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Article: Earthly fortresses. (communal housing in China)
- Article from:
- The Architectural Review
- Article date:
- February 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 EMAP Architecture. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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These remarkable buildings in south China are communal fortresses housing large numbers of peasant families who work the surrounding land. The massive dwellings, constructed from rammed earth, reflect both a complex social network and the subtle Chinese art of geomancy.
The city of Xiamen (formerly Amoy) lies in the southern Chinese province of Fujian on the coast close to the island of Taiwan. Xiamen itself is an old colonial city with radically modified suburbs giving no hint of the magnificent buildings lying in the interior of the province. Within a day's drive (providing you have the right driver and a well serviced car) lie the beginnings of a landscape ...