Hakka Tulou Building Travel Guide
Tulou,the Earth Tower of Hakka has a long history. As early as one thousand years ago, some of the original Hakka migrated and settled at the sparse Yongding area. In order to protect themselves against bandits and wild beasts, they used local materials to build tall, multi-stroy circular enrthen buildings where a whole family or clan could live in. These are the earth towers that we see today.
These buildings were constructed using fire-resisitive material and therefore practically impregnable. They are spacious and they are made up of different shapes like square, rectangular,semi-circular and round. The ones that are round in shape are the most famous. Tehy are divided into three classes of sizes namely, small, medium and big. The small ones are usually 2-3 stories tall with a single ring and have 21-28 rooms. The medium dwellings are usually 3-4 stories tall with a large inner open space, which come rings and could contain 30 to 40 rooms. The large round buildings are usually 4-5 stories tall consisting of as many and three rings and could house about 42-58 rooms. Finally, the very small round buildings have about 12-18 rooms.
Hongkeng Earthen Building Cluster
The Hongkeng Village, Hongkeng Town -- Yongding Earthen Building Folklore Cultural Village, one of the top eight tourist attractions in Fujian Province, contains more than 40 distinct earthen buildings, including the Kuiju Building, the Fuyu Building, the Zhencheng Building, the mini round Rusheng Building, the Heavenly Queen Palace, which attracts an endless stream of pilgrims, and the Earthern Building Museum, where a large number of exhibits are on display. The village strides the Jinfeng Creek and is set in a dramatic landscape which represents the harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions to produce an idyllic landscape of outstanding quality.
Gaobei Earthen Building Cluster
Located at Gaobei Hamlet Gaotou Village, this building cluster is dominated by the Chengqi Building, the most famous earthen building which is dubbed the "Kind of Round Buildings" and has been designed as a key natural cultural heritage site. The hamlet is home to hundareds of earthen buildings nestled snugly between the mountains and the creeks. The ancient earthen buildings, including the long-standing Wuyuan Building, bear witness to the entrepreeurship and wisdom of the Hakka people.
More information about Earthen Builing please visit Longyan City Guide.