#tulou

[sinoheritage]

The Porcelain Palaces 瓷宫 in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Built by a 86-year-old grandmother, Yu Ermei, who spent 5 years and 20 million yuan (~2.7 million USD) to complete them at the age of 91 using her own 60,000 porcelain collection.

Jingdezhen is known as the "Porcelain Capital" because it has been producing Chinese ceramics (such as white and blue pottery) for at least 1,000 years, and for much of that period Jingdezhen porcelain was considered to have the finest quality in China.

The Porcelain Palace is built similarly to “Fujian Tulou” or “Hakka earthen dwelling” which I’ve also posted about before (https://www.tumblr.com/sinoheritage/773629912679677952/fujian-tulou-%E7%A6%8F%E5%BB%BA%E5%9C%9F%E6%A5%BC-fujian-earthen-buildings-are)

[irmmya]

Fujian Tulou 福建土樓

Fujian Province - China - 12th century

Tulous are rural dwellings located in the mountainous Fujian province, in the south-east of China. The community buildings were built by the Hakka people, for a defensive purpose and to establish a community organization from the 12th century to the 20th century.

The Fujian Tulou are defensive forts but also community buildings. Their form allows to unite several families within the same building, or a whole clan. These closed volumes could house up to 800 people within their terracotta walls. The architecture and organization of the Tulou is not reproducing the social hierarchy, everyone is at the same level. The rooms are of the same size, with the same windows, rising vertically according to the size of the family.

The outer walls are made of clay, earth, lime and stone, and the inner structure is made of bamboo arranged vertically as a bone structure. In addition, key parts are often decorated with a mixture of sticky rice and brown sugar to improve the stickiness. A stone base (often sandstone) allows the lower part of the wide outer earth wall to be up to 3m thick. The upper part of this wall is formed using the same technique but has a thickness reduced to about 1.50m. This has a double effect. Firstly to insulate the ground from attacks from the outside, and secondly to ensure thermal comfort during the harsh winters. Besides, the transverse earth walls are also very thick and function as fire walls. The buildings have between two and five floors and are divided vertically, each family having two or three rooms per floor depending on the structure of the transverse walls. Finally tiled roofs unify the structure and overlook the courtyard.

[lilyssketches]

Happy Fabulous Friday! I know we only see Yingzhao like one time but I think he has a pretty neat design!

[briefbestiary]

A meat-devouring beast upon the mountain. Tulou are just one of several legendary beasts described to live upon one of the legendary mountains of Chinese myth and legend.

[onceuponatimetheworldwasround]

Chinese Tulou houses

[ourrikaakinaworld]

[easytourchina]

Among all the traditional dwellings in China, Fujian #tulou (earth tower) stands out!

[picturesofchina]

A small tulou building in Yongding, Fujian