# Photos of What Asian Cities Looked Like Before Modern Buildings



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

Hi, i'm not too sure if this is the write section to post this thread, but what people can post/discuss here are what major Asian cities (such as Beijing, Bangkok, Shanghai, Delhi, Hanoi, Xi'an, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Lhasa, Phnom Penh etc...) looked like before modern buildings/globalization took place.

I mean like many (most) European cities today still look like they were hundreds of years ago right? Like the old, old ancient buildings are still there, such as Rome, Florence, Paris, Prague, Madrid, Stasbourg, Vienna, Central London etc... 

I don't mean just some small kept 'old town's that remain standing today and the rest of the city is full of modern wide roads, skyscrapers, I mean where most of the city still looks like it was before.

Note: cities like Moscow, Athens, or German cities don't fit this European thing as they are all different to what they were before. German cities are different because of the destruction during WWII, and Moscow (except the Kremlin bits) i dont know why but looking at photos it looks like a modern city.

Also outside of Europe cities such as Jerusalem & Pingyao are like what they were hundreds of years ago

so i'm also wondering why most asian cities today have barely any trace of it's past (besides its main ancient sites) for example Beijing has its Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, various gates and ruins etc... but most of the city now is just highways, skyscrapers, middle rise flats etc... 
Tokyo for example is just a sea of buildings, neons, etc...,

when & how & why did this all happen to asian cities?

here is an example:

Tokyo in 1865 (called Edo) 









Tokyo today: 









Both images from google

Thanks


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## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

I think this thread would be better suited to the Citytalk and Urban Issues section since it appears as if you're looking to star a discussion rather than just post images. Perhaps you should ask a moderator to move the thread so that it will garner more responses.

As for your question, the main reason Tokyo seems to have fewer historic buildings than cities in Europe is that before WWII its buildings were usually wooden and were destroyed by fire since one of the main tactics used by the US was fire bombing. In Chinese cities, I think there are more historic buildings than many westerners realise since they are difficult to see amongst the highrises.


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## Black Stone (Sep 7, 2009)

been there. IMO, Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

Nouvellecosse said:


> In Chinese cities, I think there are more historic buildings than many westerners realise since they are difficult to see amongst the highrises.


hmm, but its not like european cities where pretty much 80% of the main city area is 'historic'. take london for example 










most of the city area is full of historical buildings like it was back in the time. not saying there isn't modern buildings, but the majority still looks like it was hundreds of years ago so there is still the 'london' atmosphere and look to the city.

take beijing now, yes there are places like the hutongs, qianmen area etc... but most of the city now is highrises, american looking streets/traffic lights etc...
so if all the old city is destroyed, what did it look like?

also of bangkok, singapore, indian cities


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## RKC (Jun 16, 2007)

i think its a good idea, i would be interested to see asian cities before the building boom.


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## redstone (Nov 15, 2003)

Singapore, all photos from 1955+



















Now:









Before Marina Bay:








Now:








(the roofed pier on the old photo is at the bottom left of the current photo)

Before the modern skyline:








Now:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

So far, very nice amazing old photos from those -Asian- cities; keep it up


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## ArkinMourad (Aug 28, 2009)

1970









today 









1956 today still look almost same for this pic










credit : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=315227


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## hackmanjkk (Jul 2, 2009)

^^ this is Bangkok.


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

woah, never ever seen photos of old thailand/bangkok! any more of the most famous/landmark areas?


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

*HK*

Central District 1960s









Today









Wan Chai 1960s









Today









Looking towards Wan Chai and Central 1960s









Today


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## JoSin (Sep 11, 2005)

One reason why Asian cities do not have as many historic buildings as those in European cities is because Asian cities were very poor in the 19th and early 20th century. So most of the buildings built back then were too dilapidated to be conserved. Only grand buildings like the historic sites in Beijing which were built hundreds of years ago were able to remain till today. 
For example, Singapore in the early 20th century has villages scattered all over the island. Only the city center is overcrowded with old and dirty shophouses. These buildings had to go with rapid urbanisation of Singapore, or there will be no space for development.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

^Almost every major East/ SE Asian city was razed by war or cataclysm in the 19th and 20th centuries.

China for one lost all its great historic cities and former capitals during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1860s, the worlds second deadliest war after WWII with over 25 million killed, and city after city burned to the ground - then suffered another round of destruction in the Pacific War. The one that did survive - old Beijing - was torn down after the new republic was set up in the 1920s (over 3000 temples and palaces reduced to 300 by the 1930s).


Tokyo was annihilated in 1923 and again 1945, along with the other major Japanese cities, Korean cities in the 1950s Korean War, Manila (aka Pearl of the Orient) in 1944 (and second most destroyed city after Warsaw), Vietnamese cities in the Vietnam War (with more bombs dropped than the entire WWI and WWII conflicts combined).

Other major cities today were small towns back then, such as Kuala Lumpur - or were new colonial outposts such as Shanghai, Singapore or Hong Kong with little native architecture.


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## Marathaman (Jul 24, 2007)

A lot of "native" Indian cities virtually disappeared during the colonial period, while the imperial cities like Bombay, Calcutta etc. prospered. I've made a thread of paintings and pictures of non-colonial Indian cities here: 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1099783


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

^fantastic thread, truly eye opening


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Old Beijing in the 19th century, and the biggest city in the world at the time
















http://photos.igougo.com















www.chinadaily.com.cn


early 20th century
















www.chinatoday.com, www.nytimes.com








www.bjmem.com








www.drben.net
















www.chinatoday.com















www.chinese-architecture.info, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ErKADMpHXa0















www.chongwenmenhotel.com















http://hua.umf.maine.edu, www.feer.com


the Imperial City in ruins after the Boxer Uprising (28 major temple complexes, and the Summer Palaces destroyed twice by Western troops)









http://hua.umf.maine.edu


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## juancito (Mar 1, 2006)

very nice thread, we all need to be reminded that life in all cities around the world have gone through some kind of change, either by economic or conflict weather internally or externally. Cause some times I meet people that make it seem like the way the city they come from has always looked like that and that is not reality. All cities around the world have gone through changes, one way or the other.

