Building sights in China
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A
Guangdong Guild Hall
Near the Drum Tower is the Guangdong Guild Hall, built in 1907 and also known as the Museum of Opera.
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B
Huilan Pavilion
At No 6 Bathing Beach is a pier that reaches out into the bay and is tipped with the eight-sided Huilan Pavilion .
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C
Huabi Bank
A little north of the former Kincheng Bank, on the corner, is the old former site of the Huabi Bank, dating from the 1920s.
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D
Kincheng Bank
Walk north along Jiefang Beilu past the decaying nobility and wrought-iron balconies of the former Kincheng Bank built in 1937.
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Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1881. Newly restored, the church sits alongside a café -its crypt now serving as a nightclub!
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E
Jade Emperor Pavilion
Incorporated into Gǔwénhuà Jiē (Ancient Culture Street) is the Jade Emperor Pavilion, an ancient solitary twin-eaved hall.
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Da Ci'en Temple
Surrounding the Big Goose Pagoda is Da Ci'en Temple, one of the largest temples in Tang Cháng'ān. The buildings today date from the Qing dynasty.
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The National City Bank of New York building
The National City Bank of New York building is one of the monumental old-world buildings - epitaphs to an increasingly distant age - that push up against Yanjiang Dadao.
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Yokohama Syokin Bank
The former Yokohama Syokin Bank (dating from 1921) on the corner of Nanjing Lu is one of the monumental old-world buildings - epitaphs to an increasingly distant age - that push up against Yanjiang Dadao.
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F
Old Wan Chai Post Office
A short distance to the east of Wan Chai Market is this tiny colonial-style building erected in 1913 and now serving as a resource centre operated by the Environmental Protection Department.
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Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China
A little down from the former Jardine Matheson & Co building is the former Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China, a colossal and overblown edifice with vast pillars, now serving as a post office.
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G
Citibank Building
The grandiose and huge former Citibank Building opposite the former Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, dates from 1918; now it's the Agricultural Bank of China. Pop in and have a peek at the interior during banking hours.
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H
Dajing Pavilion
Dating from 1815, this pavilion is attached to the sole preserved (and restored) section of the Old Town wall, which was toppled in 1912. On the ground floor is a Chinese-language exhibition of the Old Town and you can climb the battlements.
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I
Beijing Exhibition Hall
Opened in 1954 to mark the fifth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, this hall is a monstrous cousin to Stalin's notorious 'seven sisters' buildings that dot the Moscow skyline. It now hosts trade and professional conventions.
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J
Government House
South of the Church of St Lawrence is the headquarters of the Macau SAR government. This pillared, rose-coloured building was built in 1849 for a Portuguese noble. It’s open to the public for one day a year, usually in September or October.
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K
Beihai Christ Church
The small Beihai Christ Church with its Chinese bibles for sale on the ground floor and small, modern upstairs chapel. Between No 1 and No 3 Zhuhai Xilu was the former site of the Sanhuang Temple (三皇庙; Sānhuáng Miào), alas no more.
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L
Old Tai Po District Office
Another large residential and industrial New Town, Tai Po is the springboard for excursions into Plover Cove Country Park and Pat Sin Leng Country Park. The Old Tai Po District Office was built in 1907 and is one of the oldest examples of Western architecture in the New Territories.
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M
Shanghai Children’s Palace
A striking white, two-storey 1920s building, this was formerly Kadoorie House, named after its wealthy Jewish owner. Architecture detectives can still peek in the rooms of Elly Kadoorie’s 1920s mansion, once the site of Shanghai’s most extravagant balls. It now hosts after-school activities for kids.
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Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building
The former Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building, a pompous creation, now houses the Bank of China, opposite the old address of the Sino-Russian Bank (Huáè Dàoshèng Yínháng) dating from 1895. Next door to No 82 is the former Yokohama Specie Bank Ltd (Héngbīn Zhèngjīn Yínháng) dating from 1926 and now also a Bank of China.
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Commune by the Great Wall
For something different, check out Commune by the Great Wall, 70km northwest of Beijing. Stunning contemporary ‘villas’, each designed differently by some of Asia’s hottest architects, form one of the most offbeat and luxurious hotels in Beijing with 46 guest rooms spread among 12 luxury villas. The commune can be experienced on a guided tour through the grounds and any unoccupied rooms. Book the tour in advance.
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O
Shanghai Exhibition Centre
The hulking great monolith of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre can be seen from West Nanjing Rd. It was built as the Palace of Sino-Soviet Friendship, a friendship that soon turned to ideological rivalry and even the brink of war in the 1960s. Architectural buffs will appreciate its monumentality and unsubtle, bold Bolshevik strokes – there was a time when Pǔdōng was set to look like this. The site of the Exhibition Centre was originally the gardens of the Jewish millionaire Silas Hardoon.
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P
Former Marine Police Headquarters
Just being completed at the time of writing, this handsome declared monument with a boutique hotel and luxury goods shops is the end result of an extensive and lengthy redevelopment of this prime site overlooking the harbour. While heritage lovers may baulk at the pretty nakedly commercial use of this 1884 historic building, at least visitors can once again get a close-up look at this site, which had been closed for years. The ship’s mast was used to hoist typhoon signals while the tower next to it used to hoist and drop a globe on a pole to mark the time for ships in the harbour.
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Q
Former Legislative Council Building
The colonnaded and domed building (c 1912) was built of granite quarried on Stonecutters Island, and served as the seat of the Legislative Council from 1985 to 2012. During WWII it was a headquarters of the Gendarmerie, the Japanese version of the Gestapo, and many people were executed here. Standing atop the pediment is a blindfolded statue of Themis, the Greek goddess of justice and natural law.
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R
Exchange Square
This complex of office towers is home to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and a number of corporate headquarters. The main draw is the attractive and relatively peaceful open-air space, featuring fountains and sculptures by Henry Moore and Taiwanese artist Ju Ming. Access is via a network of overhead pedestrian walkways stretching west to Sheung Wan and linked to buildings on the other side of Connaught Rd.
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S
Hong Kong City Hall
The City Hall, built in 1962, is a major cultural venue in Hong Kong, with concert and recital halls, a theatre and exhibition galleries. Within the Lower Block, entered to the east of City Hall’s main entrance, the Hong Kong Planning & Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery may not sound like a crowd-pleaser, but may awaken the Meccano builder in more than a few visitors.
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