Tong Lau
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Tong lau or ke lau are tenement buildings built from the late 19th century to the 1960s in
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. Designed for both residential and commercial uses, they are similar in style and function to the shophouses with five-foot way () of Southeast Asia. Over the years, tong lau construction has seen influences of
Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
-style architecture and later the Bauhaus movement.


Etymology

''Tong lau'' (Cantonese) or ''tang lou'' (Mandarin) means "Chinese building" – ''Tong'' or '' Tang'' () refers to the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
and is used as a term to mean Chinese, and ''lau'' () is a building with more than one floor. It is a general term for a type of building found in Hong Kong that also developed in
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 ...
and Canton (Guangzhou) from traditional Southern Chinese townhouses.


Architecture

Early tong lau buildings were generally long and narrow with a width of between , determined by the length of the wooden beams. In Hong Kong's building regulations, ''tong lau'' refers to a building with any living space intended for more than one tenant. It is essentially a tenement building for residential and commercial use. The ground floor is reserved for commercial use, mostly by small businesses like retail shops and food vendors. The upper floors are for residential use, and cater to Chinese residents of Hong Kong. Most early tong lau were two-to-four stories tall, due to building regulations that initially limited the height of building to 1.25 times the width of the street with a maximum height of . However, due to the influx of migrants from mainland China to Hong Kong in the 1950s, height control of buildings was relaxed in 1955, and some tong lau that were built after that might have nine or more floors and be built without lifts. The heyday of ''tong lau'' ended in the 1960s when population pressure resulted in many tong lau being demolished to make way for high-rise buildings, along with changes in building ordinances in order to allow for such high-rise buildings. ''Ke lau'' or ''qilou'' (. meaning "riding building"), is a form of tong lau with an arcade running alongside the road for pedestrian use. The term was originally "''kelau'' with feet" (), which was first used in Canton's building regulations in 1912, and referred to the columns forming the colonnade that supported the projecting floors that "ride" above. The ke lau buildings developed in Guangzhou were influenced by local traditions and the shophouses with five-foot ways of
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 ...
, which were first built following the instructions of
Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British Colonial Office, colonial official who served as the List of governors of the Dutch East Indies, governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieut ...
given in his town plan soon after the founding of the colony in the early 19th century. Ke lau were built in Southern China (
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
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 ...
) starting in the early 20th century. Most of the ke lau in Guangzhou were built in the 1930s until the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war, and few were built after that period.


History


Early ''tong lau''

Early Hong Kongese tong lau mainly consisted of two- or three-story structures built back-to-back in areas such as Tai Ping Shan. 19th-century tong lau synthesized Chinese and European architectural features. While the Chinese component was based on building design from southern China, mainly that 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 ...
Province; European influences were usually Neoclassical. The tong lau roof used wood and/or Xieding tiles and iron was used for the balconies. The balcony's design was based on Cantonese styles. Windows used French styling and were made of wood and glass. The upper floors were supported by brick pillars and protruded out to the edge of the street. Inside, the floors were connected by wooden stairs. Most floors ranged from 450 to 700 square feet with very high ceilings. Top floors were often living quarters for shopkeepers and their family. Other architectural features of early tong lau are: *
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
capped balustrades * decorative
urns An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...
on the roof * wooden floors and joists * Canton floor tiles In 1903, in response to an outbreak of
bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...
, the Hong Kong government issued a set of new regulations for tong lau so as to improve the living conditions for inhabitants in these buildings. New ''tong lau'' buildings needed to have a light well, have larger windows, and the buildings were limited to four floors so their residents can receive sufficient light. The frontage were set at 15 feet, and at the back there needed to be a six-foot lane, so as to remove back-to-back constructions. Roof tiles were also replaced by flat concrete roofs. In the 1920s,
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...
began to be introduced as the main structural element, which allowed for a veranda as well as
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
ed or recessed balconies to let in extra light. An example of tong lau or ke lau from this period is
Lui Seng Chun Lui Seng Chun is a List of Grade I historic buildings in Hong Kong, Grade I Historic Building located at 119 Lai Chi Kok Road, in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, at the junction with Tong Mi Road. It is a four-storey ''tong-lau'' (the local term for Hong ...
, a building in reinforced concrete built in Hong Kong in 1931.