I like this thread cause it shows all of us the evolution of why for what ever reason in the past the cities that we know today ended up looking the way they do. Its a great educational piece I think for many people in the forum.


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

The greatest city walls, not in terms of length (that goes to Nanjing) but in sheer mass were Beijing's 60ft high fortifications, complete with castle sized gates and watchtowers. Once described as an eighth wonder of the world, it was 23.5 km long but was mostly demolished in 1965 for a ring road and subway :bash::bash::
















http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu, www.blueskymongolia.info








www.virtual-china.org















http://upload.wikimedia.org








http://upload.wikimedia.org


Dongzhimen, Andingmen ('men' means gate)
















http://upload.wikimedia.org
Zhenyangmen








http://upload.wikimedia.org


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Chang'an (Xian) in its heyday, the worlds largest city and the counterpart to Rome and her empire, there were the largest ever palace complexes here, 4, 5 and 7.5 x larger than the current record holder, the Forbidden City. The main streets were over 300ft wide:
















www.chinaeu.de, http://lh6.google.com/tessellar

palace complexes
















www.cultural-china.com, www.china-tour.cn








http://english.dmgyz.com








www.chinatouronline.com

















www.cultural-china.com















www.chinatravel.com, www.cultural-china.com


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

JoSin said:


> One reason why Asian cities do not have as many historic buildings as those in European cities is because Asian cities were very poor in the 19th and early 20th century. So most of the buildings built back then were too dilapidated to be conserved. Only grand buildings like the historic sites in Beijing which were built hundreds of years ago were able to remain till today.
> For example, Singapore in the early 20th century has villages scattered all over the island. Only the city center is overcrowded with old and dirty shophouses. These buildings had to go with rapid urbanisation of Singapore, or there will be no space for development.


i've herd of this somewhere (from a relavtive or someone) a while ago actually now that u've mentioned it. 
shame that the cities were mostly poor... was there the reason why the cities in asia were comparativly poorer than european counterparts due to the fact that most asian countries were colonised/under control by a foreign nation or something?


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

the spliff fairy said:


> ^Almost every major East/ SE Asian city was razed by war or cataclysm in the 19th and 20th centuries.
> 
> China for one lost all its great historic cities and former capitals during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1860s, the worlds second deadliest war after WWII with over 25 million killed, and city after city burned to the ground - then suffered another round of destruction in the Pacific War. The one that did survive - old Beijing - was torn down after the new republic was set up in the 1920s (over 3000 temples and palaces reduced to 300 by the 1930s).
> 
> ...



this is really sad... so much destruction to these historic, ancient cities...
forever we won't get back these old cities and buildings. asia really got hit bad! this makes more sense now, looking at the german cities destruction during WWII and what german cities look like today, you can sort of compare it. german cities were heavily bombed and destroyed and today you can see that most german cities look different to their other european neighbours cities - the german cities have more highrises, 70's-80's style biuldings, roads etc outside their historical core.

wow spliff fairy, those are incredible pictures, esp the chang'an ones.
i've also read/heard about beijings ancient city fortifications and this also really saddens me...
imagine if beijing never had the other gates destroyed - there would be 9 majestic, grand gates dotted around the modern metropolis of beijing, where on most highways and todays ring roads, you could see the gates passing by.
the government should of thought of other alternatives in building their metro system and other things than destroying their own historical gates and walls. is this way of thinking (destroying the old to develop further and more modern) just of people back then, or do the chinese developers still think like that?

also those chang'an old city models are incredible... are those models from a museum somewhere?

also im just frozen in amazement of the face that chang'an had a palace greater than beijings... if that was still standing today... wow
xi'an being one of the worlds grandest cities... shame it isn't now


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Those new photos are indeed very nice, amazing as well :cheers:


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

yep, Chang'an had several palaces (over the years) greater in size than the Forbidden City, accompanied by a slew of smaller palaces built in the style of the conquered nations of the Han Empire.

Hangzhou was also very impressive, another former capital (and another former worlds largest) unlike other capitals it didn't have strict height limits whereby no building could be taller than the main palace. Also due to land constraints it built high, up to 12 storeys and would have resembled Shanghai's Old City but taller.










Unfortunately, like the rest of the other cities it was destroyed in the Taiping Rebellion 

Beijing has restored a big chunk of the Old Chinese City around Qianmen, aswell as rebuilt some of the gates - most of which survive. Destroying ancient heritage now is alot harder than in the past, it seems the authorities have finally realised they are extraordinarily lucrative. There are rumours the Daming Palace is being rebuilt in Xian, also the Old Summer Palace from Beijing (with the worlds most extensive gardens - think hundreds of pavilions on hundreds of islands in hundreds of mini-lakes) are being rebuilt controversially in er, Hangzhou as an er, theme park. this has riled the Beijing authorities that have argued for decades to rebuild the past glory, or leave the ruins as testament to history (and the looting of the Western powers).


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

travelworld123 said:


> i've herd of this somewhere (from a relative or someone) a while ago actually now that u've mentioned it.
> shame that the cities were mostly poor... was there the reason why the cities in asia were comparativly poorer than european counterparts due to the fact that most asian countries were colonised/under control by a foreign nation or something?


The cities were not poor, they were vastly rich for millennia, more so than even the Romans - hence what attracted the colonists with inferior wealth but with newly found superior firepower. In the 19th Century you can see the following toll colonialism and postcolonialism took on Asian GDPs, reaching its zenith in the 1970s:


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## ArkinMourad (Aug 28, 2009)

is that most historical building in cold country make by wood ?


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

More on Edo (old Tokyo), one of the worlds largest cities
















www.michaeljohngrist.com, http://factsanddetails.com








http://xspblog.com








www.rekihaku.ac.jp


at its heart lay the biggest castle ever built, 5 concentric rings of defences designed to confuse and trap attackers
















www.rekihaku.ac.jp, www.modelsforsale.com















http://upload.wikimedia.org, www.toppan.co.jp








http://upload.wikimedia.org

For a sense of scale it would have taken up the entire Imperial Palace Park, and some:









http://superjchung.files.wordpress.com









The central dojon burnt down earlier, and the rest was mostly destroyed in the 1945 bombing raids.


