Yuchang Building

Yuchang Building

Yuchang Building is the oldest surviving earthen building in Nanjing County. Constructed during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties (around 1368), it was jointly built by five clans—the Liu, Luo, Zhang, Tang, and Fan families—so the entire structure was divided into five large sections (known as “trigrams”) of unequal size. Each section has its own staircase, and each clan resided in one trigram.

The whole building leans at odd angles, yet its tilted construction has stood for hundreds of years, surviving even earthquakes without collapsing—a mystery that puzzles modern architects to this day. The secrets behind its architectural design have yet to be fully uncovered.

Yuchang Building has a five-story structure, with 54 similarly sized axe-shaped rooms on each floor. The ground floor is used for kitchens, and each kitchen has a well about 1 meter deep and 0.5 meters wide. The water is clean and sweet, and you can easily draw it up with a dipper just by reaching out.

At the center of the inner courtyard, there is a single-story circular ancestral hall. The courtyard in front of the hall is paved with cobblestones forming a large circle divided into five equal sections, representing the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Soon after the building was completed, the wooden pillars in the corridors began to tilt gradually from left to right, with the maximum tilt reaching 15 degrees. It looked as if it might collapse at any moment, but it has withstood centuries of wind and rain as well as numerous earthquakes, remaining intact to this day—seemingly precarious yet miraculously stable. It is said that the builders intentionally tilted the pillars because the building’s owner had offended the master carpenter. A few years ago, the government classified it as a dangerous building, yet this so-called “dangerous building” has remained standing through centuries of harsh conditions.

The earthen building is still home to over a dozen households, living in harmony and simplicity. After hundreds of years of wind, rain, sun, and smoke, the pillars and staircases inside have turned a warm brownish-gold color, giving the building a truly timeless, classic charm.

Address: Xiaban Village, Shuyang Town, Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City

Type: Historical Site & Folk Village

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Tianluokeng Earthen Building Cluster ticket, which costs 100 RMB.

Half-price for children between 1.1–1.4 meters tall; students receive a discount with valid ID.

Transportation

I. Getting to Tianluokeng Scenic Area:

1. Take a train to Nanjing Railway Station. Upon arrival, take the tourist bus just outside the station (one bus departs approximately every hour, 20 RMB/person, 1.5-hour ride); or transfer to the earthen building shuttle bus at Nanjing Bus Station (20 RMB/person); or hire a private car (around 40 RMB/person).

2. Take the 8:30 AM bus from Xiamen Hubin South Long-Distance Bus Station to Tianluokeng (55 RMB, approximately 3.5-hour journey).

II. Getting to Yuchang Building:

Reachable by the scenic area shuttle bus.

Shuyang Town: Located in the southwestern part of Nanjing County, Shuyang Town is traversed by Provincial Highway Shanchang and serves as an important border trade hub where Nanjing, Pinghe, and Yongding counties meet. It boasts a unique geographical advantage. The town covers an area of 184 square kilometers, governs 21 autonomous villages and one neighborhood committee, and has a total population of over 30,000. There are nearly 50,000 overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, making it one of the key hometowns of overseas Chinese in Zhangzhou City.

The town is not only a renowned historical and cultural destination but also one of the main hubs for earthen building tourism in the county. It is home to more than 400 round earthen buildings, including the Tianluokeng Earthen Building Cluster, Hekeng Earthen… [More info on Shuyang Town]++

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