Haikou Qilou Old Street

The qilou is a shophouse with its upper floors carried over the pavement on columns, forming a continuous covered arcade, a form that suits heat and downpours and spread through southern China and Southeast Asia. Haikou's largest concentration was built mostly between the 1920s and 1940s by Hainanese who had made money in Singapore, Malaya, Vietnam and Thailand and came home to build, bringing facade styles with them: baroque plasterwork, Indian and Islamic motifs, European columns, all on Chinese shophouse plans. Several streets survive around Zhongshan Road, restored in the 2010s, with cafés, shops and old family businesses beneath the arcades.

What you actually see

• The arcades - continuous covered walkways under the upper floors.
• The mixed facades - European, Southeast Asian and Chinese detail together.
• Zhongshan Road - the best-preserved and restored street.
• The shops - old businesses and new cafés under the columns.

When to go

November to April for dry mild weather; summer is hot and wet, though the arcades exist precisely for that. Evenings are pleasant and the facades lit. Weekends are busier.

Honest expectations

Restoration has been uneven and some blocks are empty or shabby. The commercial main street is more polished than the surrounding lanes. Interpretation is largely Chinese.

Nearby

Leiqiong Geopark lies south; the Hainan ferry port is west.