Lingnan architecture (), or Cantonese architecture, refers to the characteristic
architectural style
An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...
(s) of the
Lingnan
Lingnan (; ) is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains. The region covers the modern China, Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong & Macau and Northern Vietnam.
Background
The ar ...
region – the
Southern Chinese provinces of
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
and
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
. Usually, it is referring to the architecture associated with the
Cantonese people, with other peoples in the area (such as the
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...
and the
Teochew) having their own styles. This style began with the architecture of the ancient non-
Han Nanyue
Nanyue ( zh, c=南越 or 南粵, p=Nányuè, cy=, j=Naam4 Jyut6, l=Southern Yue, , ), was an ancient kingdom founded in 204 BC by the Chinese general Zhao Tuo, whose family (known in Vietnamese as the Triệu dynasty) continued to rule until ...
people and absorbed certain architectural elements from the
Tang Empire and
Song Empire as the region
sinicized in the later half of the first millennium AD.
Introduction
Modern day's Lingnan architecture is distinct from its counterparts in
other Han Chinese regions because Cantonese people adapt their architecture to the
geography
Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
of the region: the region has a
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
climate, very unlike China's central plain (
Zhongyuan
Zhongyuan (), the Central Plain(s), also known as Zhongtu (, lit. 'central land') and Zhongzhou (, lit. 'central region'), commonly refers to the part of the North China Plain surrounding the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River, centere ...
). The set of building materials Cantonese have had access to also differs from that of other Han Chinese groups due to, for instance, difference in the
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
species available.
Overall, the classical Lingnan style, which is the best-known of Lingnan architecture, tends to favor pale colors such as green and white, avoid circular structures, adopt large numbers of
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
carvings and
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s, have many open structures like
balconies and
verandas, and be built using materials resistant to molds and moisture. The last two points are obviously related to the hot and humid subtropical climate of Lingnan.
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall or Chen Clan Academy is an academic temple in Guangzhou, China, built by the 72 Chen (surname), Chen clans for their juniors' accommodation and preparation for the imperial examinations in 1894 during the Qing dynast ...
in Guangzhou is seen as a representative example of classical Lingnan architecture. The temple was built in late 19th century and served as an academy for
Chan families in 72 counties of the Guangdong province. It comprises all sorts of folk architectural and decorative arts, and is famous for its "three carvings" (stone, wood and brick carvings), "three sculptures" (ceramic sculpture, clay sculpture and colorful sculpture) and "one cast" (cast iron). As a result, it is called the best of all the clan temples in the neighborhood.
Today, some elements of Lingnan architecture are adopted in the construction of commercial districts in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province. In commercial streets, old-fashioned shops of classical Lingnan architecture are found in heaps. Attached to the second story from the pavement, numerous pillars are built in front of the stores.
Similar building styles are still relatively common in some areas of
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
.
Pre-sinicization: Nanyue architecture
Currently, not much research has been done on the architectural style(s) of the Nanyue people, the original
Baiyue
The Baiyue, Hundred Yue, or simply Yue, were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of southern China and northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, body tattoos, fine swo ...
inhabitants of Lingnan before the region sinicized. There are, however, several heritage sites from that period, giving clues to what Nanyue architecture might have been like.
The Mausoleum of the Nanyue King (), for instance, was built in about 120 BC and uncovered in 1983. It served as the tomb for
Ziu Mo, the second
king
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
of the Nanyue kingdom. It has been noted that the architecture has several dissimilarities from its
Zhongyuan
Zhongyuan (), the Central Plain(s), also known as Zhongtu (, lit. 'central land') and Zhongzhou (, lit. 'central region'), commonly refers to the part of the North China Plain surrounding the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River, centere ...
counterpart from the same time period: The mausoleum used corridors with curved turns, crescent-shaped ponds, and steep walls on the west side and tilt walls on the east. The bottom of its waterways were paved with pebbles and gravel, resulting in the drainage water forming small whirlpools upon hitting the walls.
Examples of Nanyue architecture
File:Nanyue Sluice Model.jpg, A model of the sluice of Nanyue; It is the oldest, largest, and most well-preserved example of sluice from that time period.
Tang architecture
The siniciziation of Lingnan was prominent during the Tang dynasty (7th to 10th century), which results in
Lingnan culture
Cantonese culture, or Lingnan culture, refers to the regional Chinese culture of the region of Lingnan: twin provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the names of which mean "eastern expanse" and "western expanse", respectively.
With the migration ...
(i.e., Cantonese culture) being strongly influenced by Tang culture and having preserved much Tang heritage not preserved in other branches of modern Han Chinese culture. Between 4th to 10th century, many monks came from Zhongyuan to spread Buddhism in Lingnan, resulting in the construction of religious structure such as
Guangxiao Temple () although no structure from the Tang Dynasty era exists anywhere in Lingnan today. Also, since the 19th century, the Tang style has seen a revival in the region, whether in Hong Kong and Macau or the
mainland part of Lingnan. A prominent example is the
Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong.
This style of architecture is very unlike classical Lingnan architecture: It is (1) primarily built with wood, rather than the green bricks typical of the classical Lingnan style; (2) tends to give a sense of grandness using upward-curving roofs and bright colors, in stark contrast to the rectangular and pale classical Lingnan style; and (3) has highly orderly arrangement of buildings. Buildings of this style bears much resemblance to the Buddhist temples in
Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, which are also heavily based on Tang architecture.
Modern reconstructed buildings in Lingnan in Tang style
File:Guangxisi Gulou.jpg, Modern day 20th century reconstructed Guangxiao Temple's buildings have upward-curving roofs.
Classical Lingnan architecture
As sinicization of Lingnan completed in
Southern Song dynasty (10th to 13th century), the classical Lingnan style seen today slowly formed. The classical Lingnan style formed as early as 14th century and represents Cantonese people's adaptation of their hybrid culture (i.e., with elements of Nanyue, Tang, and Song) to the region's geography. Nowadays, it is widely considered a major Cantonese accomplishment and tourist attraction for Guangdong and eastern Guangxi. Commonly cited characteristics of the classical Lingnan style include:
Doors and directions
Classical Lingnan architecture pays much attention to the use of doors. This is partly due to the influence of a strong
Feng shui
Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...
culture: There is the traditional belief that having the main door face south means prosperity, which results in most classical Lingnan-style buildings (especially
ancestral halls) facing south. Larger buildings also tend to have many types of doors, with "central doors" (Jyutping: Zung
1 mun
4; Traditional Chinese: 中門) only usable for high-status individuals (i.e., male leaders of the household, important guests, and women with male heirs) in older times, while other people could only use "side doors" (Jyutping: Zak
1 mun
4; Traditional Chinese: 側門). They also have a concept called "manner doors" (Jyutping: Ji
4 mun
4; Traditional Chinese: 儀門), which means that there is a second door behind the main door. Manner doors are especially common in ancestral halls, where ancestors are worshiped, due to the traditional belief that one should not go straight at (which has connotations such as "to conflict with") one's ancestors upon entering the hall.
Narrow doors
Narrow door (Jyutping: Aai
3 mun
4; Traditional Chinese: 隘門) is an architectural feature common in the classical Lingnan style, referring to a sudden narrowing of the walkway at the end of a corridor or alley. These narrow doors have been built to separate alleys from each other and set at tactically crucial points. They are traditionally open in daytime, and closed after sunset unless in case of emergency. They are used to form "defensive circles", in each of which a number (ranging from 2 to 50) of households help look out for one another. This feature arose to serve defensive purposes against
bandit
Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...
s,
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
s, and
other clans.
