~2026-26363-44 at 03:06, 1 May 2026

2026-05-01T03:06:27Z

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{{short description|Asian hybrid architecture style}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
[[File:Traditional shophouses in Upper Cross Street, Chinatown, Singapore (17161367876).jpg|thumb|280px|Sino-Portuguese-styled [[shophouse]]s are most prominent in [[Singapore]], especially at its Chinatown. The facade of the leftmost example was remodeled in a late-[[Art Deco]] style.]]

'''Sino-Portuguese architecture''', also known as '''Chinese Baroque,''' '''Straits/Singapore Eclectic architecture''' or '''[[Peranakan]] architecture''' is an Asian hybrid style incorporating elements of both [[Chinese architecture|Chinese]] and [[Architecture of Portugal|Portuguese]] [[architectural styles]]. It is common in urban centers where Chinese settlers lived in [[southern China]] and the Peranakans of the [[Malay Peninsula]], with examples found and most prominently conserved and maintained in [[Singapore]].

Historical areas with such architecture can also be found throughout [[Malay Peninsula]], [[Southern Thailand]] (primarily [[Phuket]]), [[Macau]], [[Medan]], [[Vietnam]] and [[Hainan]] (primarily [[Haikou]]). In many of these places however, such structures have either been demolished or are in a state of disrepair.

== Sino-Portuguese style ==
The characteristics of Sino-Portuguese architecture is a mix of European and Chinese styles or simply [[colonial architecture]]. These older buildings were built by the Chinese [[coolies]]. The building has the design (painting) in Chinese format, but the structure is Portuguese. Typically, the building is a one or two storey mixed commercial-residential building. The wall has strength due to the weight of the tiles on the roof. The roof is clad in curved tiles of Chinese provenance.

In contemporary Singapore, such structures are conserved and maintained regularly, making them a huge tourist attraction for foreigners unacquainted with such structures. Its historical heritage as well as its location in the city-centre also makes them highly valuable.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mahadevan |first1=Sandhya |title=Here's Why Shophouses in Singapore Are in High Demand Right Now |url=https://www.tatlerasia.com/homes/property/sg-property-investment-shophouses-singapore-high-demand |website=Tatler Asia |access-date=3 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Sino-Portuguese history in Phuket==
The [[Phuket Old Town|old town]] in [[Phuket City|Phuket]] has a history as the center of a [[tin mining]] and trading province. In the era of [[Western imperialism in Asia|Western imperialism]], after 1511 (2054 [[Buddhist calendar|BE]]), Portuguese settlers came to Phuket and to the trade port of Malacca. The settlers brought Western culture with them, including their technologies, religion, and their own architectural styles. Portuguese settlers employed Chinese workers to build their houses and establishments. These structures mixed Portuguese and Chinese art styles together, giving rise to Sino-Portuguese architecture.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Phuket Old Town 1.jpg|Sino-Portuguese architecture, Dibuk Road, Phuket City, [[Thailand]]
File:Colorful shophouses in Koon Seng Road, Singapore.jpg|Colourful shophouses at Koon Seng Road, Singapore
File:Kuden Mansion.jpg|Kuden Mansion in [[Satun]], Thailand, an example of a box layout Sino-Portuguese mansion. The building now houses the Satun National Museum.
File:Town Mansion.JPG|Governor's Mansion in Phuket City represents a contrast to Kuden Mansion, with a more extensive layout.
File:Katong3.jpg|District such as [[Katong]], Singapore, incorporates many ornamental elements of mansion designs in the Sino-Portuguese style.
File:2016 Singapur, Chinatown, Ulica Klubowa, Domy-sklepy (02).jpg|Club Street townhouses, Singapore. Some of the buildings incorporate open balconies on the third floor.
File:Tanjong Pagar Road shophouses 2.JPG|Tanjong Pagar Road shophouses, illustrating three-storey varieties of Straits architecture.
File:Joo-Chiat-Lane-1112.jpg|Double storey shophouses at Joo Chiat Lane, a common design in the outer reaches of urban Singapore.
File:Shophouse around Arab street (13871784723).jpg|Ornamentation of a shophouse around Arab Street, Singapore. Elaborate ornamentation is typically a mark of wealth for the owner who commissioned the construction of the building.
File:Skewed_Front_View,_Tjong_A_Fie_Mansion,_Medan.jpg|[[Tjong A Fie Mansion]], [[Medan]], [[Indonesia]], a rarer example of Sino-Portuguese architecture in the country.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{portal|Architecture|Singapore}}
{{div col}}
* [[Architecture of Singapore]]
* [[Bahay na Bato]]
* [[Malay houses]]
* [[Nipa hut]]
* [[Rumah adat]]
* [[Shophouse]]
* [[Tong lau]]
{{div col end}}{{Commonscat|Sino-Portuguese architecture}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.phuket.com/magazine3/focus.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001 Old Phuket Houses. Retrieved 3 October 2016, from www.phuket.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170222091439/http://lestariheritage.net/phuket/webpages/mov01.html Phuket's Old Town Movement. Retrieved 3 October 2016, from lestariheritage.net]
* [https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/thailand/southern-thailand-andaman-coast/phuket/phuket-town/phuket-town-sino-portuguese-architecture/ Sino-Portuguese Architecture. Retrieved 3 October 2016, from www.roughguides.com]
* [https://asianitinerary.com/origin-of-sino-portuguese-houses/]

[[Category:Architectural styles]]
[[Category:Portuguese colonial architecture in Indonesia|*]]
[[Category:Portuguese colonial architecture in Malaysia|*]]
[[Category:Architecture in Singapore]]
[[Category:Portugal–Singapore relations]]
[[Category:Architecture in Thailand]]
[[Category:Portuguese diaspora in Thailand]]
[[Category:Portuguese colonial architecture]]

Sino-Portuguese architecture - Revision history

~2026-26363-44 at 03:06, 1 May 2026