Diaolou

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages
UNESCO World Heritage Site
	Ruishi Diaolou 瑞石樓 in Jinjiangli village
Location	Kaiping, Guangdong, China
Includes	Yinglong Lou (at Sanmenli Village); Zili Village and the Fang Clan Watch Tower; Majianlong Village Cluster; Jingjiangli Village;
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iii), (iv)
Reference	1112
Inscription	2007 (31st Session)
Area	372 ha (920 acres)
Buffer zone	2,738 ha (6,770 acres)
Coordinates	22°17′8″N 112°33′57″E / 22.28556°N 112.56583°E
	Location of Diaolou in Guangdong Diaolou (China)

Diaolou (simplified Chinese: 碉楼; traditional Chinese: 碉樓) are fortified multi-storey watchtowers in rural villages, generally made of reinforced concrete. These towers are located mainly in the Kaiping (开平)City in Guangdong province, China.^[1] In 2007, UNESCO designated the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (开平碉楼与村落) a World Heritage Site, which covers four separate Kaiping village areas: Sanmenli (三门里), Zilicun (自力村), Jinjiangli (锦江里), and Majianglong village cluster (马降龙村落群). These areas demonstrate a unique fusion of 19th- and 20th-century Chinese and Western architectural styles.^[2]

^ Batto, Patricia R.S. (July–August 2006). "The Diaolou of Kaiping (1842–1937): Buildings for dangerous times". China Perspectives. 2006 (4). Translated by Jonathan Hall. doi:10.4000/chinaperspectives.1033. Retrieved 25 May 2017. ...the diaolou were built in the countryside, in villages and on the initiative of the peasants themselves. Contrary to normal expectations, thanks to emigration we can see a certain "cosmopolitanism" among the peasants in Kaiping... the diaolou are the epitome of overseas Chinese culture, embodied in stone.
^ "Kaiping Diaolou and Villages". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

[batto-1] Batto, Patricia R.S. (July–August 2006). "The Diaolou of Kaiping (1842–1937): Buildings for dangerous times". China Perspectives. 2006 (4). Translated by Jonathan Hall. doi:10.4000/chinaperspectives.1033. Retrieved 25 May 2017. ...the diaolou were built in the countryside, in villages and on the initiative of the peasants themselves. Contrary to normal expectations, thanks to emigration we can see a certain "cosmopolitanism" among the peasants in Kaiping... the diaolou are the epitome of overseas Chinese culture, embodied in stone.

[2] "Kaiping Diaolou and Villages". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

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