Cold alleys

Cold alleys (Jyutping: Laang
5 hong
2; Traditional Chinese: 冷巷, literally "cold alley") has been called the "essence" of classical Lingnan architecture, and is utilized in the region outside the classical style. The cold alley is a narrow path walled on both sides by buildings, like a corridor within the complex. The narrowness of a cold alley results in an increase in wind speed within, which in turn causes the hot air in the rooms connected to the cold alley to be brought out more quickly while cool air enters, achieving good ventilation - a trait very useful in the subtropical Lingnan. Cold alleys can be divided into two types: indoor and outdoor. When used indoor, a cold alley rarely receives sunshine. When used outdoor, a cold alley (called "blue cloud alley" in this case) receives relatively little sunshine due to being shadowed by the tall buildings that wall it from both sides. Either way, this results in even better cooling effect.
Carvings and sculptures
Cantonese people have been known for being prolific craftsmen and merchants. The region historically exported a large number of sculptures and other craft products. The classical Lingnan style goes along with this: It traditionally uses very large amount of relief carvings and sculptures for the purpose of decorations (especially in temples and ancestral halls). The carvings and sculptures in question could be made from wood, bricks, stones, and so on. They are usually uncolored, but some are decorated with garish colors. The subject matters of these carvings and sculptures generally revolve around figures and scenes from
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...
and
Cantonese folktales.
Lingnan guardian lions
Chinese architecture in general uses guardian lions. However, it has been noted that Southern China has a style different from
Northern China
Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture.
Extent
The Qinling, Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone ...
. Southern Chinese guardian lions are used in Lingnan,
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
, and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. They are noted for having large heads and small legs, protruding skulls and flat noses, leaf-shaped ears, mouths set in roaring configurations, and sharp teeth. Lingnan guardian lions tend to be more elongated and have more varied poses. The male guardian lions are generally on the left side of the door and stepping on embroidered balls - which is considered to symbolize good luck.
Other characteristics
"Three rooms and two corridors" (Jyutping: Saam
1 gaan
1 loeng
5 long
4; Traditional Chinese: 三間兩廊) is a typical layout found in classical Lingnan residential architecture, with
Tai Fu Tai Mansion being a good example. Also, in classical Lingnan residence, indoor
window
A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent ma ...
s are usually small and high on the walls, for the purpose of defense against bandits. These windows, however, are poor at lighting up the rooms and thus often accompanied by
skylight
A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes.
History
O ...
s or other structures that involve opening on the
ceilings.
Green brick
Green brick is a popular building material in the Lingnan region. It is well known for being resistant to changes in temperature and moisture - which makes it very useful for building in the hot and humid Lingnan region.
Gallery
File:Canton 1996 307.jpg, Relief carvings are very prevalent in the classical Lingnan style.
File:Guangzhou Huanghuagang 2013.12.15 14-13-16.jpg, The guardian lion at Wong Fa Gong Park, Guangzhou, has quite an elongated body.
Wok yi uk
Wok yi uk (Jyutping: Wok
6 ji
5 uk
1; Traditional Chinese: 鑊耳屋, literally "house with
wok ears") is a distinct characteristic in Lingnan architecture. It is a building that has a pair of curved walls protruding vertically at both ends of its roof, usually seen in traditional residential buildings. It emerged at around 15th century, during which Lingnan was ruled by the
Ming Empire. It was a tradition to build such walls for people who have been granted honors through the empire's examination system. This later evolved into the belief that building such walls could help one's sons and grandsons attain similar honors. It also has more practical purposes, however - having the two walls protruding from both ends of the roof could help reduce the amount of sunlight directly shining on the roof, resulting in lowered temperature. This is useful in the subtropical Lingnan region.
Wok yi uks in Lingnan
File:Minister Hall in Canton.JPG, A row of wok yi uks in Fadou District, Guangzhou: Each house has a pair of curved walls protruding vertically at both ends of its roof.
Oyster shell house

Oyster shell house (Jyutping: Hou
3 hok
3 uk
1; Traditional Chinese: 蠔殼屋) is an architectural style that arose in Lingnan in late 16th to early 17th century. It arose when certain Cantonese villages started gathering
oyster
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...
shells from nearby coasts to build homes. It is said that the use of oyster shells helps the building become more resistant to wild changes in temperature, accumulation of rainwater, and
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
infestation.
