Sino-Portuguese architecture, also known as Chinese Baroque, Straits/Singapore Eclectic architecture or
Peranakan
The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...
architecture is an Asian hybrid style incorporating elements of both
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and
Portuguese architectural styles
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 ...
. It is common in urban centers where Chinese settlers lived in
southern 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–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone between ...
and the Peranakans of the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
, with examples found and most prominently conserved and maintained in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
.
Historical areas with such architecture can also be found throughout
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
,
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and Tambralinga) is the southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bo ...
(primarily
Phuket
Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
),
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 ...
,
Medan
Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and
Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
(primarily
Haikou
Haikou; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Hoihow is the capital city, capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. ...
). In many of these places however, such structures have either been demolished or are in a state of disrepair.
Sino-Portuguese style
The characteristics of Sino-Portuguese architecture is a mix of European and Chinese styles or simply
colonial architecture
Colonial architecture is a hybrid architectural style that arose as colonists combined architectural styles from their country of origin with design characteristics of the settled country. Colonists frequently built houses and buildings in a sty ...
. These older buildings were built by the Chinese
coolies
Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian or Chinese descent.
The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th century by Europ ...
. The building has the design (painting) in Chinese format, but the structure is Portuguese. Typically, the building is a one or two storey mixed commercial-residential building. The wall has strength due to the weight of the tiles on the roof. The roof is clad in curved tiles of Chinese provenance.
In contemporary Singapore, such structures are conserved and maintained regularly, making them a huge tourist attraction for foreigners unacquainted with such structures. Its historical heritage as well as its location in the city-centre also makes them highly valuable.
Sino-Portuguese history in Phuket
The
old town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
in
Phuket
Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
has a history as the center of a
tin mining
Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm.
History
Tin extraction and use ca ...
and trading province. In the era of
Western imperialism
Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power ( diplomatic power and cultural imperialism). Imperialism foc ...
, after 1511 (2054
BE), Portuguese settlers came to Phuket and to the trade port of Malacca. The settlers brought Western culture with them, including their technologies, religion, and their own architectural styles. Portuguese settlers employed Chinese workers to build their houses and establishments. These structures mixed Portuguese and Chinese art styles together, giving rise to Sino-Portuguese architecture.
Gallery
File:Phuket Old Town 1.jpg, Sino-Portuguese architecture, Dibuk Road, Phuket City, Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
File:Colorful shophouses in Koon Seng Road, Singapore.jpg, Colourful shophouses at Koon Seng Road, Singapore
File:Kuden Mansion.jpg, Kuden Mansion in Satun
Satun (, , ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Satun province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Phiman of Mueang Satun. Satun lies 985 km south of Bangkok. As of 2005 it has a population of 21,498.
Climat ...
, Thailand, an example of a box layout Sino-Portuguese mansion. The building now houses the Satun National Museum.
File:Town Mansion.JPG, Governor's Mansion in Phuket City represents a contrast to Kuden Mansion, with a more extensive layout.
File:Katong3.jpg, District such as Katong
Katong (commonly referred to as Tanjong Katong) is a residential neighbourhood in the eastern portion of the Central Region of Singapore, within the Marine Parade planning area. The Katong district stretches from Fort Road area to the Joo ...
, Singapore, incorporates many ornamental elements of mansion designs in the Sino-Portuguese style.
File:2016 Singapur, Chinatown, Ulica Klubowa, Domy-sklepy (02).jpg, Club Street townhouses, Singapore. Some of the buildings incorporate open balconies on the third floor.
File:Tanjong Pagar Road shophouses 2.JPG, Tanjong Pagar Road shophouses, illustrating three-storey varieties of Straits architecture.
File:Joo-Chiat-Lane-1112.jpg, Double storey shophouses at Joo Chiat Lane, a common design in the outer reaches of urban Singapore.
File:Shophouse around Arab street (13871784723).jpg, Ornamentation of a shophouse around Arab Street, Singapore. Elaborate ornamentation is typically a mark of wealth for the owner who commissioned the construction of the building.
File:Skewed_Front_View,_Tjong_A_Fie_Mansion,_Medan.jpg, Tjong A Fie Mansion
Tjong A Fie Mansion () is a Dutch colonial-style two-story mansion in Medan, North Sumatra, built by Tjong A Fie (1860–1921) a Hakka merchant who came to own much of the land in Medan through his plantations, later becoming 'Majoor de ...
, Medan
Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...
, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, a rarer example of Sino-Portuguese architecture in the country.
See also
*
Architecture of Singapore
The architecture of Singapore displays a range of influences and styles from different places and periods. These range from the eclectic styles and hybrid forms of the colonial period to the tendency of more contemporary architecture to incor ...
*
Bahay na Bato
''Báhay na bató'' ( Filipino for "stone house"), also known in Visayan as ''baláy na bató'' or ''balay nga bato'', and in Spanish language as ''Casa de Filipina'' is a type of building originating during the Spanish colonial period of ...
*
Malay houses
Malay houses ( Malay: ''Rumah Melayu;'' Jawi: ) refer to the vernacular dwellings of the Malays, an ethno-linguistic group inhabiting Sumatra, coastal Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.
Traditional architectural forms, such as tropically-suited ...
*
Nipa hut
The ''báhay kúbo'', ''kubo'', or ''payág'' (in the Visayan languages), is a type of stilt house indigenous to the Philippines. It is the traditional basic design of houses among almost all lowlander and coastal cultures throughout the Ph ...
*
Rumah adat
''Rumah adat'' are traditional houses built in any of the vernacular architecture styles of Indonesia, collectively belonging to the Austronesian architecture. The traditional houses and settlements of the several hundreds ethnic groups of Ind ...
*
Shophouse
A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in the dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence ...
*
Tong lau
Tong lau or ke lau are tenement buildings built from the late 19th century to the 1960s in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southern China, and Southeast Asia. Designed for both residential and commercial uses, they are similar in style and function to the ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Old Phuket Houses. Retrieved 3 October 2016, from www.phuket.com* [https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/thailand/southern-thailand-andaman-coast/phuket/phuket-town/phuket-town-sino-portuguese-architecture/ Sino-Portuguese Architecture. Retrieved 3 October 2016, from www.roughguides.com]
Architectural styles
Architecture in Thailand
Architecture in Singapore
Architecture in Malaysia
Architecture in Indonesia
Culture of Singapore
Portuguese colonial architecture
Portuguese diaspora in Thailand
Buildings and structures in Phuket province