Since the end of the 20th century, many people living in old communities, including shikumen residents, have been moved to new neighborhoods and their former homes have been demolished. However, some historically important properties were spared demolition, officials said.

Before the founding of New China in 1949, shikumen residences accounted for two-thirds of the homes in Shanghai

Gao Haozhong, director of the Huangpu District Construction Management Commission, said, "While making improvements, we must also better residents' living conditions, especially when the majority of them are seniors."

Wang, the 82-year-old, said he could not accept the idea of a toilet being too close to the front of the bed in his cramped room.

The construction team came up with a solution－placing a sliding door between the bed and the toilet to conceal the latter when it was not in use. A cupboard was also installed above the toilet for Wang and his wife to store groceries, which they used to pile in a corner.

"There is a Shanghai saying that a temple can be made out of a snail's shell, and this is totally the case for the design used at my home," he said.

He added that he hopes to live longer as a result of the improvements.

Zhou Lizhu, 79, was among the first to apply for a toilet to be installed in her first-floor room. She has long lived in the same Huangpu district neighborhood as Wang, which is now surrounded by the regional headquarters of 52 multinational companies.

She found an ideal space between the stove and a wall, which would require no changes to the original layout. But when construction workers arrived to carry out an examination, Zhou nearly burst out into tears when they told her the space was insufficient for even the smallest toilet.

The workers did not give up, cutting a corner off the stove area to provide enough room for a toilet.

"I appreciate this so much, as I no longer need to go out to empty my spittoon anymore and am not scared about falling over on days when there is bad weather," said Zhou, who lives alone.