‘Chinese Baroque’ Restorations in Harbin

Among the talk of traditional architecture in China and the destruction of modernist and art-deco structures in various cities we rarely hear much about the ‘Chinese Baroque’ style, largely because there wasn’t much of it, much of what there was has been torn down, and it’s almost exclusively up in Manchuria.  Chinese Baroque is quite striking – a combination of the Baroque style and Chinese elements such as cranes and peony designs. The outsides can look western in a Baroque style surrounding more traditional Chinese courtyard interiors. Harbin (home to most surviving Chinese Baroque architecture) at least, it appears, is looking to restore several buildings that should hopefully allow us a glimpse of the insides and to look at the wonderful exteriors free of signage and “additions”.