Fujian Tulou

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Fujian Tulou
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Location	China
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv, v
Reference	1113
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	2008 (32nd Session)

Fujian tulou
"Fujian tulou" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese	福建土楼
Traditional Chinese	福建土樓
Literal meaning	"Fujian earthen buildings"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fújiàn tǔlóu IPA [fǔ.tɕjɛ̂n tʰù.lǒu] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Fūk-gin tóu-làuh Jyutping Fuk1-gin3 tou2-lau4 Southern Min Tâi-lô Hok-kiàn thóo-lâu

The Fujian tulou (Chinese: 福建土楼; literally: "Fujian earthen buildings") are Chinese rural dwellings unique to the Hakka 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 800 people. 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.

Most of the tulou (with the exception of the Dadi tulou cluster in Hua'an county) are found in a relatively small geographical area, straddling the boundary between the Yongding and Nanjing counties, Fujian province. These are administered as a single tourist site (known as the Nanjing Tulou Scenic Area) with its entrance in Shuyang township (Nanjing County, Zhangzhou). Visits to this area therefore usually comprise a tour of the most distinctive and famous across both the "Yongding" (Gaobei Tulou Cluster, Hongkeng Tulou Cluster, Chuxi Tulou Cluster, Zhenfulou Earthen House and Yanxianglou Earthen House) and "Nanjing" (Tianluokeng tulou cluster, Hekeng Tulou Cluster, Heguilou Earthen House and Huaiyuanlou Earthen House) tulou groups.