Bandits are indestructible, and the Japanese army walks around. How amazing is Fujian Tulou?
In the mountains in the west and south of Fujian, China, there is a house famous for its unique architectural style and long history and culture. Its shapes are round, square, oval, arc and so on. This is the world-famous tulou.
This peculiar building was formed in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. After the development in the early and middle Ming dynasty, it gradually matured in the late Ming dynasty, the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China, and it has continued to this day.
The earth buildings in Fujian are related to the Chinese people's southward migration in history. Since the Yongjia period in the Western Jin Dynasty, the frequent wars in the north have led to the large-scale migration of local people to the south, which has opened the prelude to the continuous migration of Han people from the Central Plains to Fujian for thousands of years.
The mountainous area in southwest Fujian where Fujian Tulou is located is steep and sparsely populated. At that time, wild animals appeared and bandits were everywhere.
Living in groups is not only the requirement of the deep-rooted Confucian traditional concept in the Central Plains, but also the realistic need to gather strength and resist foreign enemies. Thus, this unique building appeared.
Earth building is made of raw soil as the main building material, mixed with fine sand, lime, bamboo chips, wood strips and so on. In the tamping process, knead, tamp and press repeatedly. In addition, the roof is covered with fireproof tiles, which is durable.
Why do most earth buildings have to be round? At present, there are different opinions about the reasons. Some people say that houses built in deep mountains are easy to suffocate, so Mr. Feng Shui suggested changing the house into a round one to improve this situation.