The document discusses traditional Hakka earthen buildings called "Tulou" located in Yongding County, Fujian Province, China. Tulou are large, round or square fortified earth buildings constructed between the 12th-20th centuries by the Hakka people for defense and living purposes. They used rammed earth techniques to build thick walls. The largest Tulou, ChengQi Lou, is 4 stories tall with 400 rooms. In 2008, 46 Tulou sites were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL & BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Full Name: HWANG WEI LI
Student ID: 0319756
Module: Effective Public Communication
Session: September, 2014
Submission date: 19 January 2015
INDIVIDUAL ORAL PRESENTATION PART A – TRADITIONAL HOUSES AROUND
THE WORLD

2. Historical
Background of:a)Yongding County
 Name given during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D )
 Means peace forever
Famous for its beautiful landscape
Location: Yongding County, Longyan City,
Southwest of Fujian Province

3. b)Hakka Earthen Building / “Hakka Tulou”
 A kind of large scale residential background building
which uses rammed earth as the main structure
Giant Community house, Oriental Castle
 Built from 12th century to 20th century
 Built by Chinese Hakka people
 Hakka: guest, non-locals

4.  To provide a secure home for the entire clan to live in after
escaped from the war in Central Plains
 As defence function, avoid from wild animals & bandits
 Use the income from selling smoking tobaccos to build the building
 20 types of construction forms, most common are round and square-shaped
 3 types of sizes:
Types SMALL MEDIUM BIG
Height of building 2-3 3-4 4-5
Number of ring Single Single / double Three
Number of rooms 21-28 30-40 42-58

5. STRUCTURE AND LAYOUT
a)Structure
 Why Round Earthen Building is the most common type:
 Has larger interior space
 Better at preventing Malignant influences(wind
from mountain, affects people’s health)
 Housing layout: community of equals
 Wall: first section of wall: clockwise or anticlockwise direction.
After 1 circuit of wall, reversed the direction. Circuit by circuit, directions
continued to rotate.

6. b) Characteristics of buildings
• only one gate leading into building (safety)
• Exterior: military fortresses Interior: solid apartment
• thick rammed earth:
 ordinary bullets, cannonballs can’t penetrate
 Warm in winter, cool in summer
• Outer building is earth, inner building is wood
ROUND BUILDING WITHIN THE ROUND BUILDING

7. b)Layout
1st floor
2nd floor
3rd floor
4th floor
Kitchen, dining room;
Hall, ancestral temple
Grains & farm
tools storage
Bedrooms
Bedrooms
All rooms are
identical
which
indicates
equality.

8. Ancestral hall / temple:
worship ancestors, discuss business
Huge central courtyard,(all door &
windows facing it),
Wells in interior
An open round hallway
with 4 staircases to
move from 1st to 4th
floor
Most round earthen
Buildings are 3 to 4 rings
With 3 to 4 floors.

9. TYPES OF ORNAMENTATION U
Red lanterns hang around in & out of
building, couplets on the columns
Main entrance:
 Name of building carved and hang on the wall
 “Bagua” mirror hang on top of the Name
Board
 Couplets on both sides

10. TYPE OF MATERIALS USED
a)Rammed Earth Walls
 Rammed Earth technique: mixtures of earth that is damp enough
to hold together &last for several hundred years.

11. b)Parts of the buildings
 Dark roof tiles were used,
Special for Hakka Earthen Building
 Window panels made using wood,
All except 1st floor without windows
facing outside
 Iron sheets: for door knockers, locks, reinforcement for doors,
Wrapping up the main wooden gate(Bullets can’t penetrate easily)

12. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
a) The Biggest Earthern Building:: ChengQi Lou
 Location: Gaobei Village, Gaotou town,
Yongding
 Built in year 1709, over 300 years history
King of Round Earth Building: the largest scale
of earthen building
 4storeys , 4 circular rings, 400 rooms

13. b)UNESCO
o Become one of the World Heritage Sites, July 2008
o Total of 46 sites chosen include:
 3 clusters: Chuxi, Hongkeng, Gaobei villages
2 towers: Zhenfu, Yanxiang towers

14. Reference:
 China Highlights, 2014. Yongding Hakka Roundhouses. [online]. Available at: <
http://www.chinahighlights.com/yongding/attraction/yongding-hakka-roundhouses.htm > [Accessed 14
January 2015]
• Travel China Guide.com. Earth towers of the Hakkas. [online]. Available at: <
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/fujian/fuzhou/earth_tower.htm > [Accessed 15 January 2015]
• Cultural China. Hakka Tulou Houses of Yongding County. [online]. Available at: < http://www.cultural-
china.com/chinaWH/html/en/18Traditions85.html > [Accessed 14 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. History and Evolution. [online]. Available at: <
http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/history_evolution.html > [Accessed 16 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. Overview. [online]. Available at: < http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/overview.html >
[Accessed 16 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. How a Tulou was created. [online]. Available at:
< http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/how_a_tulou_was_constructed.html > [Accessed 16 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. Unique Hakka Architecture . [online]. Available at: <
http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/unique_hakka_architecture.html > [Accessed 16 January 2015]