The Inlet, which consists of eight old lanes and over 60 restored “shikumen”-style buildings, opened to the public Tuesday in Shanghai’s central commercial Hongkou district. Photo: VCG

“Shikumen” buildings were constructed using a combination of Shanghainese and Western architectural elements. The gates of “shikumen” buildings are made of solid wooden boards painted black. And the door frames are made of stone. Photo: VCG

Visitors walk along commercial streets connecting the old buildings. The historical area now contains many stores. Photo: VCG

A man takes photos in The Inlet complex. Photo: VCG

Visitors photograph a row of elephant-shaped fountains. Photo: IC Photo

Exhibitions held in The Inlet, giving the complex an artistic element. The work “handshake” shows two mechanical hands touching fingertips, exploring the significance of robots in a post-epidemic era. Photo: VCG

The “Lanes Under the Colored Flags” work reminds people that the old Shanghai lanes were always full of clothes hanging out to dry. Photo: Shanghai Municipal People’s Government

In the work “Who, Where and Why”, an astronaut and a washing machine are strung up high. Photo: Shanghai Hongkou District Commission of Commerce

A pink bear is pressed up against the glass at a North Sichuan Road subway exit in Shanghai. Photo: Shanghai Hongkou District Commission of Commerce

“Shikumen” buildings first appeared in the 1860s. At the height of their popularity, there were 9,000 “shikumen”-style buildings in the city, comprising 60% of the total housing stock. Photo: VCG

The North Sichuan Road area where The Inlet is located is a birthplace of China’s film industry. In 1908, Spanish businessman Antonio Ramos founded China’s first cinema, Hongkew, in Shanghai. Photo: Shanghai Municipal People’s Government

The North Sichuan Road area was also once a center of Shanghai’s cultural publishing industry. In 1912, the Shanghai Academy of Graphic Arts was founded at No. 8 Zhapu Road, which was the first page in the history of China’s modern art education. Photo: Shanghai Municipal People’s Government