Oi Kwan Hotel, Art Deco hotel in Yuexiu District, China
Oi Kwan Hotel is a 15-storey, 64-metre Art Deco tower on Yanjiang West Road, completed in 1937. Its triangular plan follows the wedge between the old and new embankments, with a white washed-granite facade, arcaded ground floor and a light well above the second floor. The top floors form a tower crowned by Guangzhou's first revolving restaurant, added in 1984.
The building was completed in 1937 and held the title of tallest structure in Guangzhou for around 30 years. It went up during a period when the city was absorbing Western architectural influences through its role as a major trading port.
The hotel's name was written in the traditional Cantonese postal romanisation "Oi Kwan Hotel" until 1949, when it was changed to the pinyin "Aiqun Hotel". For years only the exterior sign showed the old English name, so some foreign visitors thought they were two different hotels. The Lingnan Group later restored the original English name for trademarks.
The hotel is right on the Pearl River waterfront and easy to reach on foot from the surrounding riverside area. From this spot, many parts of the city center are within walking distance, making it a convenient base for exploring the older neighborhoods nearby.
The revolving restaurant was added in 1984, when the top three floors of the New Oi Kwan wing were converted; the hotel had hosted the opening and closing banquets of the first ten Canton Fairs. The main 1937 block is a triangular-plan tower modelled on New York's Woolworth Building, with arcaded ground floor and light wells above.
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