How do you say Shikumen in English?

Shikumen is an architectural style in China and Shanghai, which combines the characteristics of the East and the West. In the past, as much as 80% of the population in this city lived in this type of house, but today the proportion is much lower.

Each house is connected together and arranged in a straight alley. The entrance and gate of each alley are wrapped by a stone arch with different styles. Shikumen is a cultural fusion of western architectural elements and traditional China architecture and social behavior in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. All traditional China houses have a courtyard, and Shikumen is no exception. However, in order to compromise with its urban nature, it is much smaller and provides an "internal shelter" for the noise on the street, allowing raindrops to fall and vegetation to grow freely in the house. The courtyard also allows sunlight and adequate ventilation into the room.

This style of houses was originally developed by local developers who transformed row houses according to the situation in China. During the Taiping Rebellion, the Great Wall was used to prevent looting, and later in the social unrest in the early 20th century, it was used to prevent thieves and vandals. By World War II, more than 80% of the population in this city lived in this type of house. Many of them are hastily built, similar to slums, while others are stronger and have all modern facilities such as toilets.

During and after World War II, the large population increase in Shanghai led to many Shikumen houses being subdivided. For example, a spacious living room is often divided into three or four rooms, and each room is lent to a family. These crowded conditions still exist in many Shikumen areas, which have survived the recent development.

Landlords who rent (sublet) Shikumen to other families are called "second landlords" or "second landlords" because many Shikumen buildings were acquired from the original owners ("big landlords"). Landlord's family usually shares the same Shikumen building with tenants.

Shikumen is another architectural style evolved from the traditional quadrangle architectural style. /kloc-In the 9th century, Shanghai residents changed the traditional wooden frame into a pair of painted doors, and the outer doors were built with embedded protruding stones, so they were called "Shikumen".

At that time, Shanghai was in the situation of separation of powers, and the western architectural details were integrated with the traditional architectural decoration in China, which became a unique product of the times in Shanghai's modern history. Shikumen architecture has witnessed a century and a half of earth-shaking changes in Shanghai. 1980s, with the reform and opening up of China, foreign capital poured into Shanghai again. With the development of economy, these Shikumen buildings have been demolished with the transformation of one old community after another, just as many hutongs have been demolished in the development of Beijing. Now only Xintiandi, a new scenic spot in Shanghai, has integrated these Shikumen buildings into a theme leisure area.