Kaiping Diaolou

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Ruishi Diaolou 瑞石樓
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, iv
Reference	1112
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	2007 (31st Session)

The Kaiping Diaolou (simplified Chinese: 开平碉楼; traditional Chinese: 開平碉樓; pinyin: kāipíngdiāolóu, watchtowers) are fortified multi-storey towers, generally made of reinforced concrete. These towers are located mainly in Kaiping County, Guangdong province, China. Kaiping together with its neighbouring counties of Enping, Taishan and Xinhui are collectively known as Siyi, which literally means the "Four Counties" from which many Chinese labourers to North America, Australia, and Southeast Asia in the 19th century originated.

The first towers were built during the early Qing Dynasty, reaching a peak in the 1920s and 1930s, when there were more than three thousand of these structures. Today, approximately 1,833 diaolou remain standing in Kaiping, and approximately 500 in Taishan. Although the diaolou served mainly as protection against forays by bandits, a few of them also served as living quarters.

Kaiping has traditionally been a region of major emigration abroad, and a melting pot of ideas and trends brought back by overseas Chinese. As a result, many diaolou incorporate architectural features from China and from the West.

In 2007, UNESCO named the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (开平碉楼与村落) in China as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO wrote, "...the Diaolou ... display a complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms. They reflect the significant role of émigré Kaiping people in the development of several countries in South Asia, Australasia, and North America, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the close links between overseas Kaiping and their ancestral homes. The property inscribed here consists of four groups of Diaolou, totaling some 1,800 tower houses in their village settings."

Examples

Ruishi Diaolou, located behind Jinjiangli Village, Xianggang Township. Constructed in 1921, it has nine floors and is the highest diaolou at Kaiping. It features a Byzantine style roof and a Roman dome.

The Majianglong diaolou cluster spread across the villages of Nan'an Li, Hedong Li, Qinglin Li, Longjiang Li and Yong'an Li.

Li Garden, in Beiyi Xiang, was constructed in 1936 by Mr. Xie Weili, a Chinese emigrant to the United States.

Fangshi Denglou - Built in 1920 after contributions from villagers, this denglou is five stories high. It is referred to as the "Light Tower" because it had an enormous searchlight with a brightness much like that of the beam of a lighthouse.

Bianchouzhu Lou (The Leaning Tower), located in Nanxing Village was constructed in 1903. It has seven floors and overlooks a pond.

Tianlu Lou (Tower of Heavenly Success), located in Yong'an li, was built in 1922 and is seven storeys tall plus a roof top floor.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaiping Diaolou.

World Heritage Sites in China

East	Classical Gardens of Suzhou Fujian Tulou Lushan National Park Huangshan Mount Sanqing (Sanqingshan) Mount Tai (Taishan) Mount Wuyi (Wuyishan) Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and Kong Family Mansion, Qufu Ancient villages in Southern Anhui, Xidi, and Hongcun West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou

South Central	Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Historic Centre of Macau Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Longmen Grottoes Historic Monuments of Dengfeng, including the Shaolin Monastery and Gaocheng Observatory Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area Yin Xu

Southwest	Chengjiang Fossil Site Dazu Rock Carvings Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, including the Jokhang and Norbulingka Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Old Town of Lijiang Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas

North	Mount Wutai (Wutaishan) Chengde Mountain Resort and its outlying temples, including the Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Xumi Fushou Temple and the Puning Temple Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian Ancient City of Pingyao Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing Temple of Heaven, an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing Site of Xanadu Yungang Grottoes

Northeast	Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Northwest	Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Mogao Caves Xinjiang Tianshan

Multiple regions	The Great Wall China Danxia Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties South China Karst The Grand Canal Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Tusi Sites

Coordinates: 22°17′10″N 112°33′58″E / 22.286°N 112.566°E / 22.286; 112.566

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