Tong lau
![Nos. 600-626 Shanghai Street, in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.](/Images/godic/202502/16/HK_ShanghaiStreet_CantoneseVerandahTypePrewarShophouses2726.JPG")
![Lui Seng Chun in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, was built in 1931.](/Images/godic/202502/16/HK_LSC_Lui_Seng_Chun_22726.JPG")
![Example of tong lau in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong.](/Images/godic/202502/16/HK_Sai_Ying_Pun_Centre_Street_Chinese_Building_012726.jpg")
![The osteopathy clinic in the Blue House, in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.](/Images/godic/202502/16/HK_Blue_Hse_Stone_Nullah_Lane_c2726.jpg")
The term tong lau or qi lou (Chinese:唐樓 / 騎樓) is used to describe tenement buildings built in late 19th century to the 1960s in Hong Kong, Macau, southern China and Taiwan. Designed for both residential and commercial uses, they are similar in style and function to the shophouses of Southeast Asia.