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## ArkinMourad (Aug 28, 2009)

1988









2007


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

this huge painting record kaifeng city 1000 years ago. one of the chinese greatest ancient painting. showing the every detail of city life 11 century . 
http://www.360doc.com/content/10/0828/21/1820434_49509215.shtml
takes you 10minutes to view the whole painting.


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

the spliff fairy said:


> yep, Chang'an had several palaces (over the years) greater in size than the Forbidden City, accompanied by a slew of smaller palaces built in the style of the conquered nations of the Han Empire.
> 
> Hangzhou was also very impressive, another former capital (and another former worlds largest) unlike other capitals it didn't have strict height limits whereby no building could be taller than the main palace. Also due to land constraints it built high, up to 12 storeys and would have resembled Shanghai's Old City but taller.



Wow, I didn’t know Hangzhou was that grand. I’ve visited Hangzhou once and besides the area around West Lake, most of the city was very ‘normal’ Chinese city with this massive stadium thing I remember.
On a side note, Shanghai’s Old City especially the Yu Yuan Garden area (I’ve visited here too twice): how old is it? or is it just touched up touristy thing? Because the whole area with the small streets, tea houses, incredible chinese architecture (those pointy roof corners) is amazing. Here is one photo I took:












the spliff fairy said:


> Unfortunately, like the rest of the other cities it was destroyed in the Taiping Rebellion


I’m going to look up on the Taiping Rebellion, it seems to have destroyed so much of China…



the spliff fairy said:


> Beijing has restored a big chunk of the Old Chinese City around Qianmen, aswell as rebuilt some of the gates - most of which survive. Destroying ancient heritage now is alot harder than in the past, it seems the authorities have finally realised they are extraordinarily lucrative. There are rumours the Daming Palace is being rebuilt in Xian, also the Old Summer Palace from Beijing (with the worlds most extensive gardens - think hundreds of pavilions on hundreds of islands in hundreds of mini-lakes) are being rebuilt controversially in er, Hangzhou as an er, theme park. this has riled the Beijing authorities that have argued for decades to rebuild the past glory, or leave the ruins as testament to history (and the looting of the Western powers).



If Daming Palace is rebuilt… wow… 
Beijing’s hutong destruction is not as much as before, but I read that they are still taking many down for further development and over leaving a certain area for ‘tourism’ which I say is a very bad decision. Leaving a certain area for ‘tourism’ will turn out bad I think, as most of it will lose it’s originality and it will be flooded with tourists, touristy shops & stalls and other things. They’ll probably install Kodak shops and starbucks in one of the hutongs…

And why is beijng’s old summer palace being built as a theme park!!! Arrghh and in Hangzhou!!! I’ve driven past the old summer palace and didn’t even know what it was (it looked like a massive endless grey wall) until my driver explained to us. Actually, that is quite a question whether to leave it in ruins or not. One thing is that some rebuilding is usually not as good. Qianmen for example, (also heres a youtube video of peking in 1930, somewhere in the video is qianmen and it looks bustling, full of life, warm etc... )












.
actually this video series is great as it shows other cities aroudn the world what it looked like a long time ago.

now (i'm not sure about currently eg 2010), but when i visited a few years ago, qianmen looked disappointing. it's lost its touch. the buildings look too new, too fake, too unnatural. heres a photo i took:


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## fragel (Jun 16, 2010)

oliver999 said:


> this huge painting record kaifeng city 1000 years ago. one of the chinese greatest ancient painting. showing the every detail of city life 11 century .
> http://www.360doc.com/content/10/0828/21/1820434_49509215.shtml
> takes you 10minutes to view the whole painting.



That is a remake in the 18th century. The famous painting '*Along the River During the Qingming Festival*' was originally painted in late 11th or early 12th century and now kept in the forbidden city.

see the entire pano:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ingMing.jpg/5000px-Alongtheriver_QingMing.jpg

wiki introduction


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

the spliff fairy said:


> More on Edo (old Tokyo), one of the worlds largest cities
> 
> at its heart lay the biggest castle ever built, 5 concentric rings of defences designed to confuse and trap attackers
> 
> ...


WWII destroyed most of tokyo's castle? does anyone have photos of it before destruction?

i'm in awe, if tokyo's castle was still standing, it would be similar to beijings central palace... it would be like its sister city! :nuts:


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

fragel said:


> That is a remake in the 18th century. The famous painting '*Along the River During the Qingming Festival*' was originally painted in late 11th or early 12th century and now kept in the forbidden city.
> 
> see the entire pano:
> 
> ...


is this is the one in shanghai's expo?


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## fragel (Jun 16, 2010)

travelworld123 said:


> On a side note, Shanghai’s Old City especially the Yu Yuan Garden area (I’ve visited here too twice): how old is it? or is it just touched up touristy thing? Because the whole area with the small streets, tea houses, incredible chinese architecture (those pointy roof corners) is amazing.


It is called Old City for a reason. The City God Temple was established in 15th century, based on an older temple built even earlier. Yuyuan Garden was a private garden built in 16th century. Of course compared to other Chinese cities, Shanghai old city is much younger. The area you see today is renovated and rebuilt to some extent, but it is a historical district of commerce and most store buildings are nearly a century old.


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## fragel (Jun 16, 2010)

travelworld123 said:


> is this is the one in shanghai's expo?


Yes, the one in the Chinese pavilion is the electronic version of this painting.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

ArkinMourad said:


> 1988


Bangkok's old photo is really very nice


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## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

fragel said:


> Yes, the one in the Chinese pavilion is the electronic version of this painting.


ohhh nice! i've seen videos of that and it looks amazing.
was going to visit the expo but too busy.

those bangkok photos are great! any of of around the historical wats and temples?

here are some of *Shanghai, China*:
















those photos from: http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20060112_old_shanghai_vs_current_shanghai.htm

nangjing road: 








(from google)

corner of nanjing rd & chekiang rd:









some of these aren't exactly 'before modern' buildings as modern is hard to define, but these look like they are mainly before most of the modern 70's 80's highrise developments.


