Tong Lau or
Kee-lau was a tenement building design in late 19th Century to 1960s and unqiue to Hong Kong and southern China.
Overview
Tong Lau is essentially a balcony-type tenement building for residential and commercial use.
The ground floor portion is reserved for commercial use, mostly by small businesses like pawn shops and food vendors. The upper floors were residential use and catered to Chinese residents of Hong Kong. Most ''Tong Lau'' were 2-4 storeys tall and 15 feet in width.
Early Tong Lau
19th Century ''Tong Lau'' encompassed and European architectural features
The Chinese component was based on building design from southern China, manily in Guangdong Province. European influences were usually Neo Classical.
The ''Tong Lau'' roof used wood and/or Xieding tiles and iron was used for the balconies. The balcony's design was based on the Guangzhou-style. 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 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 architecture features of early Tong Laus:
* granite capped balustrades
* decorative urns on the roof
* wooden floors and joists
* Canton floor tiles
An example of early ''Tong Lau'' or ''Kee-Lau'' is Lui Seng Chun.
Post War Tong Lau
''Tong Lau'' built after World War II were simplier in design:
Iron balconies were replaced with concrete ones and later sealed with windows. Roofs were often flat with a 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 close 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 meant Hong Kong ran short of housing. ''Tong Lau'' were seen as a solution and many of these buildings were renovated to become rental units.
Rooms on the upper floors were divided into smaller rooms and sublet as units by owners. They would only accommodate bunkbeds. The middle of the floor was common space for tenants to eat and stretch. Bathrooms and kitchens were also shared amongst the tenants on each floor.
Tenants paid for electricity and water on a monthly basis.
The sublet of floors in the ''Tong Lau'' results in changes in housing regulations in Hong Kong .
After the 1960s, many ''Tong Lau'' were demolished to give way to taller apartment and commercial buildings. Very few ''Tong Lau''s are found in Hong Kong today. The Blue House is one of a few remaining Tong Lau in Hong Kong.
Tong Lau in Hong Kong
''Tong Lau''s are found throughout Hong Kong:
* Wong Tai Sin
* Central, Hong Kong
** 17 and 19 Shing Wong Street
** 1-12 Wing Lee Street
* Yaumatei
* Shek Kip Mei
* Tai Po
* Wan Chai
** 60-66 Johnston Road
** 18 Ship Street
** 186-190 Queen's Road East
* Cheung Sha Wan
* Kwun Tong
* Mongkok
* Tsim Sha Tsui
* Yuen Long
* Hung Hum
* Sham Shui Po
Tong Lau in Macau
Tong Laus are also found in Macau on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro near the Largo do Senado. Tong Laus 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 Laus here often feature Portguese colonial architectural influences.
Tong Lau in China
Southern China, namely cities in Guangdong, is where the ''Tong Lau'' or ''Qilou'' originate in the late 19th Century. They were built by wealthy Chinese merchants in the cities like Guangzhou.
Qilou styles varied from Chinese to European:
* Gothic Style
* Nanyang Style
* Ancient Roman Gallery Style
* Imitation Baroque Style
* Modernisme
* Traditional Chinese Architectural Style
Locations in Guangzhou with Qilou:
* Renmin Zhong Road
* Taiping Nan Road
* Shangxiajiu pedestrian street
* Yide road and area around the Sacred Heart Stone House Cathedral
* Beijing Road Xinhua Bookstore & Aiqun Mansion
* 186 at Wenming Rd.
* Xinhua Hotel
* Wanfu Road and Shang Xiajiu Pedestrian Street
* Taikang Road
* 139 at South Dezheng Road
Architects
W.H. Bourne a local Hong Kong architect, was one of a few designers of ''Tong Lau''.
