The Chuxi Tulou cluster () is a group of earthen structures or "tulou" dating to the Ming dynasty (13681644). The group provides a tourist attraction in the town of Xiayang (), Yongding County, Longyan, Fujian Province, China.
History Chuxi Tulou cluster is a Hakka village inhabited by Xu () clan, who settled down in the 14th century. The first tulou was Heqing Lou (), which was the ancestry tulou of the village. After that, all tulous built in the village were named with a Chinese character qing (), with a wish of having a flourishing population. Chuxi tulou group was designated as UNESCO World Heritage site as part of Fujian Tulou in 2008.
Structures A total of 36 tulous are conserved in Chuxi village. The largest and also the oldest in the cluster is Jiqing Lou (), built in 1419 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty. It consists of two concentric rings, the outer ring building is four stories tall, with 53 rooms on each level. The outer ring contains 72 stairs split into 72 units interfacing each other. The second ring is a one-story building.
Famous tulou Ten tulous were listed in the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Name Image Year Area [m2] Shape Description Jiqing Lou () 1419 2826 Circular Shengqing Lou () 1799 1482 Rectangula Yuqing Lou () 1729 1256 Circular Huaqing Lou () 1829 480 Rectangula Gengqing Lou () 1840 660 Circular Fuqing Lou () 1849 660 Oval Xiqing Lou () 1849 400 Rectangula Fanqing Lou () 1949 Rectangula Gongqing Lou () 1949 3500 Hexagonal Shanqing Lou () 1979 1200 Circular
Trivia The CIA once believed that Chuxi Tulou were missile bases due to their size and shape in the 1960s.
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