Blossoms is a novel published by Jin Yucheng in 2013 and is currently regarded as a representative work of Shanghai urban literature in China. The novel is told from three different points of view: before and after the Cultural Revolution and in the 1990s. The primary setting is the activities and living spaces of the three protagonists, who are friends. The novel includes descriptions and illustrations of multi-dwelling housing in Shanghai from the 1930s to the 1970s, including old lilong housing, new lilong housing, apartment, Workers’ Village. These types of multi-dwelling housing symbolized the social status of the protagonists, and the protagonists' move to different residences during the Cultural Revolution signified a change in status. This study analyzes Blossoms from an architectural perspective to examine the types of multi-dwelling housing in modern Shanghai. It aims to understand the formation background of each multi-dwelling kind of housing, related urban planning and policies, and architectural characteristics such as floor plans, structures, and materials to better understand the urban residential culture and life of Shanghai residents at that time.