Hakka earth building, also known as Fujian round building, is a pearl of Chinese civilization, a unique mythical mountain village residential building in the world, and a wonder of Chinese ancient architecture. It is known for its long history, unique style and large scale.

, exquisite structure and other characteristics are independent of the forest of residential architectural art in the world.

The characteristics of earth building dwellings and their construction characteristics are closely related to the history of the Hakka people.

Everywhere Hakka people go, their family members always gather together.

In addition, most of the Hakkas lived in remote mountainous areas or deep forests. At that time, not only were there a lack of building materials, but they were also noisy with wolves, tigers, leopards, and thieves. In addition, they were afraid of being harassed by locals, so the Hakkas built "defensive" castle-style residences.

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In this way, a unique architectural form of Hakka residences - earth buildings was formed.

Earth buildings are mainly distributed in Longyan, Zhangzhou and other areas of Fujian Province.

Earth buildings are collective buildings built with earth as walls. They are round, semicircular, square, quadrangular, pentagonal, chair-shaped, dustpan-shaped, etc., each with its own characteristics.

The earliest earth buildings were square, with palace-style, mansion-style, and different shapes. They were not only unique, but also full of mystery and solid.

Food is stored and livestock are raised in the building. There is a well. If you need to defend against enemies, you only need to close the door and have a few young adults guard the door. The earth building is like a strong fortress, where women, children, old and young can sit back and relax.

Because square earth buildings are directional, have darker corners, and have different ventilation and lighting, the Hakka people also designed round earth buildings with good ventilation and lighting, with neither beginning nor end.

Among the existing earth buildings, the round ones are the most eye-catching, and the locals call them round buildings or round villages.

Tulou is a collective building, and its biggest feature is its large shape. No matter from a distance or approaching, Tulou is shocking with its huge single building. Its size is the largest among residential buildings.

Among the earth buildings we visited, the round building, the most common, has a diameter of about 50 meters and a height of three or four stories. It has more than a hundred houses, which can accommodate three to forty families, and can accommodate two to three people.

Hundreds of people.

The large round building can reach 70 to 80 meters in diameter and is five to six stories high. It contains four to five hundred houses and can accommodate seven to eight hundred people.

The residential building style of Congtulou reflects the folk customs of the Hakka people living together as a group.

From the perspective of historical and architectural research, the construction method of earth buildings is a self-defensive living style adopted for the safety of the ethnic group.

At that time, there were Japanese pirate invasions and civil wars in China. The Hakka people who migrated traveled thousands of miles to other places. They chose a building method that was both conducive to family reunion and defense against wars and was adopted.

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The descendants of the same ancestor formed an independent society in an earthen building, experiencing prosperity and disgrace.

Therefore, staying outside and concentrating inside is probably the most appropriate summary of Tulou.

The walls of the earth buildings are thick at the bottom and thin at the top, with some areas as thick as 1.5 meters.

When ramming, first dig a deep and large wall trench at the base of the wall, ram it firmly, bury large stones as the base, and then use stones and mortar to build the wall base.

Then use sandwich panels to ram the walls.

The raw material of the earth wall is mainly local clayey red soil, mixed with an appropriate amount of small stones and lime, and is repeatedly pounded and mixed to make what is commonly known as "cooked soil".

An appropriate amount of glutinous rice and brown sugar should also be added to some key parts to increase its stickiness.

When ramming, fir branches or bamboo pieces should be buried in the middle of the earth wall as "wall bones" to increase its pulling force.

In this way, after repeated tamping, an earth wall like steel concrete was built. In addition, a layer of lime was applied on the outside to prevent weather and erosion. Therefore, it is extremely strong and has good windproof and earthquake resistance.

According to the "Yongding County Chronicle", a major earthquake occurred in 1918. During the day, there was a sound, which lasted for 20 minutes. It continued to shake at night, but the earth buildings always stood upright. The round building is the most distinctive building among the local earth buildings. Generally, it starts from the center of a circle.

, according to different radii, unfolding outward layer by layer, like water waves in a lake, surrounding each other, very spectacular.

The center is the family ancestral hall, and outwards are the ancestral hall, the corridor, and the outermost ring of people.

The rooms in the entire earth building are the same size, with an area of ??about ten square meters, and use different stairs. There is no secret to each family's style.

There are many types of earth building structures. One of them is a three-chamber system with upper, middle and lower halls arranged vertically along the central axis. In such earth buildings, the lower hall is generally the entrance and exit and is placed at the front; the middle hall is in the center.

, is a place for family gatherings and welcoming guests; the upper hall is located in the innermost place and is a place where ancestors’ tablets are enshrined.

In addition to its unique structure, the internal window sills, porches, eaves, etc. of the earth building are also extremely gorgeous and exquisite, making it truly a wonder among Chinese residential buildings.

There are 360 ??round buildings and more than 4,000 square buildings in Yongding County.

In particular, the peculiar circular earth building is the most rich in traditional Hakka color and the most shocking.

The circular earth building is a model of Hakka residence and can be called the best building in the world.

It is like a "mushroom" emerging from the ground, like a "flying saucer" falling from the sky.

This kind of round building is composed of two or three circles, from the inside to the outside, and the outer circle is more than ten meters high. It has four floors and one to two hundred rooms. The first floor is the kitchen and dining room, and the second floor is the warehouse.

, the third and fourth floors are bedrooms; there are thirty to fifty rooms on the two floors in the second circle, usually guest rooms, and the middle room is the ancestral hall, which is the official residence for weddings, funerals, weddings and celebrations for hundreds of people living in the building.

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