Jinjiang Tower

　　    Constructed with a stone foundation and rammed earth walls made of lime, sand, and clay, Jinjiang Tower is a three-ring, interconnected corridor-style earthen roundhouse. It served as an ancient residential building designed to guard against theft, bandits, and earthquakes. The inner ring has a diameter of 25 meters, is three stories high with each floor standing 3 meters tall, and contains 12 rooms on both the first and second floors—each room being 5 meters deep—while the third floor has no internal divisions. The middle ring has a diameter of 42 meters, is two stories high, and includes 24 partitioned rooms, each 4.5 meters deep. The outer ring has a diameter of 58 meters and is divided into 36 rooms, all of which are single-story. The main gate features a 16-meter-wide passage, paved with bricks, and in front of the brick-paved courtyard, 50 meters away, stands a large stage covering over 100 square meters. During festivals, this area becomes the most lively entertainment venue in the village. Jinjiang Tower was once used as the primary filming location for the color feature films *The Border Between Yin and Yang* and *Happy Heroes*, produced by Fujian Film Studio in 1983. With its unique architectural style, it has been hailed as "a rare gem among the earthen building complexes of southwestern Fujian" and has attracted significant interest from experts and scholars both in China and abroad.

　　    Jinjiang Tower (also known as Jiangtou Tower) is located in Jindong Village, Shen Tu, adjacent to the Fusu County Road, about 20 kilometers from the county seat. It is a national key cultural relic. The tower consists of three rings—inner, middle, and outer—and is a three-story, interconnected corridor-style earthen roundhouse. The inner ring was built in the 56th year of the Qianlong reign (1791) by Lin Shengze from Jiangtou Village, while the middle and outer rings, including the surrounding wing rooms, were added in the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign (1803) by his wife, Li Can. Having stood for over 200 years, later generations honored the couple as the “Tower Ancestors” and “Tower Ancestress” in their memory.

　　     Viewed from afar, Jinjiang Tower resembles a pyramid: the first ring consists of single-story buildings, the second ring has two stories, and the third ring has three, with each successive ring higher than the last from the outside in. The main gate of the tower faces south, and the outer gate is constructed of stone with a vaulted inner arch. The stone plaque above the middle ring’s gate is inscribed with the characters “Anlan Zhuqing” (Tranquil Waves and Celebratory Peace). Both of the tower’s main gates feature fireproof water channels on the upper inside sections. In front of the tower are three progressively descending levels of brick-paved courtyards. The earthen walls are built upon a stone foundation and rammed with a mixture of lime, sand, and clay. The inner ring has a diameter of 25 meters, is three stories tall with each floor 3 meters high, and includes a four-story gate tower. The first and second floors each contain 12 partitioned rooms, each 5 meters deep, with the second floor featuring a wooden inner corridor that runs through. The third floor has no internal divisions. The gate tower has two small doors that lead directly to the rooftop of the third floor, where there is a circular walkway. The outer parapet wall is equipped with gun ports. The middle ring has a diameter of 42 meters, is two stories high, and contains 24 partitioned rooms, each 4.5 meters deep. Its gate tower has three stories and includes a watchtower; its gate is designed in the same style as the one for the inner ring. On either side of the middle ring’s gate tower are small doors leading to a 0.7-meter-wide circular corridor on the roof, used for defense patrols. Outside this corridor is a 0.7-meter-high outer wall. The outer ring has a diameter of 58 meters and is divided into 36 rooms, all single-story with double-sloped roofs. The inner ring has a central skylight courtyard with a stone-paved floor and an ancient well in the center. The entire tower complex has over 120 rooms and at its peak housed more than 400 people.

　　    The Lin family, who built the tower, originated from Ninghua Shibi—the ancestral homeland of the Hakka people. Although they followed the traditional methods of constructing earthen buildings, being relatively far from the cultural heartland of such architecture, they adapted the design to suit local conditions and needs, making necessary modifications. Jinjiang Tower is a coastal Fujian-style ancient earthen residence built to withstand theft, banditry, and earthquakes. Its distinctive multi-ring structure sets it apart, and many scenes from the feature films *Happy Heroes* and *The Border Between Yin and Yang* were filmed here.

Jinjiang Tower