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## samson (Apr 12, 2004)

ArkinMourad said:


> 1988
> 
> 
> 
> ...


1988 Bangkok it look so develop, nice skyline!
even best now :cheers:


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## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)




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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ And this pano is Hong Kong or Shanghai or...? Could you tell us which city represents that old pano? Thanks


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## pi_malejana (Jul 15, 2007)

this is what i found in the Philippine Forums...
Manila:



Animo said:


>


:cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Awesome and very nice photos from those asian cities


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Old Tokyo destroyed by the 1923 earthquake, fire and tsunami that killed 140,000






















































and again, the rebuilt art deco city in the worlds worst and bloodiest bombing raids in 1945 (more destroyed than Hiroshima and Nagasaki), that saw in 200,000 dead:



































In short it's an absolute wonder any old building survives in Tokyo, or any other Japanese city. Likewise for all Korean cities, and the ancient capitals of China after the Taiping Rebellion, the Civil War and WWII: Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou etc, and Manila (WWII, most destroyed city after Warsaw), and Vietnam's cities in the Vietnam War, which saw more bombs fall than WWII and WWI combined - the ancient capital of Hue, and the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong (although Hanoi survived alot of old buildings still).


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Chiyoda, Maronouichi*

*Metropolitan police*


imperial-police650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Marunouchi (丸の内) - Chiyoda, Tokyo by twiga_swala, on Flickr

*Imperial Theatre*


imperial-tricar650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Imperial Theater by TOKYO VIEWS, on Flickr

*Old Imperial Museum*


imperial-museum650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Babasaki Street*


babasaki-1920650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


42382343 by Crash_N, on Flickr


babasaki-palace650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


52967524 by Crash_N, on Flickr


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Maronouichi continued*


kaikan-moat650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Marunouchi (丸の内) - Chiyoda, Tokyo by twiga_swala, on Flickr


marunouchi-1960-aerial650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Marunouchi (Chiyoda), Tokyo by twiga_swala, on Flickr


marunouchi-kaijo-showa650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Marunouchi (Chiyoda), Tokyo by twiga_swala, on Flickr


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Kokugikan ( Sumo wrestling arena )*


kokugikan-tinted650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Kokugikan from the outside by uninvolved observer, on Flickr

*Old Tehnical University*


technical-univ650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Imperial Univerity*


imperial-univ-aerial650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Tokyo University of The Arts, by migi328, on Flickr


The oldest Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music Concert Hall by Yoshikazu Takada, on Flickr


Toward the University by liszante, on Flickr


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Ueno*

*Imperial Museum and Hyokeikwan*

ueno-hyokeikwan650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*The statue of Saigo Takamori*

saigo3650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Saigo Takamori by kalupa, on Flickr

*Matsuzakaya department store*

matsuzakaya-ueno11920650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Matsuzakaya - Ginza by namakuvictor, on Flickr


ueno-matsuzakaya-trolley650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Matsuzakaya, Ginza, Tokyo by tkusano, on Flickr

*Ueno Broadway*

ueno-broadway650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Ueno, Tokyo, Japan by CurlingZone, on Flickr


ueno-hirokoji-park2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Ueno! by aDrunis_84, on Flickr


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## Kenwen (May 1, 2005)

Keep posting,intresting thread.


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## jaygold06 (Sep 2, 2007)

Old Manila Photos..

credits to manila.tumblr.com









creidits to afreemind.org









credits to twcenter.net









credits to forums.catchinglights.org









credits to sesantos.com.ph









credits to forums.catchinglights.org


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Asakusa*


asakusa-pond-tower3650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


IMG_0803 by jphilippeplante, on Flickr


asakusa-pond-rokku-c650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Asakusa - Tokyo by Atri Singgih, on Flickr


asakusa-rokku650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


asakusa-park-pond650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


07-11-06 Fish Market + Japanese Garden+Lunch in Asakusa 039 by elsuperaitona, on Flickr


asakusa-victory-arch650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Asakusa and Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan by Candice Dunlap, on Flickr


asakusa-fountain1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Asakusa and Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan by Candice Dunlap, on Flickr


rokku-street3650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Asakusa and Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan by Candice Dunlap, on Flickr


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Ueno - Shinobasu*


shinobasu-hirokoji650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Ueno by kerokero8, on Flickr


shinobazu-museum650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


SHINOBAZU POND by nobuojp, on Flickr


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## tq (Dec 27, 2004)

the spliff fairy said:


> In short it's an absolute wonder any old building survives in Tokyo, or any other Japanese city. Likewise for all Korean cities, and the ancient capitals of China after the Taiping Rebellion, the Civil War and WWII: Nanjing, Chongqing, Hangzhou etc, and Manila (WWII, most destroyed city after Warsaw), and Vietnam's cities in the Vietnam War, which saw more bombs fall than WWII and WWI combined - the ancient capital of Hue, and the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong (although Hanoi survived alot of old buildings still).


Hanoi had an amazing imperial citadel which was almost destroyed by the French. There were also many more pagodas and temples from the 11th century where most of them were built. The architecture in the Old Quarter today is also not the same as it used to be. Hanoi used to be a city of pagodas, water and a compound of villages. It's pretty sad what Hanoi has all lost through the French, the war and the bad management of the recent economic development.

I hope once we have enough money we can consider to rebuild some structures that were important in building up out nation's identity and culture like the Imperial Citadel of Thanglong.

*Ma May Street - Old Quarter*


















*Dien Ben Phu - Tran Phu Street*


















*Hoankiem area*


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## alheaine (Jan 11, 2009)

diz said:


> *Before WWII (Jan. 15, 1925)*
> source
> 
> 
> ...


