Posted 2018/6/19
Hakka's earth buildings spread all over the city, including counties of Hua'an, Pinghe, Zhao'an, Yunxiao and Zhangpu. The original buildings is lives as barracks, castle or mountain fastness constructed with clay mixed with many other materials into different shapes. There are entirely more than eight hundred buildings in total. The earth building is like a fortress, with distinctively circular or rectangular forms, and high earthen walls. Clans living inside utilize every square inch of space for their domestic use, so that they do not have to leave the buildings. Generally considered a wonder of ancient architecture.
Zhangzhou, situated in the southwest of Fujian Province, bearing the subtropical monsoon climate. It is an area with abundant precipitation and warm climate. So it is fit for traveling all the year round.
Earth buildings represent a vernacular architecture specific to zhangzhou following the flow of the Hakka people from central China to the South. As most Hakka resided in mountains, communal houses made of compacted earth were built to provide protection against bandits and wild animals. The older examples of this style of construction consist of interior buildings enclosed by huge peripheral ones holding hundreds of rooms and dwellers. With all the halls, storehouses, wells and bedrooms inside, the huge towerlike building functions almost as a small fortified city. Earthen houses are made of earth, stone, bamboo and wood, all readily available materials. After constructing the walls with rammed earth, branches, strips of wood and bamboo chips were laid in the wall as "bones" to reinforce it. The end result is a well lit, well-ventilated, windproof, quakeproof building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.
Eryi Building, situated in Xiandu Town, Hua’an County, Zhanzhou City, is about 70 kilometers from Zhangzhou City. Eryi Building, reputed as " Round Building Treasure", is a masterpiece combining advantages of inner propylaea type round building and combined apartment type round building. There are altogether 192 rooms in addition to the doors, halls and staircases, with 952 color paintings of murals in total. It is kept in good condition and houses over 200 people from more than thirty familiesIts well-preserved color paintings of murals in Qing dynasty are extremely rare in the numerous Tulou of southwest Fujian Province.
