The Tianloukeng tulou cluster was once mistakenly identified as missile-firing silos. — Photos: HOO BAN KHEE
On a recent trip to China, I visited a “tulou” in Fujian province. As I stood in the centre courtyard of the centuries-old circular building, I was awestruck by the architectural edifice.
This massive four-storey structure was constructed with timber and mud, reinforced with bamboo and straw, and then glued firmly together with glutinous rice. Yes, glutinous rice.
Throughout the years, the weather has not worn the tulou down. Amazing!
At one time, the 300-year-old building housed 200 families. It belonged to the Huang clan and is located in the mountainous region of Nanjing District in Fujian.
Many of the descendants of the original families have moved out to the cities. Now jointly managed by the owners and local authorities, the tulou stands as a marvel to many people, especially tourists.
It was built by the Hakka people who ran away from Henan Province of central China due either to famine or civil wars, to settle in the south, though in a hostile environment. To protect themselves from the wild animals and the locals who viewed them as invaders, they devised fortress-like homes which are either circular or square in design.
Such building is called tulou which literally means earthen building, and according to our tour leader Fong Ten Chee, there are thousands of them scattered all over Fujian and Guangdong provinces, even as far as Taiwan.
The Tianloukeng tulou which captured my fascination is the centre piece of the Yunshuiyao cluster of five, which were inscribed into the Unesco World Heritage Site list in 2008.
As I was shown the dwelling places, the cooking area, the common well, storage areas and other common facilities, it dawned on me that the guarded and gated tulou built by the Hakka clan for community living and mutual protection is indeed the first “condominium” in the world. Such ingenuity.
A view inside the tulou, a circular building which the writer likened to a condominium.
I chatted with some elders who set up stalls on the ground floor selling knick-knacks. They appeared happy even though the facilities, in our eyes, were primitive. “We were born here and grew up here. We are used to it,” some explained.
I was even told that the top floor of the tulou was used to store coffins. According to ancient tradition, every bride would gift a coffin as dowry to the groom’s family. This is a horrifying and unthinkable thing to do today but it was deemed a privilege back then as only the rich could afford to be buried in a coffin.
It is interesting to note that during the height of the Cold War, the cluster of tulous captured in satellite images stunned foreign intelligence operatives, who mistook them as missile-firing silos.
We also visited Yunshuiyao town in Nanjing, about 2.5 hours’ drive from Heyuan, a Hakka ancient city.
Besides the tulou clusters, visitors also like to visit Yunshuiyao at night, when it is lit up like a fairyland. To entertain local and foreign tourists, a lady singer in flowing ancient dress dances and serenades on a boat, gliding gently up and down the river that flows through the town centre.
On the riverbank, paved with large cobblestones, are crowds watching the night shows, enjoying traditional culture and nature blended in perfect harmony.
A skeleton of a dinosaur displayed at the museum.
Meanwhile, Heyuan is famous for its Dinosaur Museum with the largest collection of more than 10,000 dinosaur egg fossils recognised by the Guinness World Records.
After sunset, people would gather around the Xinfeng River to watch a magnificent musical fountain, reputed to be the tallest in Asia.
You can also visit an old jetty in Songkou Zhen where the Hakka people used to board a tongkang (ship) for a risky sea journey which could last for months during the final days of the Qing Dynasty. It is a sad reminder of the warring period when people had to leave their families and loved ones to escape from abject poverty.
Hoo Ban Khee was a former correspondent for The Star in Beijing, China. He can be contacted at hoobankhee@gmail.com.
