Many people view Guangzhou as a tolerant city, where people can freely bring their habits, lifestyles and skills to the best play, the essence of which will eventually be assimilated into the city's style. This is how Qilou buildings, or arcade-houses, took root in Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong province, eventually becoming landmarks there.

Guangzhou is among the first coastal cities to embrace foreign culture and begin modernization. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was the only commercial port. The commercial buildings of "the thirteen hong" are considered the earliest model of the later Qilou buildings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, when the city government began to widen the roads, this 18th century western architectural style was blended with the traditional Cantonese construction features, thus giving birth to the unique Qilou buildings.

Most of the Qilou buildings in Guangzhou are three or four storied, with a protruding structure, or arcade, stretching above from the second storey over the sidewalk. These arcades are linked together by the side of the street, forming a shaded corridor, which keeps the shops along the sidewalk as well as the pedestrians safe from the scorching sun and rain. Some arcades last for as long as several hundreds or even hundreds of dozens meters. The weather of Guangzhou is always changing and there is a saying going that " Guangzhou's weather in May is like the expressions of a young baby, which can change in a second." Therefore, Qilou buildings, which are suitable for the unpredictable sub-tropical climate in Lingnan areas, and which also provides great convenience for the local people, once was the main form of architectural style in Guangzhou.

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: Aiqun Mansion

Buildings of this style is not regularly seen in other cities. Xinhua Bookstore in Beijing Road and Aiqun Mansion are representative 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.

Ancient Roman Style
Masterpiece: Xinhua Hotel

Though not commonly seen in other cities, quite many Qilou building of this style can be found in Guangzhou, among which Xinhua Hotel is a masterpiece. The pillars on the first floor are arcade, and the part between two arcades is dotted with whirlpool-like decorations.

Modern Style
Masterpiece: Along Taikang Road

This type of Qilou buildings were built in the 1980s, so they differ from the traditional Qilou buildings in size, structure, material and designing style. Generally, these modern building abandoned those complex decorations and were built in a more simple and practical way.