Fujian Tulou -- China's Enclosed City

Author: Xu Yan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The "Fujian Tulou" consists of earthen buildings from three locations in Fujian: Yongding, Nanjing, and Hua'an. Tulou are traditional residential buildings constructed from rammed earth, primarily concentrated in the border areas of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces. These earthen buildings are made by mixing unburnt sandy clay and sticky sand, reinforced with bamboo, wood, tree bark, thatch, mud, and stone. They serve multiple functions, including defense and habitation. The world-famous Fujian round tulou are mainly distributed in Southern Fujian and Western Fujian. They are built with ancient rammed earth walls, forming massive multi-story buildings (four to five floors), truly a marvel of the world. Their unique circular plan is rarely seen in residential architecture worldwide. Their extraordinary appearance has attracted numerous domestic and international scholars and experts for research and study. UNESCO advisor Steven Andrei called them "a unique, mythical mountainous building model in the world." Professor Motohiko Mogami of Tokyo University of the Arts described them as "flying saucers that fell from the sky and mushrooms that sprouted from the ground."
The ancient and solemn Oriental If architecture is "frozen music," then these large and small tulou compose a grand and solemn melody. Tulou with histories spanning over a thousand years, with their long history, unique style, grand scale, exquisite structure, and rich cultural connotation, stand independently in the world of residential architecture, hailed as "a shining pearl of Eastern civilization" and "a marvel of ancient Chinese architecture." This year, "Fujian Tulou" has been officially listed by the National Cultural Relics Administration as a key project for applying to the "World Cultural Heritage" list. Fujian Province has established the "Tulou World Cultural Heritage Application Leadership Group," and the counties of Hua'an, Nanjing, and Yongding are intensifying efforts in environmental remediation, document preparation, and other preparations, with all work proceeding in an orderly and efficient manner. Will "Fujian Tulou" become the 28th item of China's World Cultural Heritage, following Xidi and Hongcun in Anhui Province? Luo Zhewen, head of the ancient architecture expert group at the National Cultural Relics Administration, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) China Committee vice chairman, and a renowned cultural relics protection expert, said that to apply for World Cultural Heritage, a place must not only deeply understand the value of the heritage itself but also improve its protection and management level to align with international standards. He believes that the application for World Cultural Heritage for tulou has two major advantages. First, the uniqueness of tulou is well-known worldwide, and foreign experts have come to investigate, with a consensus on their humanistic value. Second, while many places in China are excellent, they often face environmental obstacles during application—either too many new buildings nearby or having been altered beyond recognition. The advantage of tulou lies in their mountainous location, so they have been preserved relatively intact. Tulou are a special type of architecture, neither Han-style nor local-style, yet they perfectly embody the three principles of architectural aesthetics: "practical, beautiful, and economical." They are warm in winter and cool in summer, and their origins are linked to the conflicts during the Western Jin Dynasty, reflecting both ethnic and cultural integration.
A Treasure of Vernacular Architecture: Er Yi Lou
Tulou come in two forms: round and square, with internal structures divided into corridor-style, unit-style, and a combination of both. Corridor-style tulou are primarily found in Yongding County, while unit-style tulou are distributed in the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster in Nanjing County. The Er Yi Lou in Hua'an County, a combination of corridor-style and unit-style, stands out. In 1988, three editors from Taiwan's Han Sheng magazine, along with tulou research experts Huang Hanmin and Zeng Wuyue, formed the "Fujian Tulou Tour," spending 36 days investigating over 70 tulou. Their findings unanimously concluded that Fujian tulou are a treasure of Chinese vernacular architecture. The round tulou are the gems of the tulou world, with Er Yi Lou in Dadi Village, Xindu Town, Hua'an County, "taking the lead" and being ranked as the "best among the best" in Chinese round tulou. In July 1992, CCTV's "Chinese Vernacular Architecture" production team conducted a comprehensive and focused shoot of Er Yi Lou as an exemplary model of Fujian tulou. In November 1996, the State Council designated Er Yi Lou as the fourth batch of national key cultural relic protection units. It not only attracted attention from the architectural community but also sparked great interest among historians, geographers, anthropologists, folklorists, and other domestic and international scholars, who wrote extensively on it, inscribed couplets, and composed poems, adding to its brilliance.
Huang Hanmin, a tulou research expert, wrote in an article that Er Yi Lou is a unique example of Fujian round tulou, with its architectural plan and spatial layout being distinctive. Its defense system is ingeniously designed, its structural treatment is unconventional, its decorative elements are exquisite and magnificent, and its natural and cultural landscapes are rich. It is undoubtedly a rare gem among Fujian tulou. The features it embodies—plan, space, defense, structure, decoration, and culture—are unparalleled in other tulou.
The Cultural Connotation of the "King of Tulou"
The murals and couplets in Er Yi Lou showcase its rich cultural connotation. The stone plaque inscribed with "Er Yi Lou" above its main gate, with the meaning "Favorable mountains and water, favorable homes and rooms, favorable inside and outside," and its elegant and solemn calligraphy, is included in the "Famous Plaques of China." The main hall features: "Leaning on cup-shaped rocks as screens, four peaks surround the deep pavilion; facing Turtle Mountain as a table, two waters swirl around the high building." The two couplets vividly depict the harmony between the round tulou and its surroundings: "Inheriting the three paths, prosperity for future generations, opening up vast lands; bestowing blessings from nine dragons, bright mountains and clear waters celebrate Er Yi."
Zheng Jun, a mural and painting preservation expert from the Chinese Cultural Relics Research Institute, conducted a detailed survey of Er Yi Lou's murals and paintings, identifying 952 locations with 593 square meters of murals (226 pieces), 99 square meters of painted wood carvings (214 pieces), and 349 painted wooden carvings, as well as 100 inscribed couplets. The presence of English newspapers from 1932 and some Western-style murals inside indicates that the residents of tulou had already begun to embrace Western culture and art. All these cultural elements reflect the high cultural sophistication of the tulou owners. This year, Yang Yuzhu, a senior engineer from the Chinese Cultural Relics Research Institute, led a team of ancient architecture restoration experts to Er Yi Lou in Hua'an County, initiating large-scale repairs and marking the beginning of Fujian's efforts to preserve tulou heritage.
"Fujian Tulou" is the second project in Fujian Province to apply for World Cultural Heritage after Wuyi Mountain. As an outstanding representative of Fujian tulou and a treasure in the forest of ancient vernacular architecture, Er Yi Lou plays its due role in the application for World Cultural Heritage.