After World War II

Tong lau built after World War II were simpler in design: Iron balconies were replaced with concrete ones and later sealed with windows. Roofs were often flat with an open terrace and later renovated to allow for additional residential space. Wooden windows gave way to stainless steel windows. Air conditioning units were added to the windows in the 1970s and 1980s. Often clothes racks were added below the windows and hung above the sidewalk or street below. Signs were hung on the exterior walls and protruded onto the streets below. Other features of the new tong lau included: * mosaic floor tiles *
terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...
staircase The postwar boom and influx of immigrants led to a shortage of housing in Hong Kong. Many tong lau were renovated to become rental units. In order to become spacious space, each unit was separated from adjacent units through brick party walls, is between 13 and 16 feet wide (about 4 to 5 m). The ground floor of a tong lau was used as shop space, but a cockloft was often built on the upper space in front of the partition wall of the kitchen, or utilized as working area. Rooms on the upper floors were divided into smaller rooms and sublet as units by owners; said rooms were only big enough to accommodate bunk beds. The middle of the floor was a common space for tenants to eat and use. Bathrooms and kitchens were also shared among the tenants of each floor. Tenants paid for electricity and water on a monthly basis. The subletting of floors in tong lau led to changes in housing regulations in Hong Kong. After the 1960s, many tong lau were demolished to give way to taller apartment and commercial buildings, especially new town or private apartment. Fewer Tong Lau are relatively found in Hong Kong today. On 29 January 2010, No. 45J Ma Tau Wai Road, Ma Tau Wai, a five-story-tall tong lau of more than 50 years history, suddenly collapsed at approximately 1:43 pm. Four people were killed. Such spontaneous, cascading and complete building collapse in Hong Kong has been quite rare since the Second World War and the incident raised concern of the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong public towards the safety of the aging ''tong lau'' in Hong Kong, especially those built with similar specifications 50 or more years ago.


Location


Mainland China

Ke lau styles varied from Chinese to European: * Gothic Style * Nanyang (Southeast Asia) Style * Ancient Roman Gallery Style * Imitation Baroque Style * Modernisme  * Traditional Chinese Architectural Style


Guangdong

Southern China, namely cities in
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 ...
Province, is the birthplace of tong lau and ke lau. They were built by wealthy Chinese merchants in the cities like
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
and, with the aid of
overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese people are Chinese people, people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 milli ...
, in
emigrant Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
market towns like Chikan, Kaiping. Locations in
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
with ''Ke lau'': * Renmin Zhong Road (人民中路) * Renmin Nan Road (人民南路) * Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, including Dishifu Road (上下九步行街) * Yide Road especially area around the Sacred Heart Stone House Cathedral (一德路) * Wanfu Road (萬福路) * Taikang Road (泰康路) * Xinhua Bookstore of Science and Technology on Beijing Road (北京路) * Oi Kwan Hotel on Yanjiangxi Road (沿江西路) * 186 Wenming Road (文明路) * 139 Dezheng Nan Road (德政南路)


Hainan and Guangxi

As both Hainan Island and the eastern part of the Guangxi Province lie in the broader
Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
sphere of linguistical and cultural influence and historically were part 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 ...
, several cities and towns also have this kind of architecture.


=Beihai

= The city of
Beihai Beihai (; Postal romanization: Pakhoi) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of internati ...
lies on the coast in
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 ...
. The Old Sheng Ping Street () is lined with 'ke lau architecture. Life and trade thrived here in the 19th century. Today it is full of restaurants, souvenir shops and adorned with sculptures and boards with information about local culture.


