Skip to main content

Distributed for Hong Kong University Press

Harbin to Hanoi

The Colonial Built Environment in Asia, 1840 to 1940

Colonial powers in China and northern Vietnam employed the built environment for many purposes as an expression of imperial aspirations, a manifestation of supremacy, a mission to civilize, a re-creation of a home away from home, or simply as a place to live and work. In this volume, scholars of city planning, architecture, and Asian and imperial history provide a detailed analysis of how colonization worked on different levels, and how it was expressed in stone, iron, and concrete. The process of creating the colonial built environment was multilayered and unpredictable. This book uncovers the regional diversity of the colonial built form found from Harbin to Hanoi, varied experiences of the foreign powers in Asia, flexible interactions between the colonizers and the colonized, and the risks entailed in building and living in these colonies and treaty ports.

304 pages | 24 color and 26 b&w illus. | 6 x 9


Hong Kong University Press image

View all books from Hong Kong University Press

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press