There used to be hundreds of such houses dispersed across Guangdong, but now most have been demolished. Only four of them remain. At present, the
Hoizyu district has developed a plan to protect and maintain the remaining oyster shell house. This style is viewed as an indication of the strong "ocean culture" elements in Cantonese culture.
Tong lau
Tong lau (Jyutping: Tong
4 lau
4; Traditional Chinese: 唐樓) is a style of
tenement buildings architecture found in Lingnan (and also in some other areas by the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
) starting from 19th century. It is essentially a balcony-type, multi-story tenement building for residential and commercial use, with each story being three to four meters tall, typically built with either green bricks or, later,
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
. The main purpose of tong lau is to let people live upstairs while running some sorts of business (e.g., a pawn shop) downstairs. It has been influenced by
European architecture
The history of architecture traces the changes in architecture through various traditions, regions, overarching stylistic trends, and dates. The beginnings of all these traditions is thought to be humans satisfying the very basic need of shelt ...
, and arose due to Lingnan's extensive commercial exchanges with
Western Europeans since 15th century. This style is thus especially prevalent in regions with more exposure to Western European cultures, such as Hong Kong and Macau.
Tong laus are strongly associated with Hong Kong and frequently appear in the city's
movies
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
and
soap operas
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originated from radio dramas original ...
.
Tong laus in Lingnan
File:European Style Street.jpg, A row of tong laus in Hoiping, Guangdong.
Lingnan garden

Lingnan garden (Jyutping: Ling
5 naam
5 jyun
4 lam
4; Traditional Chinese: 嶺南園林), or Cantonese garden, is the style of
garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
design native to the Lingnan region.
Geographically, Lingnan has very different climate from China's heartland (i.e., Zhongyuan), resulting in her developing a different style in designing gardens. The most frequently cited traits of Lingnan gardens are: (1) they tend to surround their plants with buildings to provide protection to the plants, due to the frequent rainfalls and storms in the region; (2) Lingnan gardens usually use plant species native to the region, such as red cotton flowers and lychee trees; (3) due to Lingnan being far away from the center of power (i.e., Zhongyuan), gardens in the region have historically been less bounded by royal standards, resulting in a style that leans more towards the common people, e.g., Lingnan gardens are decorated with large amount of handcraft products of local people, ranging from sculptures to porcelains, and also tend to use smaller buildings; (4) as in the case with classical Lingnan architecture, with Cantonese being prolific craftsmen, Lingnan gardens tend to use a large number of relief carvings and sculptures.
Built in early 20th century,
Bou Mak Garden (Jyutping: Bou
2 mak
6 jyun
4; Traditional Chinese: 寶墨園, literally "Garden of Treasure and Ink") is located in Punyu, Guangzhou, and is a fine example of classical Lingnan garden. Once inside, exotic buildings, gardens, hills, lakes, and bridges are found - a place that reveals interplay between nature's art and man-made art in forms of sculptures and edifices, which boast intricate
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
,
porcelain
Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...
,
brick
A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...
,
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
and
stone carving
Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past time.
Work carried ...
.
Other representative examples of Lingnan gardens would be the "four great gardens of central Canton":
Yuyum Sanfong,
Leung's Garden,
Ching Fai Garden, and
Ho Garden.
Lingnan gardens
File:佛山梁园.JPG, Leung's Garden.
File:Ky2.jpg, Ho Garden.
See also
*
Cantonese culture
*
Nanyue
Nanyue ( zh, c=南越 or 南粵, p=Nányuè, cy=, j=Naam4 Jyut6, l=Southern Yue, , ), was an ancient kingdom founded in 204 BC by the Chinese general Zhao Tuo, whose family (known in Vietnamese as the Triệu dynasty) continued to rule until ...
*
Shophouse
*
Hakka architecture
*
Hokkien architecture
*
Architecture of Jiangxi
*
Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture () is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and has influenced architecture throughout East Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, the structural principles of ...
*
Chek Gong Tower Pagoda
*
Chinese pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhism, Buddhist, bu ...
References
{{Asia in topic, Architecture of
Buildings and structures in Guangdong
Chinese architectural styles