz it's in the middle of the city.

The Communist Party of China held its first secret national meeting - attended by Mao Zedong himself - in a shikumen house in Shanghai's French Concession in July 1921. The site is now a museum tracing the history of the founding of the Party (and is ironically located in the heart of commercial Xintiandi). The room where the meeting was held can also be viewed. Entry free is RMB8.

A popular and exciting nightlife spot for visitors, Shanghai's Xin Tian Di has lots of modern, trendy shops and international restaurants, cafes, and bars which attract a lot of foreigners. Xin Tian Di is situated in a historic area of Shanghai marked by the old restored Shikumen architecture and narrow alleys. The pedestrian street is a great place to take an evening stroll. This is truly a place where the past has met the present, because adjacent to Xin Tian Di is the historic site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The restaurants and stores here are pretty expensive though.

Adjacent to Xin Tian Di is the historic site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held back in July 1921, which marked the birth of the party. You will see a beautiful two-story Shikumen building here. You can also visit the inside of the building.

Xin Tian Di will be your closest match to what Lan Kwai Fong is to Hong Kong and Clarke Quay in Singapore. Other than restaurants there are stylish and expensive shops, boutiques, accessories, cinema and pubs.

Prices for food generally start at RMB 200 but if you head inside, you will find a McDonalds and a few other budget restaurants where you could save some RMB for shopping.

I think a lot ppl know about this place. It quite famous now... almost beat the old Nanjing road and the bund. I like to stroll along there as well but feel a bit strange at the same time. Everything is new there, you could say it's fake, exquisite fake... they drove off the residents and rebuilt it, then make ppl to believe that's the typical traditional Shanghai style. It's fancy there I can't deny... but is it possible to keep the inherence when the soul is gone.

Couple nice restaurants and clubs there but the price is not fine... at least for me.. I like the Latina... Brasilian BBQ is nice. especially Sunday afternoon.. there are many ppl dance salsa with live band... awsome ambiance... :) make me wanna learn the dance.. hehe..