ABSTRACT

Hong Kong tong lau development occurred in Hong Kong from circa 1840 to 1960. Tong lau translates to “Chinese building” in Cantonese, and it is a building that is three to five storeys in height and where the ground floor accommodates a small shop and the upper floors are residences. It was built in continuous rows along a street and had uniform façades. With shops on the ground floor, tong lau buildings were also known as “shophouses” and became a generic terminology that was widely used to describe Hong Kong’s once abundant urban shophouse buildings. Some types of Hong Tong tong lau buildings featured a flat façade, verandah, cantilevered balcony, recessed balcony, and façade stairwell for a half-turn staircase.