As most of the shikumen residences are located downtown，some clever businessmen have turned them into tourist attractions, by promoting their distinct history and culture. The Xintiandi (New World) Bar Area is just one example.
These businessmen have transformed the shikumen's functions from residences to commercial properties. Now, with their original style and external appearance, the shikumen have been turned into bars, tea houses, boutiques and recreational centers, where people have meals, shop and relax Some have been renovated and turned into cultural facilities, such as galleries, cinemas, a museum of Chinese history of stamps, and a showroom that reappears the life of a local family in a shikumen residence.
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