Lilongs, Shanghai’s neighbourhoods with unique architecture that were built in the 19th century, were once a victim of China’s war on its own past during the Cultural Revolution. With enormous commercial pressure on real estate, the city’s finding ways, some controversial, to restore the few remaining heritage sites. Shikumen architecture combines Western and Chinese styles to create a unique aesthetic that cannot be found anywhere else in China. But few neighbourhoods remain today.


A surviving neighbourhood    more »