Stylistic features of the European architecture of banking institutions in Guangzhou late 19th - early 20th century on the example of Shamyan island

The article is devoted to the architecture of European banking institutions in Guangzhou, built on the territory of Shamyan island in the late 19th - early 20th century. A brief historical excursion into the history of the formation of the British and French concessions is given. This publication examines the stylistic and compositional features of the architecture of such banking institutions as: Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation; The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China; International banking corporation (City Bank); Bank of Taiwan; Commercial Corporation of Mitsubishi; Yokogama Specie Bank; The E.D.Sassoon & Co.Ltd. и D. Sassoon Sons Co. Ltd; Bank of Indochina; China & France Industry Bank. A composite and stylistic analysis was conducted, an iconographic description of the buildings of the main banks located within the boundaries of the former European concessions on Shamyan Island is given The study reveals the general principles of the development of the architecture of banking institutions in Guangzhou. The materials and results of the research carried out by the authors of this article allowed us to formulate the following conclusions: 1. The territorial isolation of the Shamyan island from the Chinese part of Guangzhou, as well as the operation within the concessions of British and French laws, contributed to the fact that the development of the architectural ensemble of the island as a whole was carried out in line with the advanced West European architectural and urban trends. 2. Most of the banking buildings here are built in the eclectic style with the predominance of neoclassicism features, of course, this fact is connected with the desire of the owners of bank corporations to demonstrate to the clients and competitors the financial strength of their organizations. 3. In the architecture of the considered banking institutions there is an active use of tectonics and elements of the order system, colonnades, arcades, the allocation of the first floor in the form of a rustic plinth. The motifs of Renaissance architecture, Baroque and Art Nouveau are also traced. 4. The formation of the appearance of banking buildings in Shamyan was strongly influenced by local conditions. The hot and humid subtropical climate of the south of China contributed to the spread in the architecture of the structures of this type of order colonnades, forming deep open verandas, as well as the use of X-shaped creaks-elements to ensure the natural ventilation of buildings, which, in addition, became an expressive element of the facade decoration.

Keywords

Authors

References