NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
HAIKOU, 13 April (BelTA - China Daily). - China-based foreign media correspondents, foreign internet influencers and domestic journalists visited Haikou, capital city of South China's Hainan province, and experienced the city's qilou culture on a "A Date with China" international media tour.
Historical qilou, or sotto portico, which is well-preserved in Haikou city, is a kind of Nanyang-style arcade building with a strong blend of Chinese and Western architectural features. The east-meet-west architectural style has made it one of the most unique street landscapes in the city, with over 600 existing qilou buildings in 12 streets.
Qilou has a columned and covered porch available to all pedestrians. It functions as a sidewalk during rains, which are frequent because of the tropical climate. The space can also be used by stores to put merchandise to attract customers.
The oldest qilou of the city, Sipailou, was built in the Southern Song Dynasty and has a history of more than 700 years.
The qilou old streets in Haikou, in the process of historical development, condense many cultural connotations, such as Haikou's folk culture, Nanyang culture, Confucian culture and so on. At the same time, various traditional delicacies and folk arts have taken root and grown here.
