THE FRENCH AS ARCHITECTURAL TRENDSETTERS IN CANTON, 1767-1820引領廣洲建築潮流的法國人：1767-1820
The article investigates the extent to which the French presence in Canton (Guangzhou) between 1767 and 1820 acted as a vector of architectural trends in the European mercantile space. Starting from the premise that the buildings known as hongs 行—warehouses and trading houses also described as “fore...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
2014
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40045/2406 |
| Summary: | The article investigates the extent to which the French presence in Canton (Guangzhou) between 1767 and 1820 acted as a vector of architectural trends in the European mercantile space. Starting from the premise that the buildings known as hongs 行—warehouses and trading houses also described as “foreign factories”—constituted an essential urban and commercial device for the international community, the author analyzes how French agents influenced practices of occupation, adaptation, and spatial choice of these complexes. Methodologically, it combines the reading of contemporary descriptions, documentation on dimensions and plans of the hongs, and the historical-institutional contextualization of the trade system in Canton, relating architecture to the dynamics of accommodation, storage, and offices that attracted merchants and officials. The evidence discussed suggests that the materiality of the hongs—organized according to specific axes and orientations—facilitated the circulation of preferences and construction patterns associated with French taste, while remaining anchored in a pre-existing Chinese typology. It concludes that French influence was not limited to the abstract cultural sphere but manifested itself in the configuration of the architectural environment of international trade in Canton, contributing to the consolidation of a shared visual and functional repertoire in the period. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |