Sino-Portuguese architecture, also known as Chinese Baroque, Straits/Singapore Eclectic architecture or

Peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...

architecture is an Asian hybrid style incorporating elements of both

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

architectural styles An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

. It is common in urban centers where Chinese settlers lived in

southern China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

and the Peranakans of the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula 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 ...

, with examples found and most prominently conserved and maintained in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. Historical areas with such architecture can also be found throughout

Southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...

(primarily

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

(primarily

Haikou Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the 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. The northern part of the city is on the Ha ...

). In many of these places however, such structures has either be 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 an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their ...

. These older buildings were built by the Chinese

coolies A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...

. 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 after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

has a history as the center of a tin mining and trading province. In the era of

Western imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

, after 1511 (2054 BE), Portuguese settlers came to Phuket and to the trade port of Malacca. The settlers brought Western culture with them, as well as science, 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 ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

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 (, , ms, Setul) 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 ...

, 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, also known as Tanjong Katong, is a residential neighbourhood in the eastern portion of the Central Region of Singapore, within the Marine Parade planning area. It used to be located by the sea, before land reclamation towards the south ...

, 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 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 der Chineezen' (leader of t ...

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, a rarer example of Sino-Portuguese architecture in the country.

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 Singaporean culture Portuguese colonial architecture Portuguese diaspora in Thailand Buildings and structures in Phuket province

Sino-Portuguese style

Sino-Portuguese history in Phuket

Gallery

See also

References

External links