Tong lau

Early 20th century Tong Laus on Dixi Road in Chikan, Kaiping

Tong lau (Cantonese) or tang lau (Mandarin) means "Chinese building" – Tong or Tang (唐) refers to the Tang dynasty and is used as a term to mean Chinese, and lau (樓) 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 Macao and Guangzhou from traditional Southern Chinese townhouses. The early buildings were generally long and narrow with width of between 12–15 feet determined by the length of the wooden beams.[1] In Hong Kong's building regulations, it refers a building with any living space intended for more than one tenant.[2] 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 were residential use and catered to Chinese residents of Hong Kong. Most early tong lau were 2–4 storeys tall because building regulations that initially limited the height of building to 1.25 times the width of the street with a maximum height of 35 feet. 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 laus that were built after that may have 9 or more floors, and built without lifts.[3] The heyday of tong lau ended in the 1960s when population pressure resulted in many tong laus being demolished to make way for high-rise buildings and changes in building ordinance that allow for such high-rise buildings.[4]

Ke lau or qilou (Chinese: 騎樓. meaning "riding building"), is a form of tong lau with an arcade running alongside the road for pedestrian use. The term was originally "qilou with feet" (有脚騎樓, youjiao qilou), which was first used in Guangzhou's building regulations in 1912, and referred to the columns forming the colonnade that supported the projecting floors that "ride" above. The qilou buildings developed in Guangzhou were influenced by local traditions and the shophouses with five foot ways of Singapore first built under the instructions of Stamford Raffles in his town plan enacted soon after the founding of the colony in the early 19th century. Qilous were built in Southern China (Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian) starting in the early 20th century. Most of the qilous in Guangzhou were built in the 1930s until the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war, and few were built after that period.[5]

19th century tong lau in Tai Ping Shan in Hong Kong. The terraced buildings used by the Chinese in the foreground are distinct from the larger buildings used by Europeans higher up in the background.

The early tong lau in Hong Kong were mainly two- or three-storey structures built back-to-back, and built in areas such as Tai Ping Shan. 19th century tong lau encompassed Chinese and European architectural features. The Chinese component was based on building design from southern China, mainly in Guangdong 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 450–700 square feet with very high ceilings. Top floors were often living quarters for shopkeepers and their family.

Other architectural features of early tong laus:

• granite capped balustrades
• decorative urns on the roof
• wooden floors and joists
• Canton floor tiles

Lui Seng Chun in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, was built in 1931.

In 1903, in response to an outbreak of bubonic plague, the Hong Kong government issued a set of new regulations for tong lau so as to improve the living condition of those 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 have a 6-foot lane to remove back-to-back constructions. Roof tiles were also replaced by flat concrete roofs.[6]

In the 1920s, reinforced concrete began to be introduced as the main structural element, which allowed for verandah and cantilevered or recessed balconies to let in extra light.[6] An example of early tong lau or Kee-lau is Lui Seng Chun, a building in reinforced concrete built in Hong Kong in 1931.[7]

Example of tong lau in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong.

The osteopathy clinic in the Blue House, in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

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 staircase

The post-war 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).[8]

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. They would only accommodate bunk beds. The middle of the floor was common space for tenants to eat and use. Bathrooms and kitchens were also shared amongst the tenants on each floor. Tenants paid for electricity and water on a monthly basis.[8]

The sublet of floors in the 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. Few tong Lau are relatively found in Hong Kong today.[9]

On 29 January 2010, no. 45J Ma Tau Wai Road, Ma Tau Wai, a five-storey 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.[10]

Shophouses in Paifang Street, Chaozhou

Shopping street in Guangzhou.

Qilou in Xiamen.

Qilou styles varied from Chinese to European:

• Gothic Style
• Nanyang (Southeast Asia) Style
• Ancient Roman Gallery Style
• Imitation Baroque Style
• Modernisme　
• Traditional Chinese Architectural Style

Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in Macau.

60–66 Johnston Road, in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, before renovation.

60–66 Johnston Road, Hong Kong, after renovation.

Tong lau housing a pawnshop at Nos. 369, 371 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The building was demolished in 2015.

Tong lau are also found in Macau on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro 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 reused for commercial use. tong lau here often feature Portuguese colonial architectural influences.

