TITLE:
Integrating Economic Vitality and Cultural Identity: Heritage Revitalization of Lingnan Commercial Qilou Architecture across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Region
AUTHORS:
Shaobin Wang
KEYWORDS:
Lingnan Architecture, Qilou Building, Commercial Space, Heritage Economy, Cultural Value, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Region
JOURNAL NAME:
Voice of the Publisher,
Vol.11 No.4,
December
4,
2025
ABSTRACT: This study explores the transformation of Lingnan’s Qilou (arcade) architecture from a functional commercial space to a cultural symbol representing regional identity. Using an interpretive historical inquiry approach, the research examines how economic practices, spatial forms, and cultural values intersected to shape the Qilou’s evolution from the late Qing dynasty to the present. Drawing upon archival records, merchant documents, urban plans, and field observations in Guangzhou, Chaozhou, and Jiangmen, the study reconstructs the socio-economic and symbolic contexts of arcade architecture. Findings reveal that the Qilou embodied Cantonese merchants’ pragmatic commercial ethos while gradually acquiring cultural significance as a site of collective memory and identity. The research contributes to understanding how architecture mediates between material economy and cultural meaning, offering insights into heritage preservation and the sustainable integration of historical urban forms within modern development.