Document Type
Journal Article
Department/Unit
Department of History
Title
The Transformation of an Overseas Chinese Family: Three Generations of the Eu Tong Sen Family 1822-1941
Language
English
Abstract
Architecture can be viewed as a reflection of value placed on life. In colonial Hong Kong, a distinctive Gothic-style castle, Euston, was built by tycoon Eu Tong Sen (1877–1941) as his family's grand residence. Eu was a prominent figure in South China and Southeast Asia and remains a local legend decades after his death. Eu's castle, being built in 1928 and demolished in the 1980s, was and still is one of the most recognizable monuments in the region. Although Eu did not leave behind any autobiography or memoirs, the monumental castle can be regarded as a symbolic manifestation of his life story. The design of the castle is of mixed ancestry—it is a reconciliation of traditional Chinese design based on feng shui (Chinese geomancy) with European architectural elements. The fusion of East-West architectural building elements, as symbolized by the Eu castle, was a significant achievement symbolizing general social and cultural changes spanning more than a century.
Publication Date
2005
Source Publication Title
Modern Asian Studies
Volume
39
Issue
3
Start Page
599
End Page
630
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
DOI
10.1017/S0026749X05001873
ISSN (print)
0026-749X
Recommended Citation
Chung, Po Yin. "The Transformation of an Overseas Chinese Family: Three Generations of the Eu Tong Sen Family 1822-1941." Modern Asian Studies 39.3 (2005): 599-630.