Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia

The migration of Chinese from southeastern China to Southeast Asia is a significant component of the world's major cultural diasporas. It is the story of these hybrid architectural forms, built under different social and geographical environments that is the focus of this book.

Over a three-year period from 2007 to 2009, Ronald G. Knapp and A. Chester Ong made five field excursions to Asia in search of the old homes of Chinese sojourners and settlers. This book, a fascinating account of architectural multiculturalism in the pre-modern world, presents the results of their research. An introductory essay portrays the historical circumstances that gave rise to Chinese houses overseas, and includes historic images, colour photographs, paintings and line drawings. At the core of the book are stunning colour photographs of nearly 40 residences built from the late 18th into the early 20th century. For each residence, background information about the individual and his family who built and then lived there is given. Images from southeastern China help clarify similarities and differences, and in several cases, related family residences in China are also presented.

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