The Tulous of Fujian Province

This post is another one dedicated to a particular place and all the memories and feelings that it brings up. This goes back a long way - it is nearly 20 years since I first visited, with Cro, and I haven't been there for maybe 15 years.

Fujian is a mountainous coastal province in the South-East of China. It was in fact the first place we ever went together on the mainland because our first expedition was from Hong Kong on an overnight sleeper bus up to Xiamen (also known as Amoy - you may remember a Soy Sauce called that). Fujian has a long history of connections and trade with other countries, and a lot of the Chinese who went to work as (sometimes indentured) labour all around the world came from Fujian. It is a feisty and busy place and I really like it. 

But between about 800 and 500 years ago a new group of settlers arrived in the province and the only place thy could get a foothold was in the mountainous interior. They were from the people called the Hakka, with their own dialect and traditions. You take what you can get, and the coastal areas were already spoken for.

The most visually distinctive feature of these Hakka settlements is that people often still live in huge tulous, also known as Clan Houses. They are wonderful structures (see below). They are made of massive earthen walls, sometimes six feet thick, and are often circular in form, and up to 200ft across. Inside, the inner walls are lined with wood-built apartments, rising up to five floors. A large tulou can house up to 500 people. 

When we were there we stayed in one tulou that rented out rooms, and it was so interesting to see what it felt like to live in this remarkable structure. The first thing you notice is that it is very comfortable because the thick earth wall and overhanging gables have a moderating effect on the climate. It stays cooler in summer than smaller buildings and apparently this also makes it warmer in winter. 

The wooden apartments are beautifully constructed - carpentry was a noted skill of the people there - and nearly everything is constructed without metal fixings. Pegs are used to secure joints, and windows slide open rather than hang on hinges. Why waste iron if you don't need to?

The inner courtyard sometimes has separate buildings for cooking in - a sensible precaution with wooden apartments - and there are always several wells in the central area too. In times of trouble the tulous were designed to be self-reliant and had a defensive purpose too. You will notice above that the outer walls do not have low windows, making them more secure against attackers and brigands.

So if you ever get the urge and the chance, get down to Southern Fujian and have a look at these wonders!