Zhao’an Tulou

Zhao’an Tulou

Zhao’an Tulou are mainly distributed across townships such as Xiuzhuan, Guanbei, Xiage, Taiping, and Hongxing. There are currently over 350 surviving tulou, with more than 160 of them in relatively good condition.

These tulou vary in size and shape — some are round, some square, some octagonal, and some feature larger buildings enclosing smaller ones. Among the larger and more famous ones are Zaitian Lou in Dabian Village, Guanbei; Xikou Lou in Xinkan Village; Longtan Lou in Chenlong Village, Xiuzhuan; and Daping Ban Yue Lou in Zaiping Village.

Zaitian Lou has been hailed by a magazine published by the Singapore Federation of Hakka Associations as “the world’s largest super tulou today.” On August 18, 1990, the People’s Daily (Overseas Edition) reported it as “the largest-diameter earthen building still inhabited in China.”

Zaitian Lou is located 55 kilometers north of Nanzhao Town, the county seat, in Dabian Village, Guanbei Township. It was built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty and faces southwest from a northeast orientation. Up close, it appears as a circular fortress; when viewed from a height, it shows an eight-diagram (Bagua) structure. The building has three stories and is about 11 meters tall.

The fortress has three concentric enclosures: the innermost houses three ancestral halls; the middle enclosure has two floors, while the outer one has three. The middle and outer enclosures together contain 320 rooms. There are two gateways. The entire fortress has a diameter of 94.5 meters. Behind the tulou lies a triangular pond called “Sanyuan Pool,” with crystal-clear water. Currently, 63 households with over 300 residents live inside.

Centered around Zaitian Lou are 12 other tulou: Shuimei Lou, Shimǎ Lou, Yutian Lou, Yufeng Lou, Anbian Lou, Tianxia Lou, Xincheng Lou, Longtou Lou, Fengshan Lou, Yan’yi Lou, Fengming Lou, and Guangyu Lou. If Zaitian Lou is seen as the flower’s core, these 12 tulou are its petals — together forming a unique giant blossom in the world. And if each tulou is considered a flower, then the crisscrossing roads become branches, and the stream a ribbon, tying these 13 blossoms together into the world’s largest bouquet.