CHINA - Destinations & Hotels
Yongding - Hakka Tulou
The Tulou house is a large scale circular residential buildings that provide a place for the Hakka clansmen (one of China's ethnic minorities) to live together efficiently. The walls are usually built by compacted earth and resemble a fortress with a strong defensive function. In ancient times, the local Hakkas who fled from the disturbances caused by war in the Central Plains, built many of these buildings to protect themselves, and thereby avoid conflict with the locals of the region. In surrounding land of Yongding, there are more than twenty thousand Tulou houses of which almost five thousand are large scale with more than three storeys. The largest Tulou houses can accommodate dozens of families and allow residents the security of several generations living together. Compared with the other Hakka regions the Yongding Tulou houses are unparalleled in terms of scale and number. The Tulou houses here all have a long history and are all well preserved.
