(ORDO NEWS) — These unique structures, called Tulou, began to appear during the Tang Dynasty, in the 10th century, when the Hakka people were forced to migrate to southern China and defend themselves from the local population.
Tulou was built in the 12th century. It consists of four buildings of circular shape and several square. In fact, the buildings are a fortress, which has only one entrance. The main fortress wall was built from a mixture of bamboo, earth, stone, granite, wood and other improvised materials.
Until the middle of the last century, these structures were used for their intended purpose. This year there will be five years from the date of making 46 tulou in the UNESCO list of protected sites.
In a typical old Tulow house from three to five floors, surrounded by a thick earthen wall – up to 1.8 meters thick in most structures, with one, two or three circles of internal buildings. The only entrance was protected by a 10 cm thick wooden door and iron gates.
At the roof level loopholes were arranged to repel enemy attacks. The most famous and popular building among tourists is the Chengqi Building , which has a diameter of more than 70 meters, 4 floors and 402 rooms.
Aesthetically, these ancient houses convey the spirit and beauty of rural China. Their inhabitants shared a sense of community and worked hard, increasing prosperity, solving the tasks of everyday life collectively, and not alone. Visually, these ancient houses have clearly Chinese distinctive features: roofs covered with clay tiles, wooden structures, pedestrian walkways, paved with stone, as well as earthen walls.
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