The Lords of Dongshan: Ideals and Passion in Red Brick Houses

There is an old Cantonese saying: power lives in Dongshan, money lives in Xiguan.

The money in Xiguan came from the Thirteen Factories. The power in Dongshan came from another group — the overseas Chinese.

Dongshan was farmland a hundred years ago

Walk into Dongshan today, and you will see red brick villas, coffee shops, and old houses turned into restaurants.

But a hundred years ago, this was farmland and hills.

In the Ming dynasty, Dongshan was still "unfarmable land" — rolling hills, overgrown grass, and only a few scattered villages. Dongshan had no mountain. The "hills of Dongshan" were just small mounds: Yandun Hill, Guigang, Mumian Hill.

Everything changed when the Kowloon–Canton Railway opened.

The railway brought Dongshan into the city

In the late Qing dynasty, the Kowloon–Canton Railway was built, passing through Dongshan in Guangzhou. With better transport, Westerners and wealthy local merchants began building homes in Dongshan to escape the noise of the city.

But what truly changed Dongshan was the wave of returning overseas Chinese.

After the 1911 Revolution, patriotism among overseas Chinese was stirred. Combined with the instability before World War I, large numbers of Guangdong-born overseas Chinese returned home with their savings. They wanted to return to their roots. But Xiguan was already crowded and expensive. Dongshan had cheap land, a quiet environment, and mission schools. It became their first choice.

Most of these overseas Chinese came from Kaiping, Taishan, Xinhui, and Enping — the most famous overseas Chinese hometowns in Guangdong.

How they left: the "piglet" trade

In 1848, gold was discovered in California. The news spread around the world, and huge numbers of people rushed to California to seek gold. Western colonizers set up recruitment offices in Guangzhou, Shantou, and Hong Kong, using wildly exaggerated language to describe America as a paradise. Large numbers of Cantonese were trafficked abroad as "piglets" — indentured laborers.

Almost all Chinese workers in America were Cantonese. By 1880, more than 300,000 Chinese were in the United States, most of them in California. Among them, people from the Four Counties made up the vast majority — 82% of Chinese workers in America came from the Four Counties.

Why is San Francisco called "Old Gold Mountain"? Because overseas Chinese called San Francisco "Gold Mountain" — because of the gold mines. In the hometowns of the Five Counties, people called the Chinese in America "Gold Mountain guests" or "Gold Mountain uncles."

These workers mined on the West Coast and built the transcontinental railroad. In 1867, there were four thousand laborers on the Central Pacific Railroad site, nine out of ten of them Chinese. They used explosives to cut tunnels into cliffs, and hung from baskets above canyons 1,400 feet high.

So, about twenty years ago, there may have been Chinese neighbors in the block next to yours. Have you noticed that most of them are Cantonese? They speak Cantonese.

Even today, in Chinatowns around the world, the most common restaurants are still Cantonese restaurants.

Why red brick?

The most visible feature of Dongshan villas is the clear red brick wall.

Traditional Xiguan mansions used "green brick with stone footings." Dongshan villas used red brick, with Western colonnades and teak doors and windows — entirely in the form of European and American villas.

Many building materials were imported from abroad. Red brick, glass, teak doors and windows, and even some ironwork railings were shipped in from overseas. The owners — overseas Chinese, foreign firms, and the government — specifically sourced these materials to build high-standard buildings. Many overseas Chinese even brought back drawings, furniture, and sanitary ware from abroad, building according to Western living habits.

These houses were completely different from Xiguan mansions — Xiguan mansions were inward-facing, closed, and centered on the family. Dongshan villas were outward-facing, open, and centered on the individual and the nuclear family.

The difference in architectural form reflects two different ways of living.

The Lords of Dongshan

The people who moved into these red brick villas later had a name — the "Lords of Dongshan."

They were mostly the sons of overseas Chinese officials, returning overseas merchants, or military and political figures. They received Western-style education, wore suits, listened to gramophones, and played tennis. Their lifestyle was a blend of Chinese and Western.

In old Guangzhou, there was a saying: "Power and influence live in Dongshan, money lives in Xiguan." Dongshan was the backyard of "power," and Xiguan was the stronghold of "wealth."

Closing

The Lords of Dongshan were not just "rich young masters."

Many of them received a Western education, were open-minded, and chose to join the revolution when the country was in crisis.

They were not just a symbol of "power and influence." They were also a group of young people with ideals and a sense of responsibility.

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