Plan your China tour? If you are interested in the traditional Chinese architecture, exploring Fujian Tulou is very helpful understanding the principles of balance and symmetry used for the traditional Chinese buildings and the national culture, the sub-culture of a specific region where the ethnic group live within it.
Fujian Tulou is the official name for Hakka earth buildings that was crowned as World Culture Heritage site in 2008. The name of Fujian Tulou has various versions on the internet including Hakka Houses, Hakka Tulou The Hakka dwellings, Hakka Tulou earthen houses, Hakka earth building and Hakka Fortress. They are mainly refered to the tulou in Yongding County and Nanjing County in the southwest of Fujian Province.
“Tulou” literally means earth (tu) houses (lou). These valuable assets are made the smart hard-working people who fled here between 12 century and 20th century to get rid of the turmoil occuring in the middle of Fujian. These tulou were constructed for defence purposes that only has one entrance with windows high above the first floor.
Fujian Tulou were dubbed as “a little kingdom for the family” that houses the whole clan or used for a village. A tulou has the enclosed and fortified earth building, some rectangular or circular in configuration.
Most Hakka earth houses are set in mountainous areas far from the coastlines. The legend has it that these earth housed were once mistaken for numerous launching pads during the Ronald Reagan government. So FB once sent their secret agents to to nose about the tulou in Fujian..
Follow me to track the old Hakka dwellings!
The circular Hakka House
The circular Hakka House
The rectangular Hakka Dwelling
A rectangular earth house
A close look at Zhengchenglou
A close look at Zhengchenglu
A glimpse of Fuxinglou
A glimpse of Fuxinglou
The village is close to the hakka houses
The village is close to the hakka houses
A rectangular earth house
The village is close to the hakka houses
A multi-eave rectangular tulou
A multi-eave rectangular tulou
The smallest Hakka earthen house
The smallest Hakka earthen house
The inside of the Zhengchenglou reflects a westernized theatre stage
The inside of the Zhengchenglou reflects a westernized theatre stage
The inside of the tulou were built for comfort with 4-5 storeys
The inside of the tulou were built for comfort with 4-5 storeys
A Tulou girl is eating her meal
A Tulou girl is eating her meal
A kid with his grandma
A kid with his grandma
Red lanterns are hung along the Tulou
Red lanterns are hung along the Tulou
Tulou kids
Tulou kids
Any questions, just drop a line.
