Dabu Tulou (Earth Building)

The Dabu Tulou in Dabu County is located in Daqutian Village, Lianfeng Management District, Dadong Town. Built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, it has a history of over 400 years. To this day, it remains solid and intact, housing more than 20 households. The entire tulou covers an area of over 2,300 square meters. It is a circular structure with three concentric layers integrated into one, featuring a central open space of 283.4 square meters that serves as a communal courtyard within the building. The structure is made of earth and timber, with walls constructed from compacted earth and stone. The outer wall of the ground floor is 3 meters thick, tapering to 1.3 meters at the top floor. The roof is supported by wooden beams and covered with gray tiles. The central courtyard features a pattern paved with cobblestones in the shape of an ancient Chinese coin, and houses a drinking water well over 10 meters deep. The building is slightly trapezoidal in height, lower on the inside and taller on the outside: the inner ring has 30 rooms on the ground floor; the middle ring, a two-story section, has 60 rooms; the outer ring, standing 11 meters high, is a three-story section with 120 rooms; making a total of 210 rooms. The tulou includes defensive features: there is only one main gate for entry and exit, with thick iron plates nailed to the gate boards. A water storage tank is located above the gate. No windows are found on the outer walls of the ground floor, while the second and third floors have small triangular gun ports that are narrow on the inside and wider on the outside.