=Haikou

= The historical Bo'ai Road area is located in the heart of the
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 ...
capital city of
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. ...
. Nearly all the buildings here are of tong lau style. Beginning in 2012, the entire area has been undergoing restoration. It started wit
Zhongshan Road
now completed and converted into a
pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
. The restoration is currently expanding outward with the facades being replastered and painted. Lights facing toward the facades to illuminate them at night are now installed on many of the buildings. With road repair ongoing, and new, tourist-related businesses replacing the old shops, the entire area is being developed as a visitor attraction.


=Chengmai

= The southern part of the town of Chengmai, located in Chengmai County, Hainan, has an area adjacent to the
Nandu River The Nandu River () is the longest river in 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 ...
that consists of numerous, dilapidated tong lau buildings.


=Wenchang

= The tong lau buildings in the city of Wenchang's "Wennan Old Street" have been completely restored. Unlike Haikou's Bo'ai Road area, the facades are unpainted and are gray in appearance. The area is located downtown and is a visitor attraction.


Puqian

An area within the town of Puqian, mostly consisting of a single street, is lined with tong lau buildings. This street is the main route from the port to the city center. However, the tong lau buildings here are in serious disrepair. In fact, many of them are structurally unsafe. File:Bo'ai Road area - 02.jpg, Bo'ai Road area in
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. ...
File:Tong lau building in Jinjiang Town - 01.jpg, Tong lau building in Chengmai town File:Wenchang City old area - 06.JPG, Wenchang City's "Wennan Old Street" File:Puqian_-_01.JPG, Tong lau buildings in Puqian


Macau

Tong lau are also found in
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 ...
on
Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, L ...
near the Largo do Senado. They are better preserved in Macau, where they did not give way to newer buildings. Upper floors no longer house people and often are assigned for commercial use. Tong lau here often feature Portuguese colonial architectural influences.


Hong Kong

The existence of tong lau was a culmination of a series of historic forces including the economic development of Hong Kong, the Second World War, and the influx of Chinese migrants to Hong Kong. In 1898, the government introduced a building and public health ordinance which defined all the buildings including tong lau. In 1903, the government introduced a four-story limit as well as a maximum height per story of . This explains the general appearance of tong lau. The ordinance changed in 1962; this became fully operative in 1966, and no tong lau was built later.Preservation lacks long-term vision. (26 November 2008). ''South China Morning Post''., p.5. ''Tong laus'' are mainly distributed in the following areas in Hong Kong:
Cheung Chau Cheung Chau (; ) is an outlying island of Hong Kong, located southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is also called Dumbbell Island () due to its dumbbell-like shape. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in Hong Kong, and had ...
, Kennedy Town, Shek Tong Tsui,
Sai Ying Pun Sai Ying Pun is an area in Sai Wan, on Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It is administratively part of the Central and Western District. Etymology In Cantonese, ''Sai'' ( zh, t=西, labels=no) means "west" and ''Ying Pun'' ( zh, t=營盤, l ...
,
Sheung Wan Sheung Wan (Chinese: 上環) is an List of places in Hong Kong, area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central, Hong Kong, Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Weste ...
, Central,
Wan Chai Wan Chai (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 灣仔) is located in the western part of Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is bounded by Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal St ...
,
Causeway Bay Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...
, Happy Valley, Tai Hang,
North Point North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong. Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island, the area is named after a cape between Causeway Bay and Tsat Tsz Mui that projects ...
, Quarry Bay, Sai Wan Ho,
Shau Kei Wan Shau Kei Wan or Shaukiwan is a neighborhood in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. The area is bordered by Chai Wan to the east, Mount Parker (Hong Kong), Mount Parker to the south, Sai Wan Ho to the west, and ...
, Chai Wan,
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
, Tin Wan,
Ap Lei Chau Ap Lei Chau or Aberdeen Island is an island of Hong Kong, located off Hong Kong Island next to Aberdeen Harbour and Aberdeen Channel. It has an area of after land reclamation. Administratively it is part of the Southern District. Ap Lei ...
,
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
,
Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui ( zh, c=尖沙咀), often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed ...
, Yau Ma Tei,
Mong Kok Mong Kok (Chinese language, Chinese: 旺角), also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK, is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward, Hong Kong, Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. As one of the major sho ...
,
Tai Kok Tsui Tai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Yau Tsim Mong District, Yau Tsim Mong district in the Kowloon region of Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots we ...
,
Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po () is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui ...
, Cheung Sha Wan, Shek Kip Mei, Hung Hom, To Kwa Wan, Ma Tau Wai, Ho Man Tin,
Kowloon City Kowloon City is an area in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is part of Kowloon City District. Compared with the council area of Kowloon City District, the Kowloon City area is History As early as in the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), Kowloon ...
, Wong Tai Sin,
San Po Kong San Po Kong () is an area in New Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is largely industrial and partly residential. Administratively, it belongs to Wong Tai Sin District. Location San Po Kong is located south of Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong, Wong Tai Sin and ...
, Lok Fu, Tsz Wan Shan,
Ngau Chi Wan Ngau Chi Wan (Chinese: 牛池灣) was a bay beneath Hammer Hill (Hong Kong), Hammer Hill in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It now refers to an area where Choi Hung Estate is situated. Features Amidst in an urban built-up area, the original Ngau Ch ...
,
Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon P ...
,
Ngau Tau Kok Ngau Tau Kok () is an area of eastern Kowloon in Hong Kong, in the north of Kwun Tong District east to Kowloon Bay. Largely residential, Ngau Tau Kok has a population in excess of 210,000. Geography In Chinese, Ngau Tau Kok translates to ...
, Cha Kwo Ling, Kwai Chung,
Tsuen Wan Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a New towns of Hong Kong, town built on a bay in the New Territories West (constituency), western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite Tsing Yi, Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market ...
,
Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...
,
Yuen Long Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang Wa ...
,
Tai Wai Tai Wai (Chinese: 大圍 ) is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin and the Lion Rock, within the Sha Tin District. With three rapid transit stations, one of which an interchange station serving two lines, fiv ...
,
Tai Po Tai Po is an List of areas of Hong Kong, area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Mark ...
, Luen Wo Hui,
Sheung Shui Sheung Shui (, literally "Above-water") is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town, a part of this area, is part of the Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town in the North District, Hong Kong, North District of Hong Kong. Fanli ...
, Sha Tau Kok, Sai Kung Town, and
Tai O Tai O () is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village name means ''large inlet'', referring to wiktionary:outlet, outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai ...
. There are a number of extant tong lau in Hong Kong:


Hong Kong Island


Kowloon


New Territories The New Territories (N.T., Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of H ...


See also

* Arcade * Five-foot way * Architecture of Hong Kong *
Lingnan architecture Lingnan architecture (), or Cantonese architecture, refers to the characteristic architectural style(s) of the Lingnan region – the Southern China, Southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. Usually, it is referring to the architectur ...
*
Housing in Hong Kong Housing in Hong Kong varies by location and income. More than 7 million people live on about 1,108 km2 (427 mi2) of land in the region, making it one of the List of countries and dependencies by population density, densest places ...
*
Terraced house A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
* :zh:騎樓


References


External links

*
Conserve and Revitalise Hong Kong Heritage


{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101045942/http://www.ura.org.hk/html/c804000e2e.html , date=1 January 2007


Old Qilou Buildings: Historical Architecture in Guangzhou (Part 1)

Old Qilou Buildings: Historical Architecture in Guangzhou (Part 2)

Tong Lau: A Hong Kong Shophouse Typology

Hong Kong's Disappearing Tong Lau (2017) by Stefan Irvine

A Nostalgic Photo Trip of Tong Lau in Sheung Wan copyright by Canon (2017)
Architecture in China Architecture in Hong Kong Macau architecture Lingnan architecture Housing in Hong Kong Apartment types House types Cantonese words and phrases