Xin Tian Di will be your closest match to what Lan Kwai Fong is to Hong Kong. Indeed, this ambitious area was build by Hong Kong's Shui On Group and contains stylish and expensive shops, pubs and restaurants. Prices for food generally start at RMB 200 but if you head into the 'mall' complex at Xin Tian Di south, you will find a McDonalds and a few medium-end restaurants where you can save your wallet from certain destruction. The Shikumen houses have been renovated to suit modern tastes and do not resemble anything you will find in traditional Shikumen areas. Shanghai Xin Tian Di is where 'yesterday meets tomorrow in Shanghai today'.

Before the development of Shanghai Xin Tian Di, the area it encompasses had been a spread of aged lanes crowded with mid-19th century Shikumen buildings which had witnessed the changes of time. The Shikumen style was a combination of influences from home and abroad, showing Shanghai's culture of that era.

Xin Tian Di Plaza is divided into the North and South Blocks. In the South Block, modern architecture is the motif while Shikumen is an accompaniment. In the north, preserved Shikumen set a nostalgic tone, forming a splendid contrast with the modernity to the south. A shopping, entertainment and leisure complex of 25,000 square meters in the South Block opened in mid 2002. Aside from a series of international restaurants representing the flavours of the world, there are classy boutiques, accessory shops, a food court, a movie cinema and a great one-stop fitness centre. In the North Block, antique buildings with their modern interior design, decorations and equipment play host to a dazzling array of restaurants specializing in French, American, German, British, Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong cuisine, putting on display the full international dimension of Shanghai Xin Tian Di. The dividing line between the two blocks, Xingye Road, is the site of the First Congress Hall of the Chinese Communist Party.

There are also Taipingqiao Lake and Park in central Xin Tian Di, which cover 44,000 square meters. Inside the park are tall trees and low-lying greenery, affording visitors a serene resting place. The lake is the largest man-made lake in downtown Shanghai, covering 12,000 square meters. At the centre of the lake are a set of impressive fountains and two little islets dotting the surface. The islets are named Magnolia and Unison.