Shikumen Open House Museum

French Concession


This two-floor exhibition invites you into a typical shíkùmén (stone-gate house) household, decked out with period furniture. The ground-floor arrangement contains a courtyard, entrance hall, bedroom, study and lounge. There's a small kitchen to the rear and natural illumination spills down from tiānjǐng (light wells) above. The small, north-facing wedge-shaped tíngzijiān (pavilion) room on the landing, almost at the top of the stairs between the 1st and 2nd floors, was a common feature of shíkùmén, and was often rented out.

The main bedrooms are all on the 2nd floor, linked together by doors, and there is an exhibition room displaying artworks depicting daily life in those days.


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