Behind the Concrete is a monthly snippet where we introduce a piece of architecture that has a unique design and/or interesting story.
Before 1979, when the Chinese southern metropolis of Shenzhen was still a fishing village, it was populated mostly by Hakka Chinese, who migrated to what was then Bao’an County during the Song Dynasty 800 years ago. Hakkas have since resided in tulou, or earthen buildings, common in Fujian province as well as in fortified villages, for generations.
One of China’s largest Hakka fortified villages and the most representative of more than 300 such constructions in Shenzhen, Hehu Xinju is situated in Longgang District, weathered but well preserved. Constructed in the late Qing Dynasty by Luo Ruifeng and his family, this 24,800-square-meter walled establishment housed three generations of Luo’s kin.
Besides serving as multi-family, communal living structures, fortified villages, as their name implies, also served to protect dwellers. In the late Qing Dynasty, Hakkas oftentimes fought with Cantonese natives over land disputes in what is now known as the Punti-Hakka Clan Wars.
Established as a museum of Hakka culture in 1997, the more than 200-year-old Hehu Xinju, which faces a green pond, boasts 179 rooms and even a small school. Three enormous doors greet visitors on the front wall where bullet marks can be observed. In its heyday, about 1,000 residents lived inside, according to annals found in the museum. Stone mills, farming and rice wine brewing implements are exhibited, while household trimmings, furniture and artwork are showcased to demonstrate the traditions, customs and daily practices of the Hakka people.
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