The Lane Houses in Blossoms Shanghai—The Origin and Development of Shikumen Culture in Shanghai

This paper selects the lane houses, an important carrier in the novel Blossoms Shanghai, to explore the origin and development of citizen culture in Shanghai. The narrative of the novel starts from the 1950s, and the various forms of lives of ordinary people in the lane houses show us that this regional architecture and the living space provided by the lane houses give birth to a relatively conservative and introverted citizen culture (Shikumen Culture), which affects the citizens’ diet and living, affection, social communication and other aspects. Since the reform and opening up in the 1990s, Shikumen Culture has gradually been replaced by a new citizen culture (Shanghai Regional Culture) with the change of architecture and society. Shanghai Regional Culture is more open and people in shanghai are good at learning, pursuing novelty, and are inclusive of the changes.