18 Zhangzhou Road

18 Zhangzhou Road is now the address of the Central Conservatory of Music Gulangyu Piano School, which was once the residence of the manager of HSBC, an English businessman. Invested by British American Tobacco and designed and constructed by a company in Shanghai, the building was built in 1936 and it is a modern architecture with a subtropical architecture style. There are verandas in both the west and the south. Except for the corner, the column was built with bricks, others were built with concrete. The brick column was laid five layers alternated by two to eliminate bulkiness. The implicates of the verandas are fixed louvers serving to shield from the sun. The metal rails are light and plain. The cornice and cantilever are relatively long. The interior design is delicate with the casing of the doors and windows inscribed with reliefs. To avoid the light being blocked and to allow the windows and doors to lean wall easier, all the doors and windows can be open 120°. The long gallery is separated by arches whose details are designed exquisitely. Aside from being able to bear the weight, the thickness of the exterior walls also meets the demand of thermal engineering for architecture in south China.