Zhangzhou Er Yi Lou

Zhangzhou Er Yi Lou

Zhangzhou Er Yi Lou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located in Dadi Village, Xiandu Town, Hua'an County, it is an outstanding representative of China's ancient round earthen residential buildings, renowned as the "King of Tulou" and a "National Treasure." It is widely celebrated for its grand scale, scientific design, rational layout, and well-preserved condition, and is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The plaque of "Er Yi Lou" has been included in the book *Famous Plaques of China*.

Er Yi Lou is a round earthen building that combines unit-style and corridor-style architecture. Built in the 35th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1770 AD), the circular building has a diameter of 73.4 meters, with base walls 2.53 meters thick and an overall height of 16 meters. The entire structure is divided into twelve units, comprising a total of 192 rooms. Its structural functions are clearly defined: the outer ring of the circular building has four floors and serves as living quarters and ancestral halls, while the inner ring consists of single-story rooms used as kitchens and dining areas. Each unit has its own courtyard and stairway, functioning as an independent system. The fourth-floor walls are 80 centimeters thick, with a one-meter-wide hidden corridor connecting all twelve units, balancing privacy and cohesion. The tulou features comprehensive defensive elements: the main gate and two smaller doors are equipped with sand and water drainage holes to prevent fire attacks. Windows on the fourth floor serve as scenic viewpoints in peacetime and gunports in wartime, with built-in lamp holders and rooftop access. A concealed passage at the ground level leads outside the building, and each unit has a communication shaft for internal and external contact. Vertical shafts run from the first to the fourth floor in each unit, used for roof maintenance and emergency access. Two wells within the building provide ample drinking water. The first-floor hall and fourth-floor ancestral hall feature hanging beams and pillars, with exquisitely carved brackets, vibrant paintings, and a splendidly ornate design, showcasing high artistic value.

Er Yi Lou is situated in the center of Dadi Village. Constructed in 1740 (5th year of the Qianlong reign), it housed 39 households and 196 residents as of 2005. This double-ring circular tulou faces northwest and covers an area of 9,300 square meters. The outer ring has four floors, while the inner ring is single-story. With an outer diameter of 73.4 meters, the building is divided into 16 units, totaling 224 rooms. Four of these units serve as shared entrances, stairways, and halls, while the remaining 12 units are residential, each with its own staircase. It represents the unit-style tulou of the Hoklo people—one of Fujian’s two major ethnic groups, the other being the Hakka. The base of the outer walls includes 12 zigzag sound-transmitting holes to facilitate communication. The top floor’s outer wall is thinned and fitted with a 1-meter-wide hidden corridor to compensate for the isolated defenses of unit-style tulous. The corridor connects to each unit’s ancestral hall, with 56 observation windows and 23 gunports, exemplifying the perfect integration of ancient strategic defense and residential space. The 2.53-meter-thick outer walls are built with stone foundations and rammed earth, tapering upward. There is one main gate and two side gates, framed with granite. The inner courtyard serves as a communal space, featuring two public wells. The outer walls have no windows on the first three floors, with only small window openings on the fourth (see figures 7.a-1: 96, 97, 98; photos 7.a-2: 88, 89, 90).

Each unit enters from the central courtyard, with a private small garden inside, offering a more secluded space. The transition from the outer circular building through the central courtyard to each unit’s private garden satisfies varying needs for privacy in communal living. The interior spatial layout of Er Yi Lou is also distinctive: entering a unit leads to the entrance hall in the inner ring, flanked by the kitchen and storage room. Corridors connect the inner and outer rings, enclosing the small garden, with latticed wooden partitions separating the corridors from the garden. The outer ring’s interior differs from inner-corridor tulous—the ground floor is used as a living room rather than a kitchen or dining area, with bedrooms on the second and third floors. The fourth-floor center hosts a large ancestral hall for individual households, with grain storage on either side.

Structurally, Er Yi Lou is also unique. The outer ring’s peripheral walls are entirely earthen up to the top, as are the load-bearing inner walls extending to the third floor. Units are completely separated by load-bearing earthen walls, with vertical walls on the first to third floors within each unit also serving as load-bearing partitions.

More uniquely, narrow wooden verandas extend from the second and third-floor inner walls, creating an additional eave corridor outside the main one for drying clothes and other items.

The architectural decorations of Er Yi Lou are balanced between simplicity and elaboration. The ancestral hall, directly opposite the main gate, occupies a prominent position at the end of the central axis, with carved and painted beams. The main gate of the ground-floor ancestral hall is flanked by a pair of blue stone drum-shaped pedestals carved with auspicious patterns like "Ruyi Locks" and "Four Dragons Playing with a Pearl." The top-floor halls, where spirit tablets are enshrined, feature exquisitely carved and painted beams. The front eaves of the small courtyards on the ground floor are another decorative highlight, with 12 uniquely carved wooden ornaments above the unit entrances. The building houses 593 square meters of murals (226 pieces), 99 square meters of paintings (228 pieces), 349 wood carvings, and 163 couplets. Themes include landscapes, flowers, birds, and figures, all brimming with vibrant life and rural charm, making them treasured folk art (see photos 7.a-2: 91, 92, 93, 94).

Er Yi Lou is rich in cultural meaning. Couplets on the pillars vividly describe the surroundings: "Inheriting virtue, prospering future generations, opening the land; presenting auspiciousness, celebrating the beautiful mountains and waters of Er Yi." "A harmonious home, a noble hall, spreading kindness; a grand house renewed, soaring high." "Dadi gains fame, filial piety honored; Er Yi displays virtue, ancestral rites complete." "Returning to Er Yi, daring to renew and expand our legacy; branching into six lines, ensuring prosperity for descendants." The numerous murals and couplets within reflect a lively communal life and the aspirations of the tulou’s residents. Some highlight the owners’ emphasis on education: "A scene of flowers, snow draping the earth; midnight reading, moonlight over the sky." "Sun and moon, the eyes of heaven and earth; poetry and books, the hearts of sages." "With books and poetry, virtuous offspring are born; among good landscapes, long-lived travelers roam." Others combine paintings with couplets: "Musing on peach and plum blossoms, pens embrace the spirit of landscapes." "Harmony in all seasons, spring lasts forever; familial joy, celebration in abundance." "Filial piety, kindness, friendship, and respect bring harmony; poetry, books, rites, and music create timeless literature." On the lintels of the third-floor entrances in ten units, a Western semi-nude female figure is painted (see photo 7.a-2: 93). Posters of the 1931 *New York Times* and 1932 *New York Evening News* are found on walls and ceilings in units 3, 6, and 10, serving as evidence of East-West cultural exchange.

Dadi Village: Located in the eastern part of Xiandu Town, adjacent to Longjuan Township in Anxi, Dadi Village is the second batch of socialist new rural demonstration villages in Zhangzhou City. The world-famous "King of Tulou"—Er Yi Lou—is situated here. The village has 17 villager groups, 811 households, and a population of 3,001, with an 8-member village committee and 72 Party members. Five rural Party organization "three-level core network" stations have been established, leveraging the leading, guiding, and exemplary roles of Party members. The village covers a total area of 24,284.6 mu, including 2,174.9 mu of arable land, 14,644.1 mu of forest land, and... (Detailed info on Dadi Village++)

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units

Nanyang Lou

Dadi Tulou Cluster (Hua'an Tulou)

Dongyang Lou