Hekeng Tulou Cluster is located in Hekeng natural village, Qujiang village, Shuyang Town, Nanjing County of Fujian Province's Zhangzhou City. It is composed by 13 earth buildings of different shapes and built in different eras. Earth buildings of this cluster are distributed in valleys and surrounded by mountains.
The earth buildings of the Hekeng Tulou cluster had been built since the reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (since 1549) and lasted to 1972. Among them, there are six circular buildings, six square buildings and one pentagonal building. The whole cluster is shaped like a big dipper.
Chaoshui Lou is the first Tulou in Heken and was rebuilt after a fire in 1923. When Nanxun Lou was first built, the main gate of the building sat east and faced west. But later, the main gate has been changed from the west side to the south side. Yongsheng Lou has low front and high rear.
There is a plague with Chinese characters 德式乡闾 which mean moral model for the neighbourhood hung in the ancestral hall of Yongsheng Lou. This plague was made in the year of Gui Mo during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the
Qing Dynasty. There are twenty-five two-storey dwellings outside Yongsheng Lou for protecting this main building.
Most of the earth buildings in this cluster have wells. From the completion of the first tulou in the Hekeng Tulou Cluster to now, buildings in this cluster have been repaired in different eras. But the walls, structure and the indoor and outdoor space have been basically maintained the original historical appearance.
Hekeng tulou cluster has shown the long history and heritage of traditional earth-ramming technology. It also has a high value in architectural art as well as historical value. In 2013, it has been involved in the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
Travel Tips
Add: Hekeng natural village, Qujiang village, Shuyang Town, Nanjing County of Fujian Province's Zhangzhou City
Tel: 0596-7778338
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
Entrance Fees: CNY 40
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