Portrait of an LBX

A peine sortis de Luxi, un nouveau tulou...

Marché de Luxi (1)

Marché de Luxi (2)

A woman prays at a small shrine in the courtyard of Luxi Town's Shengwu Tulou (绳武楼), the larger and more recent of the town's two remaining tulou (roughly 120 years old). The building used to house 24 families, but now only two remain. The others have used money sent back from relatives working in China's cities to build their own homes and move out. But since the building is considered to be of historical and cultural value, the families are not allowed to sell their tulou homes, which are now used only as storage spaces. Each tulou includes a central well for communal use.

A teenager on a scooter passes in front of the Zhibi Tulou (植碧楼), the older and smaller of the two remaining tulou in Fujian's Luxi Town (芦溪镇). On our way out of town today we finally passed through one of the UNESCO World Heritage Tulou areas. While the concentration of the unique buildings was impressive, the Disneyland-like atmosphere of the area left us feeling extremely grateful for being able to see the tulou in their unrestored form in Luxi.

Two little girls play chase among the tulou (土楼) of Zhongteng Village in Fujian.

A man stands in the entrance to a tulou (土楼) in Xiazhai, Fujian. Tulou are large, almost castle-like structures with a thick, circular, earthen wall around the outside and homes around the inside and a courtyard and well in the middle. The unique structures serve as both a means of defense in rough times and as a place to keep a large family together in one place. The tulou in some areas have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Those have been restored and of course have a hefty entrance charge slapped on them. We've been told the one we considered going to costs 120 yuan ($18) to get into.