Shanghai | Qianjing Xiaozhu: A Glimpse into a Century of Republican Life in Shikumen

Visiting Shanghai in March, partly for the Egypt exhibition ending this year and partly for the dreamlike "Shanghai Museum." As a fellow homestay operator, I have my own approach to choosing hotels and homestays. This is my first time seriously recommending a peer’s place, offering a professional perspective to analyze and subjectively recommend a hotel or homestay, without the usual beautification and exaggeration common among hotel review bloggers. I ultimately chose to stay two nights at "Shanghai Qianjing Xiaozhu Boutique Hotel" because it is housed in a building with over a hundred years of history. As the operator of "Fanxi," which has a history of over 180 years, I appreciate this. "Qianjing" dates back to the Republican era, while "Fanxi" is from the late Qing dynasty. The owner has restored the exterior and interior decor to blend modernity with nostalgia. If you know or have visited old residential-style Western houses, you’ll understand how precious many of the details here are. The Shikumen alleyways are shallow and look chaotic at first glance, filled with a strong sense of everyday life. Besides some shop owners, mostly elderly people still live here. Old houses are actually quite unfriendly to modern living—adding toilets, rerouting wiring, dividing rooms, changing gas, solar, and air conditioning systems have forced the alleys to be cluttered with electrical wires, network cables, and clotheslines. The walls of Shikumen houses are covered with various pipes. If you can’t accept this grounded, authentic environment, this place might not be for you. Opening the door to "Qianjing" reveals a whole new world. Two houses have been connected into one, with a glass-covered front hall courtyard ensuring natural light and sound insulation. The stairs are newly built, gentle and wide (most old Western houses have very narrow and steep stairs). The entire second floor is carpeted, rooms have modern wet and dry separation, some have skylights, some have old-style upper windows, and some face the corridor with open windows—forms rarely seen in new homestays. There are no high-end bathrooms here; the goal is to find harmony between old and new, making guests as comfortable as possible. It’s very photogenic—you can wear a qipao to match the setting. This place has also been a filming location for TV shows and movies. A century ago, only the upper class lived in these Shikumen row houses, which now sit embedded among the towering buildings in the busiest part of Huangpu District, a poignant reminder of the passage of time and change. Just a short walk from the alley is the old Zhengxing Restaurant, and behind it is Weixiangzhai’s sesame paste noodles. At the alley entrance, Da Huchun, Shucai Ji Shengjian, and others are all excellent. Opposite the alley is the old Zhejiang Cinema, still showing the latest blockbusters. Two blocks north is Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, and a short walk west leads to People’s Square. After dinner, we even strolled east all the way to the Bund, with old bookstores along the way touching my heart deeply. The owner is a local Shanghainese, warm and enthusiastic, unlike us southerners who tend to be more laid-back. If you want to experience the fascinating blend of old and new eras, find a bit of peaceful life in a bustling metropolis without sacrificing convenience, "Qianjing Xiaozhu" is truly an excellent choice.