Architectural historians classify shikumen into two types, the "old type" and the "new type". The old type was predominantly built from the 1860s until the end of the
First World War, while the new type prevailed from after the First World War until the development of shikumen ceased after 1949. Old type shikumen is further divided into an early period and a late period. The defining characteristic of a shikumen building is the prominent main gate - which also gives rise to the name "shikumen". Typically, this gate is located on the central axis of each dwelling, with twin doors made of heavy wood, painted glossy black. Typical width is around 1.4 metres, with a height of around 2.8 metres. The doors usually possess brass or iron knockers. The original documented name for such buildings was "
shigumen" (,
Shanghainese:
zaq⁸ ku¹ men⁶), which in
Shanghainese Wu meant "gate framed with stone", but over time corrupted into the similar-sounding "
shikumen". Each individual dwelling displays typical characteristics of traditional Jiangnan architecture, while the layout of the development as a whole is adopted from Western
terrace houses.
Old type Early period Early period old type shikumen were built between 1869 and 1910. They retained more of the style of traditional Chinese houses, but with a much condensed footprint. There are typically 3 to 5 bays to each dwelling, and two storeys. They used the traditional
litie () (or "brick nogging") style of
brick veneer for load-bearing walls. The houses possessed walls of equal height at the front and back, so that each dwelling (despite being part of a terrace) was an enclosed whole, separated from the outside world. This made them popular with the upper end of the residential property market. The early period shikumen also possessed more features of traditional Chinese architecture: on the external façade of the terrace there are often typically Chinese
matou ("horse head") style or
Guanyin dou ("
Guanyin hood") style
gables; the main hall uses floor-to-ceiling windows; decorative boards below eaves; and grid windows on the side wings. However, in contrast to later shikumen buildings, the gates of early period shikumen were not elaborately decorated, and were simply framed in stone. In terms of layout, the shikumen of this period were arranged in lanes of about 3 metres wide - narrower than later buildings - and the attention to orientation, and organization of trunk lanes and branch lanes, both features of later shikumen, were also absent. In terms of internal lay-out, immediately within the main gate is the front courtyard (
tianjing ), flanked by wings (
xiangfang ) of the house on the left and right. At the centre, facing the courtyard is the hall, or
ketang jian (). This large room typically has an area of about 12 square metres, and is used like a modern sitting room or living room. On either side of the hall are the
cijian () or "secondary rooms". Stairs to reach the first floor are located behind the
cijian. Behind the hall and the
cijian is the back courtyard (
houtianjing ), which is about half the size of the front courtyard. The well, which provided water for the house, was located here (though later houses were connected to
tap water instead). At the back of the back courtyard are back buildings, usually used as the kitchen, toilet and storage room. On the whole, each dwelling preserved the main features required for traditional Chinese day-to-day living, while saving the land required. Most early period old style shikumen have been demolished or rebuilt. Representative examples include the
Xingren Li, built in 1872 (demolished 1980), and
Mianyang Li and
Jixiang Li, both located near the
Shiliupu dock area.
Late period Late period shikumen were mostly built between 1910 and 1919. The three-bay wide frontage with two side wings was reduced to one- or two-bay wide, with one side wing. The back courtyard was reduced, but more attention was paid to natural lighting, and the laneways were widened. More Western architectural details found favour: bannisters, doors and windows, staircase, pillar capitals and arch buttresses all used Western decorative styles. The
lintel of the main gate also became increasingly elaborate, decorated with semicircular archivolts, triangular pediments or rectangular architraves. Late period old type shikumen are far better preserved than early period examples. Representative examples include the west and east
Siwen Li (in the process of being demolished), north
Shude Li, and
Daqing Li, built in 1915. One of the few old type shikumen developments to be preserved largely intact is
Bugao Li, or
Cité Bourgogne (built in the 1930s), in the former French Concession.
New type New type shikumen were typically built from 1919 to the 1930s. They were also called "reformed style" shikumen residences. The main structural difference between new type and old type shikumen is that new style buildings are three storeys high. They were built of
reinforced concrete, rather than brick veneer. Some were equipped with modern sanitary equipment, and natural lighting became a key concern. Developments are typically laid out with a main, trunk lane, with houses arranged along branch lanes leading from the trunk lane. With the advent of motor cars, the trunk lanes were usually built wide enough to accommodate cars. Instead of one lane with one or two rows of houses, new style shikumen were typically developed in large blocks. Standard triangular gables and party walls replaced the more elaborate
matou or
Guanyin dou styles, with concrete tops. Exposed brick was used for external walls. The main gate frame also switched from stone to brick and painted stone cladding. The architectural style became far more Westernised overall. Each dwelling was one to two bays wide. Two-bay wide houses "inherited" only one side wing, while one-bay wide houses discarded wings completely. Stairs became less steep. The new second floor typically contained bedrooms, along with a front and a back terrace (
shaitai, ). The ground floor were equipped with kitchens (
zaopi jian ). At the back of the house, a "back wing" was added, as well as the
tingzi jian () or "pergola room", located above the kitchen and below the terrace. This was typically small, with low ceilings, and faced north, making it the least attractive room in the house. They were usually used for storage, or as living quarters for servants. Numerous new type shikumen have survived. Some well known examples include
Jianye Li (now revamped into an upmarket hotel, commercial and residential complex),
Siming Cun, and
Mingde Li located on Avenue Joffre. ==Names==