Although Christmas is not a traditional festival in China, you can feel it everywhere in Shanghai. The shops have put on Christmas decoration, hotels with Christmas trees in the lobby, Merry Christmas wishes on the streets...XinTianDi in the former French Concession has put on the Christmas theme very early - Nut Cracker and the Kingdom of Gifts this year. The Shikumen houses will be popular among young people at Christmas eve.

Fu, Lu, Shou, also known as "three stars", are often seen together in China. They represent good luck, prosperity and longevity. The statues in Shanghai XinTianDi are carved in an artistic way rather than the traditional look. The Lu star holds the old Chinese money (YuanBao) in the hand and is widely worshiped. It shows a nice combination of tradition and modern art, as is the style of XinTianDi area.

The ShiKuMen Open House Museum is a small exhibition in the bustling XinTianDi area. Its Chinese name "WuLiXiang" literally means inside a house. The developer kept the old ShiKuMen house of 1920s and display furniture and articles for daily use back then. ShiKuMen house was once the main residential housing in Shanghai. But now they are disappearing slowly with the modernisation of the city.

This year is the 90th anniversary of CPC's founding (the Communist Party of China). The first and second national congress were both held in Shanghai's Shikumen houses. Tourists usually visit the first national congress museum in XinTianDi area. For those who want to know more about the establishment and foundation of CPC, this site can be an extended visit. The museum displays more than 300 historical items and two original sites - the site of the Second National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the site of Pingmin (means "common people") Women's School.

Besides XinTianDi, there are more Shikumen houses scattered in the city. Some have been kept in a good condition while others appear shabby with poor maintenance. It is a combination of Chinese and Western architecture elements. Black wood gate, stone frames with western patterns, and the narrow lanes form the shikumen houses, once popular in 1930s.