The Shining Masterpiece of Oriental Architecture

Tingitng

To some extent， culture has been largely shaped by the environment， which helps influence the local architecture. Hakka Earthen Building is a type of Chinese rural dwellings， which is constructed by people in southern Fujian with particular workmanship and used for both dwelling and defense. The Hakka Earthen Building distinguishes itself as an independent branch in the Chinese culture without losing its brilliance. Integrated by various elements from different cultures， it remains different and is proved to be a perfect combination. One needs to go to the local place and truly experience the most brilliant culture in Hakka history.

Hakka Earthen Building （“Tulou” in Chinese） refers to the large rammed-earth building cluster in southeast Fujian Province. Dotting in the green mountains and clear waters， they are the products of human wisdom. With wide varieties， fancy structures， complete functions and rich connotations， they are praised as a treasure of traditional Chinese residential structure and crowned as the “wonder of world architecture” for its historical， artistic and scientific values.

As a unique rammed-earth residential structure， Hakka Earthen Building is proved to be a creative architectural masterpiece in the world. It is mainly constructed with raw soil， thus its commonly-known name — “raw soil building”. After these materials are thoroughly mixed together， quality brown sugar， whisked egg white and the strained liquid from sticky rice soup are added and a new turn of mixing begins. A Hakka saying has it that one bowl of raw soil is worth a bowl of meat. The resultant material is then used for the earthen buildings. The ingenious Hakkas use this method to compensate for the lack of raw materials normally used for building. As for the roof， fired tiles are used to make it more durable. The building， when finished， extends upwards by five or six storeys and accommodates three to four generations.

The building， which has housed up to 800 people ever， is a colorful small society where people help each other and live in harmony. But a more striking feature of the building is its complete defense functions. The outer wall is one to two meters in thickness with no windows on the first and second storeys. Once the gate is closed， the building turns into an impregnable fortress. Water and sand leaking devices are also equipped to prevent fire attack. In case of emergency， the residents could escape from the underground passage.

The architectural feature of Hakka people， as well as their dwelling habit — “people of the same clan live together”， has its root in their history. Hakkas were Han Chinese resided in the Central Plains of China， who were forced to migrate to the south by wars， famine and other adversities. During their long years in exile， they have realized that only by working in unity with concerted efforts could they get through tough times together. Consequently， they formed the habit of living together with their own people wherever they are. Thus， the unique architectural form — Hakka Earthen Building came into being.

Nestling on the hillsides， the earthen buildings have taken in the idea of geomantic omen in traditional Chinese architectural planning. With reasonable layout， the building has not only met the need for people to live together， but also reached the requirement for defense. It has established a system of its own by skillfully utilizing the narrow flat ground among mountains as well as raw soil， wood and cobble available for local use. These economical and defensive buildings， displaying an extreme beauty as well， have brought the well-established and long-standing rammed-earth construction technology to the best possible level.

Hakka Earthen Building （“Tulou” in Chinese） refers to the large rammed-earth building cluster in southeast Fujian Province. Dotting in the green mountains and clear waters， they are the products of human wisdom.

A glaring pearl of modern art

Today， although the building is no longer a fortress， those complete and sophisticated defensive devices still amaze us. As early as 2008， earthen building has been listed as a world cultural heritage by the UNESCO. The enchanting rivers， lush bamboo trees， gigantic banyan trees， ancient buildings， fishing boats and distinctive waterwheels contribute to the beauty of the village， while the rich culture also adds charm to it. Sauntering in the enchanting village， you will easily drink in the centuries-old culture and the antiquity and simplicity of the Hakka people.

There are generally three typical Hakka Earthen Buildings， namely Wufenglou （Five Phoenix Tower）， Fanglou （square one） and Yuanlou （circular one）. Chinese ancestors thought the sky was round and the earth square. So， round and square buildings are representative of the sky and the earth. Round also implies unification and perfection， which is a foremost ideal of Chinese people. With thick walls， the earthen building is warm in winter and cool in summer. They reflects the “newest idea and highest state” of green architecture pursued by the people today and carries on the profound traditional culture.

Few in number， Wufenglou is featured by five lays of ridges and overhanging eaves， resembling a flying phoenix， hence its name. The building rises gradually in height with its front being the lowest and the rear the highest. They are mainly found in plain areas with abundant farmland and convenient transportation. Standing far away from the border areas where conflicts emerge frequently， Wufenglou does not have to concentrate on defense but social pecking order.

Fanglou， commonly found in Yongding County， Fujian， has simple structures， either square or rectangle， closed or opened. They are built in the transition regions of plains and mountains where banditries occur constantly. Compared with Wufenglou， the sense of order of Fanglou weakens while its defensive power is reinforced.

Yuanlou， the most striking one， resembles big mushroom coming out from underground. Spread around the west of Fujian Province， there are 4，000 square buildings and 360 round ones， which are quite breathtaking. The buildings usually are formed as two or three circles. The building extends outwards layer by layer from the center， where the shrine is located. In the middle is the circular corridor， where the family get together and welcome their guests. The outermost layer， divided into rooms of the same size， is where the family reside. Such circular building， with less concern on the pecking order， has upgraded its defense function and placed it in the first place.

The formation of the Fujian Earthen Building amplify the wisdom and creativeness of the ancestors of the Hakkas settlers in Yongding County. The grand complex of Hakka residence in Yongding show best the intelligence of the Hakka， added luster to Chinese traditional architecture. It closes the gaps between Chinese architecture history and the world architecture history and is regarded as a miraculous wonder by thousands of experts， scholars and tourists who have been enchanted by its beauty. Whenever you are in Fujian， don't forget to take a tour of earthen buildings.