^^
i'm teary eyed seeing manila back then..so neat.. hno:


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Shiba Park*


shiba-park-shrine-trolleys650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Shiba Park Temple by nickop, on Flickr


shiba-park-blossoms-pond650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Shiba Park (芝公園) by archenemy0, on Flickr


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## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Hibiya*


hibiya-aerial-trolley650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Hibiya Tokyo by Twang_Dunga, on Flickr


hibiya-crane-fountain650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


16873969_1a472cacae_b by Crash_N, on Flickr


hibiya-pond-cranes650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Hibiya Park, Tokyo by silentresonance, on Flickr


kasumigaseki-hibiya650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Hibiya Park, Tokyo by JuliannaYY, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Nihonbashi district*

*Shirokiya Street*

shirokiya-street-bus650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Shirokiya department store*

shirokya-1920650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Nihonbashi bridge*

bridge-trolleys650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi Bridge by URBZOO, on Flickr


nihonbashi-bridge1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi Bridge by URBZOO, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Nihonbashi district continued*


nihonbashi-south650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi by /\ltus, on Flickr

*Takashimaya department store*

takashimaya-street650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi Takashimaya by shinyai, on Flickr

*Kyobashi bridge*

kyobashi-maruzen1925650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Gloaming from under Kyobashi bridge by ronsantash, on Flickr


kyobashi-daiichi650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Kyobashi bridge by nobuojp, on Flickr

*Nihonbashi dori*

nihonbashi-shirokiya650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi by /\ltus, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Bank of Japan*

nihonbashi-banks2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


bank of japan #02 by akira*, on Flickr

*Nihonbashi street*

nihonbashi-murai650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


nihonbashi-neighborhood650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi#3 by hirokun59, on Flickr


nihonbashi-kabujocho650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Nihonbashi by mediapicnic, on Flickr

*Fish market*

nihonbashi-boats650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Scenes From The Tokyo FIsh Market, Tokyo, Japan by MD111, on Flickr


----------



## Guaporense (Jul 9, 2008)

The main reason why there are fewer historic buildings in Asian cities than in European cities is that Europe industrialized during the 19th and early 20th centuries, so the historical European cities are actually cities of Europe`s industrial past. Asia started to industrialize in the same scale as Europe only in the middle of the 20th century. Therefore there aren`t many historic parts of Asian cities because Asian cities are younger than European cities.

London and Berlin, for instance, had about the same population in their urban areas 90 years ago and today, Paris doubled their urban population from 1930 to 2010. While for Asia, Tokyo increased 20 times in population size, Beijing increased 10 times in population while most cities in China today pretty much didn`t exist 30 years ago.

Also, in Asia there isn`t a comparable volume of archeological remains of ancient cities as there are of Graeco-Roman cities in the mediterranean, where hundreds of cities have been escavated. Overall the modern asian urban civilization is quite young, even though it has deep roots, these roots started to become thick recently.


----------



## zergcerebrates (Jan 23, 2004)

travelworld123 said:


> i've herd of this somewhere (from a relavtive or someone) a while ago actually now that u've mentioned it.
> shame that the cities were mostly poor... was there the reason why the cities in asia were comparativly poorer than european counterparts due to the fact that most asian countries were colonised/under control by a foreign nation or something?


Well being poor is not entirely correct as East Asia was once very prosperous, and war did play a part of it. East Asian architecture( Chinese,Korean,Japanese) for the most part are constructed by wood. Stone for the most part last for a very very long time compared to wooden structures, and stone can even withstand fire. Take the Greek acropolis, Roman aquaducts, or the pyramids of Giza, they stand to till this day because they're made from stones.


----------



## zergcerebrates (Jan 23, 2004)

Guaporense said:


> The main reason why there are fewer historic buildings in Asian cities than in European cities is that Europe industrialized during the 19th and early 20th centuries, so the historical European cities are actually cities of Europe`s industrial past. Asia started to industrialize in the same scale as Europe only in the middle of the 20th century. Therefore there aren`t many historic parts of Asian cities because Asian cities are younger than European cities.
> 
> London and Berlin, for instance, had about the same population in their urban areas 90 years ago and today, Paris doubled their urban population from 1930 to 2010. While for Asia, Tokyo increased 20 times in population size, Beijing increased 10 times in population while most cities in China today pretty much didn`t exist 30 years ago.
> 
> Also, in Asia there isn`t a comparable volume of archeological remains of ancient cities as there are of Graeco-Roman cities in the mediterranean, where hundreds of cities have been escavated. Overall the modern asian urban civilization is quite young, even though it has deep roots, these roots started to become thick recently.


This is not entirely accurate. I've also responded something similar to another thread. You cannot based the lack of historic Asian buildings just from 19th to 20th century or the industrial revolution as Asia started to thrive way before Europe even became civilized. They had buildings and cities back then you know, and Asia actually has a lot of historical buildings it really depends which region you're looking at. Take India for example they have TONs of temples and palaces that were thousands of years old that lasted till this day because they were constructed by stone. China, Korea and Japan are of different story since their buildings are mostly constructed from wood you wouldn't expect them to last thousands of years at most 500yrs or less average. Countless wars over the centuries plus disasters also destroyed many cities in East Asia. Fires during the ancient times can swallow entire cities made of wood, but stone structures will most likely remain standing.


----------



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

wow, i did not know japan looked so european back then with so many european buildings. I thought only Shanghai looked like that!!





tq said:


> Hanoi had an amazing imperial citadel which was almost destroyed by the French. There were also many more pagodas and temples from the 11th century where most of them were built. The architecture in the Old Quarter today is also not the same as it used to be. Hanoi used to be a city of pagodas, water and a compound of villages. It's pretty sad what Hanoi has all lost through the French, the war and the bad management of the recent economic development.
> 
> I hope once we have enough money we can consider to rebuild some structures that were important in building up out nation's identity and culture like the Imperial Citadel of Thanglong.


It is indeed sad that (well, from what I've seen through pictures etc) that Hanoi doesn't have much traditional east-asian Vietnamese architecture anymore. 

