Haikou Qilou Old Street

　　Haikou Qilou Old Street is one of the most distinctive street landscapes in Haikou City. The oldest building among them, Sipailou, was built during the Southern Song Dynasty and has a history of over 700 years. On June 10, 2009, the first "China Historical and Cultural Famous Streets Selection and Promotion" event was announced in Beijing, and Haikou Qilou Old Street was on the list. With its uniqueness and distinctiveness, Haikou Qilou Old Street was honored as one of the first batch of ten "China Historical and Cultural Famous Streets."

　　The Qilou buildings in Haikou are mainly distributed in the old districts along Deshengsha Road, Zhongshan Road, Bo’ai Road, Xinhua Road, Jiefang Road, and Changdi Road. The Qilou Old Street covers an area of about two square kilometers, with a total length of 4.4 kilometers, and consists of nearly 600 Qilou buildings, mostly three to four stories high. Most of the Qilou were built by overseas Chinese who returned from Southeast Asia in the early 20th century, drawing inspiration from the architectural styles of the region at the time. The Qilou are adorned with elegant and delicate sculptures and Western-style decorations, bearing a somewhat Baroque flair. The buildings are generally not very tall, mostly two or three stories, with some still retaining the shop signs from earlier times, as well as exquisitely carved railings, windows, and doors.

　　The architectural complex of Haikou’s Qilou Old Street initially took shape between the 1920s and 1940s, with the oldest building, Sipailou, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty, over 600 years ago. The history of the Qilou is closely linked to the early stages of Haikou’s opening to the outside world. During the late Qing Dynasty, Haikou was one of the national ports open to the outside world and served as a gateway for the entire island. People who had sought livelihoods in Southeast Asia began to return and invest in their hometowns. In 1849, the earliest Qilou were built in the Sipailou district around Shuixiangkou and North Bo’ai Road. The entire Qilou district extended from this area and gradually grew in scale.

　　The development of Haikou’s Qilou district originated from the growth of maritime trade and shipping. At that time, Haikou’s shipping routes reached cities such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Saigon, Haiphong, as well as Hong Kong, Xiamen, Taiwan, Guangzhou, and Beihai. As a result, merchants and laborers active in Southeast Asia and along China’s coastal regions became carriers of Nanyang culture, also bringing various architectural styles and designs to Haikou. This contributed to the unique Eurasian blend of urban aesthetics found in Haikou’s Qilou historical and cultural district.

　　Scenic Area Address: Qilou Old Street, Longhua District, Haikou City, Hainan Province

　　Transportation: Within Haikou City, take bus lines 3, 6, 14, 27, 37, 39, 43, or 56 to get there