This post is a photographic presentation of monuments from Zhangzhou and Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Nanputuo Temple
South Putuo or Nanputuo is a famous Buddhist temple founded in the Tang dynasty in the Chinese city of Xiamen. It is so named because it is south of the Buddhist holy site Mount Putuo in Zhejiang Province.
During the remaining years of the Tang dynasty, the monks who inhabited the place had established it into a Buddhist sacred land. It used to have different names. In 1684, around the beginning of the Qing dynasty, general Shi Lang provided funds to rebuild the temple, where the Bodhisattva Guanyin was mainly worshipped. The general named it after the Buddhist holy site Mount Putuo of Zhejiang Province, which is considered the abode of Guanyin.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Putuo_Temple)
Nanjing – Tulou
The Fujian tulou are Chinese rural dwellings unique to the Hakka in the mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian, China. They were mostly built between the 12th and the 20th centuries.
A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, most commonly rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 800 people. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.
The fortified outer structures are formed by compacting earth, mixed with stone, bamboo, wood and other readily available materials, to form walls up to 6 feet (1.8 m) thick. Branches, strips of wood and bamboo chips are often laid in the wall as additional reinforcement. The result is a well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof and earthquake-proof building that is warm in winter and cool in summer. Tulous usually have only one main gate, guarded by 4–5-inch-thick (100–130 mm) wooden doors reinforced with an outer shell of iron plate. The top level of these earth buildings has gun holes for defensive purposes.
Most of the tulou (with the exception of the Dadi tulou cluster in Hua’an county) are found in a relatively small geographical area, straddling the boundary between the Yongding and Nanjing counties, Fujian province.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujian_tulou)
Yunshuiyao Old Town (also known as The Knot Town)
Till today, most of the buildings in town, interior decoration of their houses and shooting scenes were still maintained the same as they were been filming 10 years ago. The reason why Yunshuiyao has attracted so many tourists is because of its tranquil and peaceful ambience of old time Chinese village. Here they have the highest concentration of thousands-years-old banyan tree group in Fujian province. They are standing here as a historical witness of the changing lives. Walking through the cobbled path under those ancient trees which will lead you to the heart of those ancient villagers’ houses, you would feel like as if it is walking into a mysterious long lived history alive.
(Source: https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-attractions/fujian-yunshuiyao-ancient-town.htm)
A renowned scenic mountain village in China boasting long ancient roads, thousand-year old banyan trees, green mountains and lakes and fantastic Tulou, Yunshuiyao Ancient Town is an old village honored as Famous Historical Village of China, Scenic Village of China and Demonstrative Site of Changjiao Ancient Village, South Fujian (Zhangzhou) Cultural Biology Reserve.
Cradled in mountains ranging more than 10 li (1 li = 0.5km) in both length and width, this old town has Changjiao Brook winding under numerous bridges and connecting villages along the course. 13 thousand-year old banyan trees stretch their verdant branches like a cluster of huge green umbrellas, a spectacular.
Under the banyan trees, a time-honored pebble road zigzags along Changjiao Brook for 10 km and connects Hegui Building and Huaiyuan Building. Once the only road for students from Southwest Fujian to Zhangzhou, Fuzhou and the Capital to take imperial exams and business trip for merchants, this lovely road brings together the amazing scenes of tulou and idyllic rural area.
(Source: http://en.fjta.com/jingdian/detail/1024)
(Important Note: ALL photographs of this article added to the sourced texts by NovoScriptorium after kind courtesy of our friend Ben Lee – ALL photographs originally taken by Ben Lee)
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