Almost by chance we found during research these fascinating circular buildings. It is a closed inherently functional form of settlement in China. On the one side it was a residential accommodation for large families and clans, on the other side through meter-thick outer walls a passive protection which for weeks withstands enemy attacks, while self-sufficient through small areas of farm land to grow food for daily needs and stables for livestock. An exciting concept, which shows like almost no other from this time how sustainability in practice work on a small space, while at the same time is a practical advice for today’s needs, according to the motto “Think global, act local!”.
UNESCO’S World Heritage Committee added Hakka Tulou earthen houses to its heritage list in July 2008. The Hakka dwellings are known as Tulou, literally meaning “mud buildings”. The border where the three provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi meet is littered with tulou’s. Tulou come in different shapes and sizes- there are rectangular, circular, pentagonal (5-sided), imperial style, oval etc. The most common tulou standing today are of rectangular and circular shapes. Most of them are found within the county of Yongding. Yongding County; of which about 360 are circular shaped.
The rectangular tulou is an earlier design whereas the circular ones are newer. Rectangular tulou is direction-oriented and has different lighting and ventilation characteristics often resulting in damp and dark corners. Hence these are slowly replaced by the circular design. Both designs are built around a central courtyard that allows in light and ventilation and to house livestock (some of the circular tulou’s also has an inner circular single level building within the compound). They also have wells and complex drainage systems. The outer walls are normally a meter thick with slits for rifles. The entrance is bolted with heavy door.
A tulou can be as high as six storeys; the ground level is for livestock and kitchen; grains and other food stuff are stored on the second level while the higher floors are for living. A big tulou can accommodate 80 families with 600 inhabitants. The walls are constructed of local materials- mainly mud with straw, reinforced by bamboo strips. The floors are constructed from thick wood panels. Tulou are defensive design- Hakka often settled in remote hills and faced local hostilities and banditries. Once the doors are bolted and with ample stock of grains, tulou is like a fortress and can be completely self-sufficient for long period of time.
The largest circular tulou and also the oldest, built in 1790 is ChengQiLou has a diameter of 82 meters, the smallest is RuShengLou (in HongKengCun) with a diameter of 17 meters. The grandest and generally accepted as the finest example of circular tulou is ZhenChengLou (also in HongKengCun). There is only one tulou that is oval shaped, WenChangLou. Read more on: Hakka Tulou earthen houses and UNESCO Fujian Tulou.
The Hakka people, also known as Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian in China. Their ancestors were often said to have arrived from what is today’s central China centuries ago. In a series of migrations, the Hakkas moved, settled in their present locations in southern China, and then often migrated overseas to various countries throughout the world. Hakka people have had a significant influence on the course of Chinese and world history: in particular, they have been a source of many revolutionary, government, and military leaders.
