Features of Guangzhou Qilou buildings

Guangzhou Qilou buildings became popular in the early 1930s, which were rebuilt from the traditional Cantonese residential buildings, namely the "Bamboo Tube House (Zhutong Wu)". Therefore, the Qilou buildings are usually narrow and long, with the outside walls richly decorated. In most cases, these walls are built with granite plasters, with a few exceptions of red bricks, giving a feeling of dignity and good taste.

The side of the Qilou buildings facing the street generally follows a three-part model: the lowest part is the pillars supporting the arcade, namely "Qilou"; the middle part is comprised of the main building and the highest part is usually made up of the end sprout of eaves gutter. The outside walls are usually dotted with rich decorative patterns or light relieves.

  The styles of Qilou buildings

Though representing a blend of Chinese and western architectural styles, Qilou building in Guangzhou, which are used for both commercial and residential purposes, usually have a western-style front. The designers of the Qilou Buildings, rather than professional architects, were but common artisans. Faced with western buildings, they paid more attention to the outside decorations instead of the structure and layout. With their rich experience, they made some imitations according to their own understanding, adopting kind of liberal attitude. Their creative imitation and bold reform worked out the characteristic Qilou buildings of different styles:

Gothic Revival Style

Masterpiece: Changdi Aiqun Mansion

Buildings of this style is not regularly seen in other cities. Xinhua Bookstore in Beijing Road and Changdi Aiqun Mansion are representive buildings of this style. Xinhua Bookstore features strong vertical lines and prolonged arcade windows, which is typical of Gothic Revival architecture. Aiqun Mansion, on the other hand, is more flexible with the Gothic style, featuring vertical composition on the front with Gothic windows. And the pillars are also arranged in the gothic style.