Im not that much of a fan of the French style boulevards and buildings in Vietnam - there beautiful and everything in France! but in Vietnam... 



Also, the Philippines, theres no traditional architecture!! Actually, I dont know what Filipino architecture is lol


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

There's plenty of old buildings ( primarily temples and palaces ) in East and Southeast Asia. The reason why there aren't as many old buildings as in Europe is that Asian cities grew rapidly on the turn of the 20th century, and the cities had to cope with their populations rising exponentially. Housing was mainly made of wood because stone was relatively scarce and much more expensive. Majority of old apartment buildings and blocks in European cities were build by private contractors and entrepreneurs. Enterpreneurs in Asia had less economic and financial power and there generally weren't many of them. Therefore, most of the residential blocks were low-rise wooden buildings that were easily destroyed by wars and natural disasters. Cityscapes and streetscapes are primarily determined by the midrise elements, not highrises.
And, although development plays a great role in shaping the cityscapes, it is wars that change it drastically. 
If you look at the pictures of old Tokyo that I've posted, you can see that there were many stone and brick buildings, mainly 2-3 stories high. Tokyo generally had a higher percentage of brick/stone buildings than other Asian cities because of Japan's economic strenght and growing wealth and prosperity during the Meiji Imperial Era. If the city weren't leveled to the ground in WW2, most of them ( 80-90%) would still be standing, since the city grew geographicly and there was many land available for modern developments ( and razing a wooden shack and replacing it with a skyscraper is cheaper than razing a 3-storey neo-classical palace ). 
So, *#1* factor for dramatic changes in Asian cities cityscapes is *war*, *#2* is *development*, and being relatively poor in the beggining comes last.


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Tokyo Hotel(s)*

*Seiyoken hotel*

tsukiji-seiyoken-ht650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Imperial hotel*

imperial-1910650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Imperial Hotel by avalon1982, on Flickr


imperial1905-gate4650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


imperial hotel by k_haruna, on Flickr

*Art deco Imperial hotel ( 1923 )
Built after the Kanto earthquake, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright*

1950's Imperial Hotel Tokyo by captainpandapants, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Miscellanious*

*Okura-Shukokwan*

okura-shukokwan650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Meiji Exposition in Tokyo*

meiji-panorama1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Buildings along the Kaikan moat*

kaikan-theater650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


kaikan-ext650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Aioibashi ( Aioi bridge )*

aioi-bashi650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Aioi Bridge in Tokyo by akirat2011, on Flickr

*Edogawa Park*

edogawa-canal-trolley650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Edogawa Park is beautiful! by edmundyeo, on Flickr


edogawa-blossoms1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Shin-Edogawa Park sakura by iamcharliebrown, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Mitsukoshi*


mitsukoshi-aerial2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


P1040728 by keeganchurch, on Flickr

*A roof garden in Mutsukoshi*

mitsukoshi-roof-garden2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*View from the roof down the Ginza street*

dai-ichi-sogo-roof650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Ginza street／銀座通り by nerima-daikon, on Flickr

*Mitsukoshi department store*

daiichi-sogyo650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Mitsukoshi by stonez+, on Flickr


----------



## Kenwen (May 1, 2005)

Tokyo looks very european


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Matsuya department store*

matsuya-asakusa-aerial650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Matsuya Department Store Ginza by Jamie Barras, on Flickr


asakusa-aerial650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Matsuya Ginza Department Store - 株式会社松屋, 銀座, 東京 by Crouching Donkey, on Flickr

*Yoshiwara Park*

yoshiwara-park650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


[Yoshiwara] Yoshiwara-Omon by [email protected], on Flickr

*Yoroibashi*

yoroibashi-stockmarket2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Amazingly Dirty Shutoko No.6 Mukojima Line over Yoroi-bashi by ykanazawa1999, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Shimbashi*


shimbashi-flags650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Shimbashi by ae-j, on Flickr


shimbashi-trolley1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Shimbashi by Clipper Monsoon, on Flickr


shimbashi-bridge1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Tokyo, Japan by LAXFlyer, on Flickr


----------



## tq (Dec 27, 2004)

The Imperial Citadel of Thanglong in Hanoi was destroyed by the French at the beginning of the colonial time, so not many photographs exist.

before: *Thanglong Citadel*



























































































_Old Quarter_






































today: *Badinh District* _(political-administration center)_
french and soviet style have replaced the old architecture




























only a little is left


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Trains and trams*


asakusa-tobu-train2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Tokyo_1212_by_shiodome by Crash_N, on Flickr


azumabashi-color650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Night_view11_Tokyo_by_kaz0885 by Crash_N, on Flickr


shimbashi-yamanote1935650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Tokyo_320_by_shiodome by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Trams ( streetcars ) in old Tokyo*

blossoms-british-embassy650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


akasaka-mitsuke-hill650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


tokyoeki-trolley650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


marunouchi-londontown-gaisendori-trolley650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


akasaka-trolley-blossoms650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


akasaka-trolleys650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

*Government buildings*

*Department of Navy*

navy-dept650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


court-taishin-navy650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


IMG_1150 by Crash_N, on Flickr

*Department of Agriculture and Commerce*

dept-agri-canal650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Ministry Row in Tokyo by amber haynes, on Flickr

*Department of Communications*

dept-comm-canal650 by Crash_N, on Flickr
*
Department of Foreign Affairs*

foreignministry2650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Foreign Ministry by hawk684, on Flickr

*Tokyo Local Court*

taishin-street1650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


37 - Tokyo - Supreme Court - 20080613 by chriggy1, on Flickr

*Babasaki promenade*

babasaki-aerial650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


Chidorigafuchi (千鳥ケ淵周辺) - Chiyoda, Tokyo by twiga_swala, on Flickr

*Nanko statue in Maronouichi*

nanko-statue-tinted650 by Crash_N, on Flickr


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

That's all folks, no more old Tokyo from me. Keep the thread going, though.
:cheers:


----------



## alheaine (Jan 11, 2009)

travelworld123 said:


> wow, i did not know japan looked so european back then with so many european buildings. I thought only Shanghai looked like that!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


^^
i agree with you..everything in the Philippines (architecture) since the 16th century is mostly of the peninsular castillan style..but this one heritage church facade has Philippine tropical theme..:banana:









http://miagao.tripod.com/church/church.htm
http://www.exploreiloilo.com/miagao-church.html


----------



## crskyline (Oct 23, 2009)

travelworld123 said:


> wow, i did not know japan looked so european back then with so many european buildings. I thought only Shanghai looked like that!!


