My UNESCO WHS List

This blog puts together some of my passions: travelling, especially to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS); philately (collecting stamps); deltiology (collecting postcards); and doing research into TUIs (i.e., totally useless information) of things that interest me. Hence, it catalogues UNESCO WHS that I have been to, stamps showing UNESCO WHS that I have, as well as postcards featuring UNESCO WHS that I have received (i.e., stamped and posted) and maxicards and postal cards (both used or unused).

15 April, 2019

Fujian Tulou

country. China

year of inscription. 2008

criteria. Cultural

The Fujian Tulou WHS is a collection of forty-six buildings found in the southwest of Fujian province. Built between the 15th and 20th centuries CE, and set amongst agricultural fields, tulou are multi-storey earthen houses that are either squarish or circular, and constructed to look inwards. Designed for defense purposes, they typically only have one entryway to the outside, housing the whole clan of up to 800 people within. Inside, the building is divided into individual rooms for family units. The tulou exemplifies a traditional building whose functionality centred on communal living and defensive organisation, with respect to feng shui (Chinese geomancy) principles.

what. WHS visited (November 2016)