I’ve mentioned in other blog entries about the large, fancy homes people build for themselves here in Anhai. When people first started building these, they set the exterior of their homes off from common buildings mostly by just covering them with tile, rather than leaving them as bare concrete. Then they started to get a bit fancier with the design–rooftop gardens and windows with shapes other than “plain rectangle.”

But during this visit, I’ve noticed the next step in the evolution. I’m no architectural expert, but I’ve seen what look to me like major influences from 19th century Europe: Italian porticos, French eaves, English courtyards.

And “new” is replacing, or at least being built across the street from “old” in some cases, although certain parts of town have more “new” while others retain more “old.” Progress is good, I reckon, but when you happen upon it in the middle of the evolution, you feel that any value the “old” held is being smothered before your eyes.

In any case, here are some random house photos from Anhai I’ve taken in the past week: