Architecture on the Road
Snaps FROM SHANTOU OLD TOWN
I consider myself a big fan of Guangdong Province, and for my last trip to the South of China, I decided it was the perfect time to go check out the city of Shantou and its scruffy Old Town.
Shantou (汕头, in local dialect Swatow) is one of the biggest costal cities in Guangdong Province.
In the 1980s, it was declared a Chinese Special Economic Zone (a special zone subject to tax reductions and other measures to encourage economic development), an advantage that incredibly boosted the growth of the city (even if not comparably with the adjacent Special Economic Zones of Shenzhen and Xiamen).
Now, Shantou is a modern metropolis with over 5 million inhabitants, but while wandering and scootering around I experienced a much more relaxed vibe compared to the other larger southern cities.
One of the highlights of Shantou is its decadent colonial Old Town, dating back to the years of Western Imperialism in Asia.
The city has in fact a rich modern history dating back to it’s beginnings as a trading port in 1860, when Shantou opened its land to foreigners after the stipulation of the Treaty of Tianjin (which, among other unequal agreements established at the end of the Second Opium War, opened more Chinese ports to foreign trade).
What is left today of Shantou Old Town is a mixture of freshly plastered colonial buildings (so called Tong Lao or Qilou) hosting commercial and tourist activities alongside decadent and dilapidated residential blocks.
Part of the district is in fact being renovated (a face-lifting that is still ongoing), with souvenirs and local snacks shops opening at the ground floor of the buildings.
But just taking a turn down one of the small alleys that branch from the main streets will lead you to decadent and semi destroyed Shantou, where the trees are growing over old crumbling and ruinous buildings.
Observing the details of the facades, it stands to reason that some of those homes would have belonged to wealthy owners back in the day. Poking around inside the run-down houses, I could picture how impressive some of these palatial structures would have been during this golden era!
And even if partially collapsed and apparently abandoned, many homes seems to be still inhabited today.
I found Shantou Old Town to be charming in its decadence, but it is also a pity to see a big part of the historic fabric in really bad conditions, possibly waiting for a renovation that may erase the original aesthetic under layers of kitschy plasters and paints.
Here is a small collection of some of the pictures I snapped while exploring the neighborhood.
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