Xintiandi shikumen, the local style lane houses, with Baroque wainscotting and stained glass windows.

Shanghai Lujiazui Development (Group) Co Ltd announced plans yesterday to open its own version of the popular entertainment area in Pudong's financial center by next July.

The project is called Lujiazui 1885 Culture Center and plans call for it to cover more than 10,000 square meters along Shangcheng Road. The project will be based on a villa that combines Chinese and Western style architecture that was built 121 years ago.

The brick and wood villa looks similar to a shikumen, the local style lane houses, with Baroque wainscotting and stained glass windows.

The villa, which has retained its original interior design, currently houses a restaurant. Several new shikumen style buildings will be constructed around it for the new entertainment center.

"Shikumen are the traditional architecture of the city but the number of existing shikumen is decreasing with the city's development," said Yao Jianliang, a spokesman for the developer.

Yao wouldn't say how much the project will cost to complete, but said it will house high-grade restaurants, clubs, art salons and boutiques similar to Xintiandi. The center will be only a few minutes' walk away from a subway station along the Metro Line No. 9.

Fu Su, a commercial analyst with Xiangcai Securities, said the project needs to be more than an imitation of Xintiandi in order to succeed.

"It's important to include some new ideas in the project. Now there is only an old building along the road. It is meaningless for the investor to set up new, old-style buildings," she said.

Fu did agree, however, that Pudong needs more entertainment and commercial facilities as a growing number of people are moving to the east side of the Huangpu River.