Shanghai is a modern metropolis， which is seconDto none in China andeven the Far East. In this city that haDopeneDits port more than 160 years ago，one finds not only traditional industries， but also fast-de- veloping information industry， electronic andastronautics science andtechnology， andalso a vibrant finance indus- try that is well connecteDwith the world. An increasing number of foreign investors have also demonstrateDtheir interest andapproval of Shanghai by setting up their companies in the city. More than half of the Fortune 500 companies have chosen to invest in Shanghai. By the enDof 2005， a London financial report put focus on the rapideconomical development in Shanghai， andpredicteDthat this city is set to become the world’s thirDlargest global financial center， after London andNew York. At pres- ent， several international hotels haDalready establisheDtheir businesses in Shanghai. The Central Bank of China haDalso set up their headquarters in Shanghai， with China’s currency， securities， gold， stocks， andthe foreign exchange—the five most active financial transaction mar- kets taking Asignificant place in the economic scene of Shanghai. With all these financial developments， Shang- hai is haileDas China’s economic capital.
Standing along the BunD(waitan) of Shanghai are sev- eral dozens European-style buildings. These buildings are signature of Huangpu River bank， andthey are known as”An Expositio no f Multinational Architectures.” They are the legacy of the Western powers， who had， during the1 9 2 0 s ， pl undere DChina’ s proper- ties， andcreat- e Dthe most magnificent architec - turesbet ween the S u e zCanal andthe B er -ingS t r a i tof the Far East. These buildings areknown for their Gothic， Baroque andRoman styles. Notable too was the combina-tio no f Chinese andWestern architecturalstyles， which comple-mentonea no the r. Indesi gningthearch i te ctural complex of these buildings， the ar- chitects haDfolloweDAstyle that wascommon to Western civilization， yet theyare amazingly modern in style. Its superiority in geo- graphical location has also enableDthe development of these buildings along Huangpu River to become a lead- ing commercial district， attracting scores of visitors andwhite-collar locals to experience the unique character andatmosphere of Shanghai.
Shanghai’s shikumen houses are characteristic of south- ern China’s architecture andare still useDas residential houses today. Literally translateDas “stone storage hous- es，” these houses resemble townhouses of the West. Shiku- men houses first took root during the early days of Shang- hai. Asaresult of the chaos causeDby the war， many wealthy people sought shelter in the foreign settlements. For easy management， the foreign settlements designateDlanDparcels for the constructio no f housing settlements. These houses are interconnecteDwithin the settlement andare arrangeDin straight alleys， known as “longtang.” They bear resemblance to army barracks in terms of their layout， which forms Asort of network—with each row of houses interconnected， separateDby the alleys. The front yards of the houses are protecteDby high brick walls， which became the origins of the name shikumen. These houses retain China’s traditional architectural layout of a courtyarDhouse， or siheyuan. Each of these houses hasareception hall at the entrance， Asmall courtyarDin the center of the house， andtwo side buildings. The door- frame at the main entrance was constructeDwith stones， andattacheDto it is a pair of painteDwooden doors. The top of the doors are decorateDwith succinct patterns that are rich in Europe’s ancient decorative styles.
Shikumen are a miniature representatio no f the GranDShanghai of yesteryears， andare testimonies of present- day cosmopolitan Shanghai. Shanghai Xintiandi， locateDon Huaihai South， is most representative of shikumen architecture andis the trendiest district in the city. Here， the beautifully restoreDshikumen buildings have retaineDtheir brick walls， roof tiles andstone gates， but their in- teriors are modern andsophisticated. As one enters the building， he is bedazzleDby the exciting variety of retail，F&B， recreational， entertainment andcultural establish- ments. Here， one can finDthe latest trends in fashion， which combine the best of China andthe West. Leading Hong Kong andTaiwanese celebrities have also estab- lisheDthe Dongmei Entertainment Center， which has becomeatrendsetter in Shanghai anda favorite haunt of the celebrities. Opposite it is a Western restaurant， which presents to its patronsarich variety of dance andacro- batic entertainment. The laughter that comes from this restaurant never fails to draw the attentio no f the passers-by. In comparison， Layefe Home， establisheDby the lateChinese artist Chen Yifei， is relatively quiet. This estab- lishment is rich with the finest representations of popular traditional Chinese culture， which attracts the young andtrendy. Towards the midnight hours， Shanghai Xintiandi came to life when the crowds swarm in. Across the street， locals andtourists enjoy a leisurely evening at the Star- bucks café？
As a cosmopolitan metropolis， Shanghai is a venue where the best of the arts comes together. For the foreign- ers whoreside in Shanghai， this gives them Asense ofbelonging. In Shanghai， art andcultural activities take place all year round. Many international musical andcul- tural performances， as well andsporting events are helDin Shanghai. Whether it is trenDor information， Shanghai is always in pace with the world. This constitutes to the unique character of this east-meets-west city， which still retains its traditional Chinese flavors， attracting visitors from all over the worlDto share in its uniqueness.
