Xintiandi size to double

XINTIANDI - the upmarket car-free shopping, eating and entertainment area in the heart of downtown Shanghai - will double in size over the next few years and grow into an integrated community, its developer said yesterday.

Composed of renovated traditional shikumen - or stone gate - houses on narrow lanes, the popular area will cover a total gross floor area of more than 1.2 million square meters by 2016, according to senior executives with Shui On Land.

The current size of Xintiandi, founded 10 years ago, is 570,000 square meters.

Presently the location of a cluster of restaurants and bars, shops, boutiques and top-end office space, the extended Xintiandi area will also include a school, a theater and possibly medical facilities.

The company hopes to develop the area as a "city within a city" where demands for almost all aspects of daily lives could be met.

Shui On's blueprint includes a nine-grade school and a Broadway-style theater, capable of hosting world-class performances requirement on technical support.

Nearby streets will also undergo renovation programs. Dongtai Road, one of the most famous antique markets in Shanghai, will be transformed into a street of antique shops, galleries and auction houses, the company said.

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