Totems on Earth: Architectural Logic and Clan Civilization of West Fujian Tulou in Longyan Chronicles
Have you ever seen a giant building that has stood for centuries without a single nail? I spent a long time studying the Longyan State Chronicle and county records from Yongding. One number stopped me cold — scattered across the folded mountains of West Fujian are more than 23,000 Tulou. They aren’t ordinary houses. They are miniature societies — integrating defense, ritual, education, and living into a single structure. These buildings are piles of earth and wood, but they are also physical projections of a society in turmoil. ...