The old town in Shanghai, with a history of more than 700 years, is always associated with something or someone ancient and traditional, like Huang Daopo (cotton weaving innovator) in the Yuan Dynasty,the Pans and Yuyuan Garden in the Ming Dynasty, and the Temple of Town God in the Qing Dynasty.However, the 150-old years since it opened to foreign traders in the mid 19th century has witnessed the greatest humane development in Shanghai. In that period we have seen a Shanghai co-inhabited by Chinese locals and foreign nationals, the formation of the Shanghai Painting School, the building of Shikumen (stone-framed gate) houses, the development of time-honored firms or shops, and so on and so forth. As a result, the 150-year period has added a new chapter in the history of the old town in Shanghai.
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