Tong lau means ‘Chinese building’. And they’re not unique to Hong Kong. Built by southern Chinese merchants across Asia, from Guangzhou to Taipei to Penang, tong lau initially took the form of shophouses, with retail space on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs.

There are precious few examples of the earliest generations of tong lau. In the heart of the Central’s street market, 120 Wellington Street was built in 1884; it has been saved from demolition as the rest of the neighbourhood has been redeveloped. In Wan Chai, the Blue House is a tong lau built in 1922 that is being converted into social housing and a community arts space. On Tong Mi Road in Mong Kok, a handsome tong lau known as Lui Seng Chun, built in 1931, has been converted into a Chinese medicine centre with its curved corner balustrades carefully restored to their original glory. Not far away, a row of art deco-influenced, 1930s-era tong lau are being fixed up in the midst of the Flower Market.

The post-Second World War version of the tong lau, more streamlined and utilitarian, is common. It continues to dominate the landscape of entire Hong Kong neighbourhoods. You can see them in the narrow streets of Tai Hang, where their intimate scale is a reminder of the neighbourhood’s origins as a fishing village. On Wing Lee Street in Sheung Wan, a row of 1950s tong lau was saved from demolition after it played a starring role in the 2010 hit movie Echoes of the Rainbow.

Modern Hong Kong buildings come with mirrored lobbies, ornate chandeliers and legions of security staff keeping an eye on things. They’re designed to impress, maybe even intimidate. Tong lau are just the opposite: they’re a reminder that Hong Kong can be a simple, honest city; the kind of place where you can stroll down pleasant streets and discover a record shop, a café or someone’s unexpectedly nice apartment.

Hero image credit: Mandy Yeung