Haikou’s Qi Lou Old Street (海口骑楼老街) was selected as one of the 10 Historical and Cultural Streets of China in 2009.
Qilou refers to ‘arcade houses’ (骑楼) where the front half extends over a footpath or sidewalk. A row of such houses creates a sheltered pathway where pedestrians can walk sheltered from the elements. The building style of qilou buildings in Haikou has a mixture of European and Asian architectural characteristics. Each building has a parapet on the roof, which are of European Baroque design.
This architectural style has its origins dating back to ancient Greece some 2000 years ago. In Haikou, the oldest building, Sipai Building, dates back some 600 years to the Southern Song Dynasty. However, the majority at Qi Lou Old Street were built by Hainanese returning from overseas during the 1920s to 1930s.
The qilou buildings here stands 2 to 4 storeys high. The ground floor is used as shop front while the upper floors serves as living quarters.
Today, they can mainly be found on Zhongshan Street, Bo’ai North Street, Xinhua North Street, Deshengsha Street and Jiefang Street.
There are altogether more than 200 qilou buildings in this historical old street, including 39 by Zhongshan Street.
We took a walk down this stretch of qilou buildings and shopped at a couple of shops selling local produce and souvenirs.
It was observed that the buildings along the main tourist site were pretty well conserved. We can’t say the same for those off the main tourist stretch though they were buzzing with activities as the locals went on their daily lives. We passed shops selling Chinese herbs, tea, curtains and even pets, and had a glimpse into the local lifestyle.
There is a Qi Lou Snack Street which is like a foodcourt with many local Hainanese food and snacks. We did not visit that though.
Qi Lou Old Street is definitely worth a visit as it remains the main shopping and dining district in Haikou.