I've always had this huge interest in international cultures, and specifically the most visual elements of those cultures, their architecture.
Like traditional clothing and lifestyles, traditional architecture is something which is severely endangered in many places. Most traditional styles are specific to one region and therefore unique and worth preserving. And in no other place is it more endangered than in southeast Asia.

These days a picture of a very beautiful older city often only represents core and historical areas, and usually the city is surrounded by suburbs and sprawl of mostly bland newer buildings, often in the international style, which can be seen in any place all over the world. Newer architecture very rarely mimics its older counterpart and is often built far more cheaply and will not last or give a lasting legacy.

There are a few exceptions on this list. While the old buildings in Hong Kong are nearly gone the few that remain are being preserved. The old buildings in George Town, Penang have already been preserved and a few historic districts in Seoul, South Korea are protected.

1. My favorite of these local Southeast Asian styles is the Hong Kong "Tong Lau", huge imposing shophouse buildings with a business on the first floor and residences above. These were once to Hong Kong what Brownstones are to New York, pretty much a ubiquitous sight in the city for many. But, like the Chinese junks that plied Hong Kong waters well into the late 1970's these buildings mostly disappeared in a very short period of time. Only 200 or so prewar shophouses remain in the city.

2. Beijing has its own distinct housing among other Chinese cities. Siheyuan, ancient courtyard houses, some of which are 500 years old were once the only housing present in the city due to years of Chinese isolation. These were compounds rather than single houses, usually housing several generations of the same family in houses along three sides of a walled compound with a courtyard in the center. Placement of these houses was based on the location of the sun as well as weather patterns and the high walls served to block the cold winter winds. In the last 20 years wholesale eradication of neighborhoods of these compounds has occurred at the hands of corrupt developers.


3.Tokyo, Japan is an unlikely place for historical architecture. Much of the city was obliterated during WW2, the wood and paper buildings being particularly vulnerable to fire. The result is that Tokyo has very little in the way of historical architecture, and even old buildings such as those pictured aren't typically older than 60 years. An oddity of Japanese culture is that houses nearly always have a limited lifespan, this ideally being between 20 and 30 years. So typically after that time a house will be demolished and a new one built in its place. In Japan the average house is only 30 years old. In America the average age of a house is 70 years. Like Hong Kong Tokyo has very few remaining buildings in traditional style and most people prefer newer concrete and steel sided buildings.

4. Seoul is often seen the same way as Tokyo, generally as a mostly new and modern city. But Seoul, unlike Tokyo, still has many old traditional neighborhoods. These houses are also more similar to Chinese courtyard homes, being of very similar design and princible. In recent years many of these areas have become protected historic districts. However, many on the periphery of the city have been relegated to slum duty and are being eyed for demolition. Though the concept behind Korean courtyard homes is similar to those in Beijing Korean ones have a distinct cleaner architectural style.

5.Due to its colonial past much of Hanoi's architecture is a colorful mix of colonial and indigenous architectural styles, and often feature more vertical setups than many other Asian cultures, along with a very narrow footprint.

6. Penang, Malaysia has a bounty of well-preserved original shophouses. These are similar to Hong Kong's and are a hybrid of colonial and indigenous designs. In recent years many of the old neighborhoods in George Town have been restored and become tourist destinations in the city.

7. Given China's huge size and geography its no surprise that architectural style varies in different regions of the country. And Shanghai, due to its unique history, sports its own architectural style. Shanghai was for decades colonized by a number of different countries, including France and England, each with its own quarter. Though architectural style differed slightly in each of these quarters there was some consistent features among the houses. These include a townhouse type layout, a small front garden and a large gate to that garden. Despite its uniqueness traditional Shanghai architecture is perhaps the most endangered of any Chinese city, as the government reportedly plans on demolishing 0ver 80% of Shanghai's old buildings.

All spelling errors are mine, but these images are copyright their original creators.
I am making no money off of this and do not claim ownership of these photos.