You sounds a little ignorant. Many Asian cities back then have European influence, from Saigon, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Mumbai, to Macau.


----------



## crskyline (Oct 23, 2009)

Answer to OP's question.

Building construction in most cities world wide are happening during their economic boom times. 

Europe experienced economic boom in the 18th and 19th century, that's why most architecture in London or Paris looks like from that period. United States experienced economic boom in early to mid 20th century, that's why majority of American skyscrapers are either from 1920s-1930s or 1950s-1980s. Many Asian countries experienced economic boom in recent years, so their buildings looks mostly modern and new. Of-course this situation will not last forever. Asian countries cannot fast grow forever. Several decades later, the new emerging regions will look new and modern, while Asian cities will look as if they are stuck in late 20th and early 21st century.


----------



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

alheaine said:


> ^^
> i agree with you..everything in the Philippines (architecture) since the 16th century is mostly of the peninsular castillan style..but this one heritage church facade has Philippine tropical theme..:banana:


nice! I love the uniqueness and differences of each culture so when I see places that have their heritage, traditional architecture, language scripts etc lost, it's sad. Like in Vietnam or Malaysia/Indonesia and Philippines - they use Latin or a different version of Latin, and although it's efficient and everything, in my opinion a large chunk of it's culture has changed. 





crskyline said:


> You sounds a little ignorant. Many Asian cities back then have European influence, from Saigon, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Mumbai, to Macau.


No, sorry, I'm aware of those places having European influences aswell, I just only stated Shanghai as that is probably the more common and easy to picture once someone mentions 'Shanghai' - they think of the Bund which is all European.


----------



## [{x}] (Jul 23, 2009)

Wow, I was unaware that East Asia had so many European-style buildings! I knew there were a few, especially in Hong Kong, but not on this scale!

Were most of them built by Europeans or Asians? (Or Asian workers and European Architects/Engineers)?


----------



## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

I don't know if it's true or not but I read somewhere that if WW2 never happened Tokyo would have the most amount of Art Deco buildings in the world.


----------



## Crash_N (May 19, 2011)

^^ True, after the 1923 Kanto earthquake Tokyo was completly rebuilt, and its population surged from 2 to over 6 million inhabitants, making it the 3rd largest city in the world ( after New York and London ). Most of the old neo-historical buildings survived and were rebuilt, but about three quarters of the city ( mostly wooden houses and shacks ) were destroyed and these areas were rebuilt in art-deco style buildings. While it is questionable how many of those would survive the development, it's true that Tokyo would be the art-deco capital of the world.


----------



## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

*Shanghai in the 1940s and WW2*

Waterfront 1947








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

River traffic 1947








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Ship 1947








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

River ceremony 1947








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Streetcars








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Russian Embassy and Garden Bridge 1947








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Lyceum Theater late 1940s








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

Broadway Mansions 1940s








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

1947








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

*WW2*

Bombs hit Shanghai 1939








http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/









http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


----------



## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Meiji Palace


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

manila


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

philippines romblon


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

manila philippines


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

iloilo philippines


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

manila


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

CHURCH IN MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)




----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

RIZAL PARK MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)




----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

MANILA


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

PHILIPPINES


----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)




----------



## rocker123 (Apr 16, 2012)

this was in old books from 1789

manila


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Jakarta (Batavia) during the colonial era:*

*1920-1940*

Stadhuisplen (the current Jakarta oldtown's Fatahillah Square)








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5004935147/in/set-72157624984289662

Stationplein








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5005543778/in/set-72157624984289662

Koningsplein and Paleis van Gouverneur Genral








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5005557274/in/set-72157624984289662

Passerbaroe








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5005489890/in/set-72157624984289662








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5004888203/in/set-72157624984289662

Pasar Ikan, north jakarta








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5004928179/in/set-72157624984289662

Chinezenwijk Glodok








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5004939419/in/set-72157624984289662

Pasar Senen








https://www.flickr.com/photos/20466...64p-e9E55X-e17M15-bRNSvB-bRNR3V-8CgC7X-bRNYa6

Current Jalan Veteran








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4372706578

Passer Baroe








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3367920556









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3367920558

Glodok








http://indonesiaexpat.biz/lifestyle/greetings-from-jakarta-postcards-of-a-capital-1900-1950/


----------



## travelworld123 (Sep 24, 2008)

Great to see this thread being revived!!


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Surabaya (Soerabaia) during the colonial era:*

*1930:*









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13385830903/in/photostream/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13385701345/in/photostream/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/8334108092/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13275247483/

currently Jalan Pahlawan:








http://surabaya.panduanwisata.com/p...urabaya-dari-bisnis-hingga-pertumpahan-darah/

Gemblongan








http://dododwirosableng.blogspot.com/2012/01/listrik-di-surabaya-jaman-londo.html

Oost Java gouvernurkantoor








http://www.tweedewereldoorlog.nl/100voorwerpen/en/voorwerp/box-from-outside-the-camp/

Societeitstraat








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3016150744

Plampitan








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5526055640









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13848064274/in/set-72157629537504584


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Bandung (Bandoeng) during the colonial era:*

*1920-1930s*









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/9652774877









http://www.disparbud.jabarprov.go.id/wisata/galdet.php?id=1&lang=









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13835175375/in/set-72157629537504584
Department van oorloorg








http://kickwiththought.blogspot.com/2012/01/bandung-beautiful-city-in-creativity.html

Gedong Sate








http://efilablog.blogspot.com/2013/09/sejarah-kota-bandung.html

Bragaweg








http://picturestreat.blogspot.com/2012/11/foto-bandung-tempo-dulu.html









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4675132488

Currently Jalan Asia Africa (ex Grootepostweg








http://dimas-zone.blogspot.com/2012/06/bandung-tempo-doeloe-4.html









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/9656018762


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Semarang during the colonial era:*










https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/12374702554/in/set-72157629537504584

Port








https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/12374407123/in/set-72157629537504584


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Batavia around 1880-1900*

Waterloosplein and Daendels Paleis 1907








http://www.delcampe.net/page/item/i...T-BATAVIA-WATERLOOPLEIN--1907,language,E.html

View of Kalibessar and Staduis








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5002135861/in/set-72157624984289662

Kalibesar and Pintoe KaliBessar








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5002743820/in/set-72157624984289662

Kalibesar Street:








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5002139437/in/set-72157624984289662

Passerbaroe 1909








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3459769680

Chicken Market Bridge








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3203569655

Glodok








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4721096094

Stad Herdberg








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5002747334

Uitkijk Colemberg








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5002042383


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

travelworld123 said:


> Great to see this thread being revived!!


Why not this is a wonderful thread 



travelworld123 said:


> nice! I love the uniqueness and differences of each culture so when I see places that have their heritage, traditional architecture, language scripts etc lost, it's sad. Like in Vietnam or Malaysia/Indonesia and Philippines - they use Latin or a different version of Latin, and although it's efficient and everything, in my opinion a large chunk of it's culture has changed.
> 
> No, sorry, I'm aware of those places having European influences aswell, I just only stated Shanghai as that is probably the more common and easy to picture once someone mentions 'Shanghai' - they think of the Bund which is all European.


The Dutch colonialism screws loads of the things in Indonesia atleast however its not completely lost, the Javanese still somehow used their Sanskrit based alphabeth and put it in the roadsigns throughout Java (except Jakarta) put it along with the romanized alphabet, although not many Javanese themself can actually read it perfectly, its taught in schools throughout Java and Bali... 

Not as much in the rest of the country, since they have different culture, old writings (which is mostly lost already or get replaced with Arabics after Islam's arrival) and ethnic group who didn't fell under Javanese influence back then.


----------



## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Malang Colonial Times*









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13244270635/in/set-72157629537504584









https://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_boy_4_life/13231146254/in/set-72157629537504584









http://mbanbunk.blogspot.com/2012/09/malang-tempo-doeloe.html









http://mbanbunk.blogspot.com/2012/09/malang-tempo-doeloe.html









http://antoniuscp.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/malang-tempo-dulu-dalam-gambar/


----------



## melrocks50 (Apr 9, 2009)

*BANGKOK, THAILAND*










Chinatown 1951










Victory Monument 1946










Victory Monument 1971










Victory Monument Now










Grand Palace Area 1949










Rajdamnoen Avenue 1949










Charoenkrung road 1950










When Bangkok had a tram system


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## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Yogyakarta Colonial Times 1900-1920s*









http://tamammulahela.blogspot.com/2008/12/jogja-tempo-doeloe.html









http://panjinormanrahadianza.blogspot.com/p/gallery.html

Jalan Baroe








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3203568267









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3204417546









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5217633847


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## JoSin (Sep 11, 2005)

Singapore, similar to Hong Kong, was a colonial outpost, part of the Straits Settlements controlled by the British in the 19th century to early 20th century.

The colonial architecture had lots of British influence, and shophouses were designed with chinese and malay elements, while at the same time, built to suit the tropical weather. 









https://www.flickr.com/photos/biao/133225328/sizes/o/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/biao/133225366/sizes/o/

This is Marina Bay in the 1960s, before the economic boom.








https://www.flickr.com/photos/biao/262093278/sizes/o/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/biao/133225559/sizes/o/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/biao/262094152/sizes/o/









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6896647888/sizes/l









https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5904120191/sizes/l

In Singapore's case, many of the colonial buildings laid in ruins after world war II, and many other buildings were structurally unsafe. Shophouses in the ethnic districts were filthy and in disrepair after the war, and the government at that time had no money to conserve the buildings. At that time, it made much more economic sense to tear the buildings down and build more modern buildings to accomodate the rapidly increasing population numbers during the post war period.


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## [dx] (Oct 7, 2004)

*Legazpi City, Philippines*

Early 20th Century:


Mayon Volcano and Town of Legaspi, Southeastern Luzon Island, Philippines, early 20th Century, (2) by J. Tewell, on Flickr


Mayon Valcano, Legaspi, Philippines c1940s by J. Tewell, on Flickr


Young Filipinos with a boat, Legaspi City, Mayon Volcano, Southeast Luzon Island, Philippines, early 20th Century by J. Tewell, on Flickr

Present:



Mt. Mayon from Embarcadero de Legazpi by eazy traveler, on Flickr


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## kevo123 (Nov 30, 2012)

*Medan, Indonesia*









http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F..._van_de_DSM_en_de_Esplanade_TMnr_60034042.jpg









http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Luchtfoto_van_Medan_TMnr_10015040.jpg









http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...met_onder_meer_de_Esplanade_TMnr_10015049.jpg









http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F..._NILLMIJ_de_AVROS_en_de_HVA_TMnr_60039658.jpg









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medan_Station









http://hikayatanakdeli.wordpress.com/tag/medan/









http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...g_Maatschappij_Ajer_Beresih_TMnr_10017771.jpg









http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...o_van_de_Grote_Moskee_Medan_TMnr_10016534.jpg


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## plittank (Jun 27, 2014)

very interesting thread.

in the past each asian city had identity and was unique typical.

today there's no more identity or asian flair in an asian city 

because every cities look samely like clones.

what's today an asian city ? ..

just an .... american city with highways.....and skyscrapers.

everywhere the same downtowns and forests of towers....

very poor destiny and future......isnt it ?

all different cultures will disappear in the future for an only one : the occidental american culture .

why does the world copy the american way of life and urbanism ????


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