the early "tong lau" in hong kong were mainly two- or three-storey structures built back-to-back, and built in areas such as tai ping shan. 19th century "tong lau" encompassed chinese and european architectural features. the chinese component was based on building design from southern china, mainly in guangdong province. european influences were usually neoclassical. the "tong lau" roof used wood and/or xieding tiles and iron was used for the balconies. the balcony's design was based on cantonese styles. windows used french styling and were made of wood and glass. the upper floors were supported by brick pillars and protruded out to the edge of the street.