Dabu Tai'an Tower

Dabu Tai'an Tower

Dabu Tai'an Tower is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Tai'an Tower is located in Longgang Village, the county seat of Dabu County. Built in the 28th year of the Qianlong reign (1764 AD), it has a history of 241 years. It is an extremely rare square stone tower in China and is designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit. The tower and its auxiliary buildings cover an area of 6,684 square meters, with the main tower occupying 2,577 square meters, the side study rooms covering 2,764 square meters, the gate plaza and flower stands covering 1,325 square meters, and a total of 200 rooms. Tai'an Tower is a brick, stone, and wood structure building, facing southwest from the northeast, square-shaped, 49 meters long and 52.6 meters wide, with a spacious gate plaza and pond at the entrance. The tower is 11 meters high, divided into three floors. The first-floor walls are 0.92 meters thick, while the third-floor walls are 0.44 meters thick. The outer walls of the first and second floors are made of stone, while the outer and inner walls of the third floor are made of brick. Because the outer walls are stone, the tower is commonly known as the Stone Tower. The tower features front corridors that extend inward on all sides from the first to the third floor. The first-floor corridor pillars are wood on top and stone at the bottom, while the second and third floors have wooden pillars. The middle hall on the front row of the third floor houses an altar. To guard against external threats, the third floor also has rear corridors in addition to the front ones. There are no windows on the first and second floors, but windows and gun ports are found on the third floor. The entire building has only one main entrance, with door panels clad in thick iron sheets. Above the door is a water tank used for firefighting.

Main Gate

The main gate of Tai'an Tower is very unique. At first glance, it appears to be a grand gatehouse, but upon closer inspection, the gate is actually embedded in the wall. It is said that the owner of the tower made his fortune in business but, lacking official honors, was not permitted to build a formal gatehouse. He then came up with the ingenious idea of creating a false gatehouse.

Tower within a Tower

The central axis structure inside the tower is a single-story building, divided into upper and lower halls. The upper hall is inscribed with “Ancestral Merits and Virtues” and displays the spirit tablets of the Lan family ancestors, serving as a ancestral hall for worship. The left and right sides of the hall have side rooms. The single-story building is surrounded by courtyards, and a three-story square tower encloses the main building in the center, forming a layout where there is a house within the tower and a tower around the house. On either side of the tower are study rooms for reading and studying. There is also a well in the courtyard on the right side of the tower, with clear and refreshing water that is still drinkable today.

There is an interesting story about the construction of Tai'an Tower. When the construction reached the third floor, the owner, Lan Shaoyuan, moved his office to a room on the second floor. He stipulated that any worker coming to collect their wages must carry two bricks to the third floor before receiving payment. Wages were settled daily at that time, and this measure helped save on the transportation costs of the bricks used for the third floor. This reflects the owner’s cleverness and resourcefulness. It is also said that Lan Shaoyuan, the ancestor of the Lan family who built the tower, was extremely frugal. He had originally planned to build an identical square stone tower on the right side of the existing one to form a pair of “Mandarin Duck Towers,” but he passed away unexpectedly due to an accident, leaving the plan unfulfilled. As a result, only a single tower stands today, which is considered a pity.

Hakka Folk Customs Expo Museum

The first floor of Tai'an Tower is arranged with exhibits on the history of Hakka development, production and daily tools used by the Hakka people, Hakka clothing, and festival activity items, providing a detailed account of the development, production, and lifestyle of the Hakka people in Dabu over the past thousand years. The second floor features exhibits on notable figures from Dabu and calligraphy and paintings by generals. The entire structure presents a concentrated display of the culture and customs of the Hakka people in Dabu. With its long history, majestic and rugged scale, rational and scientific layout, and rich cultural connotations, Tai'an Tower is a remarkable example of Hakka residential architecture and a cultural treasure in the history of residential architecture in China and the world. At the end of 2000, Guo Zhan, head of the Cultural Relics Protection Department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration and Secretary-General of the International Council on Monuments and Sites China, visited the tower. He concluded that it serves as a “historical and humanistic museum” for studying ancient Chinese residential architecture, Hakka history and culture, and folk customs, fully meeting the criteria for World Heritage nomination. It has since been submitted to UNESCO for World Heritage status.

On October 7, 2019, Dabu Tai'an Tower was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Admission Fee

Admission fee: 18 RMB

Location

Longgang Village, Huliao Town, Dabu County, Meizhou, Guangdong

Longgang Village: Located in the center of Huliao Town, Longgang Village in Dabu County, Meizhou City, administers 27 villager groups, with 814 registered households and a population of 2,338. The village covers a total area of 8.68 square kilometers, including 359 mu of arable land. The annual average temperature is 22°C, with annual rainfall of approximately 1,750 mm, characterized by a mild climate and abundant precipitation. Major cash crops include rice and vegetables. The village’s distinctive economic income comes from vegetable farming and commerce. The previous year’s total rural economic income was 13.45 million RMB. In line with local conditions, villagers whose land has been expropriated and who have no farmland are encouraged to engage in commerce, … More details about Longgang Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units