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This study analyzes the architectural style and craftsmanship of a mid-19th-century building, 25 China Street.

June 30, 2026Open Access

Pre-Industrial Grandeur of 25 China Street: A Typological Analysis of 1840s Straits Chinese Courtyard Architecture and Craftsmanship in George Town, Penang

Key Points

This study analyzes the architectural style and craftsmanship of a mid-19th-century building, 25 China Street.
Conducted a typological analysis of the structure's design and materials.
Examined regional Southern Chinese craftsmanship and traditional geometry techniques.
Focused on ornamental features, particularly the use of glazed ceramics.
Identified 25 China Street as a unique, unified example of mid-19th-century architecture.
Highlighted reliance on regional craftsmanship over imported materials.
Emphasized the building's climate-responsive design.

Abstract

Unlike the hyper-opulent, late-19th-century Anglo-Chinese eclectic mansions defined by imported European industrial materials, 25 China Street in George Town (Penang) stands as a rare, unified three-bay example of mid-19th-century Straits Chinese residential-commercial architecture, relying strictly on regional Southern Chinese structural craftsmanship, traditional climate-responsive geometry, and an ornamental language dominated by glazed ceramic work.

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