The existence of tong laus was a culmination of a series of historic forces from economic development of Hong Kong, Second World War as well as the influx of Chinese migrants to Hong Kong.[12]

In 1898, the government introduced a building and public health ordinance which defined all the buildings including tong laus. In 1903, the government introduced a maximum height per storey of 9 feet (2.7 m), with a four-storey limit. This explains the general appearance of Tong laus. Yet, the ordinance changed in 1962 which became fully operative in 1966, and no tong lau was built later.[13]

Tong laus are mainly distributed in the following areas in Hong Kong:

• Hong Kong Island
  • Kennedy Town[14]
  • Shek Tong Tsui[15]
  • Sai Ying Pun[16]
    • Nos. 145, 147, 149, 151, 153 Third Street[17]
  • Sheung Wan[18]
    • No. 1 Queen's Road West[19]
  • Central[20]
    • Nos. 172, 174, 176 Queen's Road Central / 123, 125, 127 Wellington Street[19]
    • Nos. 17, 19 Shing Wong Street
    • Nos. 1–12 Wing Lee Street[21]
  • Wan Chai[22]
    • Nos. 369, 371 Hennessy Road.[19] The building was demolished in 2015.
    • Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8 Hing Wan Street[19] (Grade II)
    • Nos. 60–66 Johnston Road[19]
    • No. 8 King Sing Street[19]
    • Nos. 1–11 Mallory Street and 6–12 Burrows Street (Green House) (Grade II)[19]
    • Nos. 186–190 Queen's Road East (Grade II)[19][23]
    • No. 6 Stewart Road[19]
    • Nos. 72-74A Stone Nullah Lane (Blue House) (Grade I)[19]
    • No. 18 Ship Street (Grade II)[19]
  • Causeway Bay[24]
  • Happy Valley[25]
  • Tai Hang[26]
  • North Point[27]
    • Nos. 89, 91 Electric Road[19]
  • Quarry Bay[28]
  • Sai Wan Ho[29]
  • Shau Kei Wan[30]
  • Chai Wan
  • Aberdeen[31]
  • Tin Wan[32]
  • Ap Lei Chau[33]
  • Stanley[34]
• Kowloon
  • Tsim Sha Tsui[35]
  • Yau Ma Tei[36]
  • Mong Kok[37]
    • No. 119 Lai Chi Kok Road (Lui Seng Chun) (Grade I)[19]
    • No. 729 Nathan Road[19]
    • Nos. 1, 3 Playing Field Road[38]
    • Nos. 177–179,[19] 190–204,[39] 210–212[39] Prince Edward Road West
    • Nos. 600–606, 612, 614, 620–626 Shanghai Street[19][39] (Grade I)
  • Tai Kok Tsui[40]
  • Sham Shui Po[41]
    • Nos. 187, 189 Apliu Street[19]
    • No. 1235 Canton Road[19]
    • Nos. 130, 132 Ki Lung Street[19]
    • Nos. 117, 119, 121, 123, 125 Nam Cheong Street (Grade II)[19]
    • No. 58 Pei Ho Street[19]
    • No. 75 Un Chau Street[19]
    • No. 170 Yee Kuk Street[19]
    • Nos. 51, 53 Yen Chow Street[19]
    • Nos. 269, 271 Yu Chau Street (Grade II)[19]
  • Cheung Sha Wan[42]
  • Shek Kip Mei[43]
  • Hung Hom[44]
  • To Kwa Wan[45]
  • Ma Tau Wai[46]
  • Ho Man Tin[47]
  • Kowloon City[48]
  • Wong Tai Sin[49]
  • San Po Kong[50]
  • Lok Fu[51]
  • Tsz Wan Shan[52]
  • Ngau Chi Wan[53]
  • Kwun Tong[54]
  • Ngau Tau Kok[55]
  • Cha Kwo Ling[56]
• New Territories
  • Kwai Chung[57]
  • Tsuen Wan[58]
  • Tuen Mun[59]
  • Yuen Long[60]
    • No. 31 Lee Yick Street, Yuen Long Kau Hui[19]
    • Nos. 33–35 Nam Mun Hau, Yuen Long Kau Hui[19]
  • Tai Wai[61]
  • Tai Po[62]
  • Luen Wo Hui[63]
  • Sheung Shui[64]
  • Sha Tau Kok[65]
    • Nos. 1–22 San lau Street[19]
  • Sai Kung Town[66]
  • Tai O[67]
    • Nos. 46, 48 Kat Hing Street, Tai O[19]
  • Cheung Chau[68]
    • Nos. 233, 234, 242 Tai San Back Street[19]

• Arcade
• Architecture of Hong Kong
• Lingnan architecture
• Housing in Hong Kong
• Terraced house

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tong lau.

• Lee Ho Yin (19 April 2010). "Pre-war tong lau: A Hong Kong Shophouse Typology" (PDF). Heritage World Media. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2016.
• Conserve and Revitalise Hong Kong Heritage
• Mallory Street/Burrows Street Project
• Heritage enthusiast battles against the wrecker's ball
• 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)