Fujian tulou (Chinese: 福建土樓; literally 'Fujian earthen buildings') are Chinese rural dwellings unique to the Hakka in the mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China. They were mostly built between the 12th and the 20th centuries.
Tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, most commonly rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high.
Nowadays, there are around 3000 tulous in China, some notable tulous such as Chuxi Tulou group (初溪土樓群), Zhenchenglou (振成樓) and Zhenchenglou (振成樓) have become popular tourist attraction.
It is generally believed that from the 12th century to 19th century, armed bandits plagued southern China. The people of southern Fujian first built strongholds on top of mountains as self defense. These early strongholds later evolved into Fujian Tulou.
The layout of Fujian tulou is an enclosure wall with living quarters around the peripheral and a common courtyard at the center. A small building at the center with an open front served as an ancestral hall.
The ground floor plan of tulou has different shapes, including circle, semicircle, oval, square, rectangle, and irregular pentagon.
In order to protect the building and the privacy of the locals, some of the popular tulous do not allow people to visit the residential area or need to charge extra admission.
