Ancient Roman Castles of the Orient: Enclosed houses in China's Jiangxi (6)

Email|Print|Comments       twitter     facebook     Sina Microblog     reddit    

(China Daily)

Thirdly, tulou is usually co-constructed and shared by several families, but every enclosed house is one man's work. Hence, many enclosed houses were named after the builders' surname.

The Xie Family's Enclosed House in Lintang township is the only circular house among all the enclosed houses in Longnan county.

Xie Liangnan, 47, is a third-generation descendant of the man who originally built the house. He has been living in the building since he was born.

"There has never been outsiders living here, only my family members," Xie says.

"Tulou are for commoners and enclosed houses are for the rich," Lai says.

We Recommend

• Mexican president delivers first State of Nation address
• Highlights of MAKS 2013 Int'l Aviation and Space Show
• 10th China-ASEAN Expo opens in Nanning
• Baby born to save his sister - the story of a savior sibling
• Lady of mystery: Female SWAT team in prison disclosed
• Single mother, baby live in KFC restaurant for months
• Top 10 naked hotels in the world
• The most gorgeous Chinese women in the eyes of foreigners
• A collection of bizarre rooftop buildings around China