Kaiping Diaolou and Villages: China’s Fortified Towers of Guangdong

In Kaiping, the countryside has an unusual skyline. Above the low village houses and rice fields stand tall concrete towers with rounded turrets, arched windows and rooftop pavilions. Some look almost European, while others keep a much plainer Chinese design. They are known as diaolou, and they were built for a practical reason: people needed somewhere to live and somewhere to take shelter when danger threatened.

Towers like these dot the Kaiping countryside

Around 1,800 of these tower houses were recorded in the wider Kaiping area. Four groups of villages and towers were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007. The site preserves not just the buildings but also the farmland and village settings around them.

What Is a Diaolou?

'Diaolou' (碉楼) refers to a fortified tower building. In Kaiping, these structures generally served one of three purposes. Some were shared refuges for several families, others were fortified homes belonging to wealthy households, and some were watchtowers used to look out for trouble.

The buildings vary considerably. Early examples made from brick or rammed earth tend to have simpler shapes. Later towers, particularly those built with concrete, could support more elaborate designs, including balconies, decorative columns, domes, and corner turrets. A tower might look like a mansion from a distance, but its defensive purpose was never far from the design. The tradition goes back to the Ming period, when banditry threatened rural communities. One of the oldest surviving examples is Yinglong Lou in Sanmenli Village. Unlike the more ornate towers built centuries later, it has a relatively simple, traditional form.

First Image / Source

Zili village has nine towers, more than any of the four groups

Image / Source

Why Were So Many Towers Built?

The great building period came much later, particularly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many people from Kaiping had emigrated to places in North America, South Asia and Australasia. Some became prosperous abroad and sent money home to their families. That money helped transform the villages. Returning emigrants and their families built houses that reflected both local traditions and ideas encountered overseas. The result was an architecture that could combine a Chinese-style roof with Western-inspired columns, arches or ornamental details.

There was also a less decorative reason to invest in a tower. Banditry remained a concern, and a fortified building offered protection for a household and its possessions. Some towers accommodated entire families; others could be used as a refuge when danger arose. The buildings therefore tell two stories at once: the insecurity of rural life and the influence of people who left China but maintained strong connections with their home villages. UNESCO identifies this blend of architectural traditions and overseas Chinese history as central to the site’s significance.

Towers in the Majianglong cluster stand among bamboo

Image / Source

The Four UNESCO Diaolou Groups

The World Heritage property consists of four separate areas. Each offers a different look at the history of Kaiping’s tower houses.

Zili Village and the Fang Clan Watch Tower

Zili is known for its cluster of nine diaolou set among village homes, ponds and farmland. The towers stand at different points across the landscape, so the village is worth looking at as a whole rather than treating each building as an isolated attraction. The Fang Clan Watch Tower, built on a nearby hill, is also part of this UNESCO-listed group.

Majianlong Village Cluster

Majianlong consists of five villages surrounded in part by bamboo groves. The towers are less exposed than those in the open fields around Zili, and the greenery forms a striking contrast with their concrete walls and upper-storey balconies.

Jingjiangli Village

Jingjiangli is home to Ruishi Lou, a nine-storey tower completed in 1921. Its height and elaborate exterior make it one of Kaiping’s best-known diaolou. The village also contains other towers, allowing visitors to compare different designs within the same area.

Sanmenli Village

Sanmenli preserves Yinglong Lou, one of the most important early examples of the local tower-building tradition. Its straightforward design differs from the ornate structures associated with Kaiping’s later building boom. That contrast helps show how the towers developed over time.

Ruishi Lou, built in 1921, is Kaiping’s tallest tower

Image / Source

How to Visit Kaiping Diaolou

Kaiping is in Jiangmen, in Guangdong province, and can be visited from Guangzhou. The sites spread across the countryside rather than gathering into one compact attraction, so allow time for travel between villages. Zili and Majianlong are useful places to begin if you want to see towers in two different rural settings.

Check current transport arrangements, ticket information and opening hours before setting out. The official Kaiping Diaolou tourism website and China Highlights’ visitor guide are useful starting points. Remember that these are historic villages, not simply collections of monuments. Some buildings remain privately owned, and access to individual towers can vary. Respect residents’ privacy and follow local signs about where visitors may enter.

The oldest surviving tower in Kaiping

Image / Source

How to Visit Kaiping Diaolou

Kaiping is in Jiangmen, in Guangdong province, and can be visited from Guangzhou. The sites spread across the countryside rather than gathering into one compact attraction, so allow time for travel between villages. Zili and Majianlong are useful places to begin if you want to see towers in two different rural settings.

Check current transport arrangements, ticket information and opening hours before setting out. The official Kaiping Diaolou tourism website and China Highlights’ visitor guide are useful starting points. Remember that these are historic villages, not simply collections of monuments. Some buildings remain privately owned, and access to individual towers can vary. Respect residents’ privacy and follow local signs about where visitors may enter.

Low village houses cluster around the towers

Image / Source

Kaiping Diaolou and villages

Image / Source

Guangzhou villages

Image / Source

Zili village

Image / Source

Kai ping China

Image / Source

Kaiping, Guangdong

Image / Source

Kai ping China

Image / Source

Late light is the best time to photograph the towers

Image / Source

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

Image / Source

Kaiping, Guangdong

Image / Source

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Maps

Towers and farmland share the same landscape

Image / Source

Why the Kaiping Diaolou Are Worth Discovering

What makes Kaiping’s towers interesting is not just their unusual appearance. They grew out of a particular set of circumstances: families faced insecurity at home, relatives went abroad to earn money, and returning wealth helped change the look of the countryside. A tower’s balconies and turrets may be the first things you notice, but its place among ordinary homes and cultivated fields is equally important. These buildings were part of village life, shaped by the ambitions and concerns of the people who built them.

If historic structures with unusual stories interest you, take a look at RiteBook’s article on the Bell Tower of Curon, or browse more Chinese architecture and towers.

References & Source

1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1112/

2. UNESCO — Official Nomination Document for Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1112.pdf

3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Site Maps and the Four Listed Areas

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1112/maps/

4. Kaiping Municipal Government — Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourism Zone

https://www.kaiping.gov.cn/kaipingchina/cityinformation/cityinformation/content/post_2225123.html

5. Academy of Chinese Studies — Kaiping Watchtowers and Villages

https://chiculture.org.hk/en/china-five-thousand-years/3863

6. UNESCO Multimedia Archives — Towers to Protect a Village

https://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/document-810