Fujian Tulou

The Fujian Tulou are a fascinating type of large residential building, unique to the mountainous areas of the Fujian province in south-eastern China. These, mostly circular, multi-storey structures were built between the 14th and 20th century, and typically housed a family clan of up to 800 people. The construction used wood and bamboo for the inside dwellings and had thick outer walls of earth and clay for defensive purposes. There are still more than 30,000 of these buildings in Fujian today. 46 of them were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 2008.