For Shanghai residents, no list of longtangs (residential lanes) would be complete without mention of Tianzifang. Recently, thanks to some comic artists, the old life in the Shikumen-style longtangs in Tianzifang has surfaced in front of people’s eyes again.

The comic drawings now found on the walls of Tianzifang depict life inside window scenes of the old houses. In one window, an old man is looking outside and chatting with a neighbor passing by; in another, a lady is picking vegetables with her husband while sharing with him the latest daily news; in a window nearby, a grandma is teaching her grandson how to air a quilt on a sunny winter morning. The comics are titled “Laughter from Shikumen windows”, as most of the people’s faces in the comics are beaming with smiles, a glowing tribute to the past residents of the Shikumen buildings.