Tuku

Tuku

Tuku is located in Yongfeng Village, Baima Town, Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province. It was a trading post established by Dutch and British merchants along China’s coastal areas during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1571–1575), used to store silver and stack goods. According to the Ming Dynasty records “Biographies of Foreign States” and “Examinations of the Eastern and Western Oceans,” there were nine such Tukus built along China’s coast (Taiwan's status is unclear). Currently, relevant cultural relics and tourism departments have been searching everywhere, but apart from Baima Town, no other Tukus have been found.

The Tuku building faces southwest, with two sections front and back, nine side rooms on each side, covering a land area of 666 square meters and a built-up area of 719 square meters. The main hall has three bays, with a total width of 11.5 meters and a depth of 7.25 meters, a ridge beam height of 5.1 meters, and uses a post-and-lintel system with six bays and six pillars. The central bay connects the front hall and the rear building via a passageway, forming an "H"-shaped floor plan. The rear building has seven bays, a total width of 23.9 meters, a depth of 6.7 meters, a floor height of 2.75 meters, a ridge beam height of 6.75 meters, also using a post-and-lintel system with six bays and six pillars, and features Song-style lotus-petal column bases. The front porch connects with the passageway’s roof via a single-step moon beam. The column tops feature entasis and capital brackets. The central bay is divided front and back into an accounting room and a vault respectively. The vault is constructed with double walls of brick and fir planks... On the south side, there are two stone-framed brick-carved gateways, each with two pillars and three stories, featuring horse-hoof-shaped silver coin patterns engraved on the stone lintels — these are the earliest known merchant house insignias preserved in China. The interior floor of the entire structure is paved with 300x300 square bricks, while the outdoor courtyard is paved with pebbles. The structure follows meticulous and rigorous design requirements suited for commercial use.

According to the Cihai (Chinese Encyclopedia), Tuku was a trading post established by Dutch and British merchants along China’s coastal areas during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1571–1575), used to store silver and stack goods. It is said that during the Wanli period, a maritime ban was briefly enforced, strictly prohibiting merchants from going to sea to trade with the Dutch. In 1573, merchant Dong Hua suggested to the Dutch traders that Tuku be built in Baima. As the Pujiang River is only one kilometer away and the Yangjiabu Wharf provides direct access to Ningbo — one of the four major ports at the time — it was considered the best location for storing gold and silver and transporting goods.

Baima Town: Baima Town is among the first group of pilot towns for comprehensive small-town reforms and a key town in the province, as well as a provincially and municipally recognized education-strong town. It covers an area of 59.40 square kilometers, with 34,000 mu of arable land. The town administers 30 administrative villages and has a total population of 30,000. In 2003, the town achieved a combined industrial and agricultural output value of 1.22 billion yuan, fiscal revenue of 6.62 million yuan, per capita rural income of 3,382 yuan, and a natural population growth rate of 2%.

Industry: The town currently has 337 enterprises, including 8 under the county’s “127 Project.” There is 1 enterprise group, 2 enterprises with annual sales exceeding 100 million yuan, and more... More detailed information about Baima Town ++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units