Tulou Roundhouses

(from Wikipedia) Fujian earthen structures is a type of Chinese rural

dwellings[1] of the Hakka and Minnan [2] (Fulao[3]) people in the

mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China. They were mostly

built between the 12th and the 20th centuries. A tulou is usually a

large, enclosed and fortified earth building, most commonly

rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing

rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing

up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by

these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses,

wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small

fortified city. The fortified outer structures are formed by compacting

earth, mixed with stone, bamboo, wood and other readily available

materials, to form walls up to 6 feet (1.8 m) thick. Branches, strips of

wood and bamboo chips are often laid in the wall as additional

reinforcement. The result is a well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof and

earthquake- proof building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Tulous usually have only one main gate, guarded by 4–5-inch-thick

(100– 130 mm) wooden doors reinforced with an outer shell of iron

plate. The top level of these earth buildings has gun holes for

defensive purposes. A total of 46 Fujian Tulou sites, including Chuxi

tulou cluster, Tianluokeng tulou cluster, Hekeng tulou cluster, Gaobei

tulou cluster, Dadi tulou cluster, Hongkeng tulou cluster, Yangxian

lou, Huiyuan lou, Zhengfu lou and Hegui lou, have been inscribed in

2008 by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, as "exceptional examples

of a building tradition and function exemplifying a particular type of

communal living and defensive organization [in a] harmonious

relationship with their environment".[4]

Thanks again for sharing your travel experiences with us on pn and the history that goes with it!

Absolutely fascinating!!!!  Nice shot!!

These are amazing.  Is the upper center a circle or oval?