Wenyang Tulou

Wenyang Tulou

Wenyang Tulou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Wenyang Tulou, also known as Zhaili Cottage, is located in Wenyang Village, Huangtian Town. Built in the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1820), the tulou faces south and sits to the north, with a stream on its eastern side. The main structure has two stories, features a square layout, and covers a construction area of 1,352 square meters. In 2003, Wenyang Tulou was designated as a county-level cultural heritage protection unit by the Gutian County People’s Government.

Legend has it that during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, there was a wealthy landowner surnamed Liao in Wenyang Village who owned over a hundred acres of land and collected more than 500 dan of rice rent each year. He had seven sons and two daughters, named Changming, Changzhao, Changxiang, Changyun, Changqing, Changpei, and Changfa. The family lived a prosperous life. However, they often suffered from attacks by roaming bandits. To defend against these intrusions, they built this fortress-like tulou that was easy to defend and hard to attack. The tulou’s most distinctive feature is its defensive design: first, the walls are about 2 meters thick, and the first floor has no windows; second, one side of the tulou borders a stream, along which a 6-meter-high slope was constructed, while on the other three sides, a roughly 2.5-meter-high wall was built about 10 meters away from the tulou; third, at one corner of the building, there is a protruding watchtower equipped with rows of gunports, ensuring that in case of enemy invasion, the tulou could function as a unified stronghold. Inside the tulou, there are 72 rooms, two wells, and storage rooms. When the doors were closed, the tulou became an independent fortress.

Beyond giving off an impression of high, thick walls and a tightly fortified appearance, Wenyang Tulou also commands a sense of awe through its massive scale, stern exterior, and impregnable structure.