[2024 Kaiping Attraction] Travel Guide for Diaolou Cluster In Zili Village (Updated Oct)

Kaiping Diaolou - A History of Chinese Laborers' Blood and Tears

Kaiping was the last stop on this trip. I was attracted to come here because I read the book "Gold Mountain" many years ago. Since then, I have always wanted to see these diaolou built with the blood and tears of Chinese laborers. Most of the residents in the Zili Village Diaolou Group Scenic Area have the surname Fang. "Gold Mountain" starts with the story of Fang Defa, a Chinese laborer from the late Qing Dynasty who went to Canada to pan for gold and build railways. It details the tragic struggles of his five generations in a foreign land, as well as their joys and sorrows, separations and reunions with their loved ones in their hometown. There are currently 9 diaolou left in Zili Village, each with a touching story behind it. The diaolou and houses in Zili Village are scattered in the rice fields or by the lotus pond. Walking in the field ridges after the Mid-Autumn Festival, although there are no lotus flowers in the pond, the diaolou group standing in the green rice fields is still the most beautiful scene.

Kaiping Diaolou Cluster in Tangkou Town, Kaiping, Jiangmen, Guangdong

An era's architecture reflects the memory of that era, bearing the spirit, wealth, culture, and style of its time. The villages of Zili and Qilin in Tangkou Town, Kaiping, Jiangmen, Guangdong, preserve the memory of a hundred years of historical and cultural architecture.

Kaiping Diaolou | Jiangmen is not only known for its rapid development, but also for its World Cultural Heritage

In Kaiping, Jiangmen, a 90-minute drive from Zhuhai, I felt as if I had traveled back to a century ago. Amidst the pastoral charm of Lingnan, towering diaolous with various styles are interspersed. Time seems to have frozen at a certain moment in the past, allowing us to glimpse fragments of history. Zili Village Diaolou Cluster If I could only visit one place, I would choose Zili Village. Its uniqueness lies not only in its exquisite appearance but also in the serene and beautiful natural scenery that surrounds it. Walking along the country lanes, with neat rice fields on the side and lotus ponds interspersed, the tranquil beauty of rural life is overwhelming. The tall diaolous with different appearances are scattered throughout the countryside. Currently, only three diaolous in the entire village are open to the public, with the most conspicuous being the 'Mingshi Lou', which fans of the movie 'Let the Bullets Fly' will definitely recognize at first glance, built in 1925. Not only is the exterior exquisite, but the interior furniture and decorations are also well preserved. You can also go up to the panoramic terrace on the top floor, where the view is superb. Address: Zili Village, Tangkou Town, Kaiping City Zili Village Diaolou Cluster

Travel through a century and encounter the ancient village of the world

♨️ Zili Village is located in Jiangmen City, Guangdong, and is known as the "Diaolou Village". 📌 Address: Tangkou Town, Kaiping City, Jiangmen, Guangdong Province 🌈Strolling here, you can enjoy the beautiful rural scenery and experience the peaceful village life. 📸If you love photography, ✨️then this place is definitely your paradise, ✨️because every angle can produce a masterpiece!🌃 💰 Admission: Zili Village 78 yuan, Liyuan 100 yuan, Majianglong 50 yuan, single attraction ticket valid for the day; Liyuan + Zili Village combo ticket 150 yuan; Diaolou Cultural Zone combo ticket (including Liyuan, Zili Village, Majianglong, Jinjiangli) 180 yuan; ‼️Valid for two days ⏰️Business hours: 9:10 - 17:50. 😘Other information: Zili Village is only 6 kilometers away from Chikan Ancient Town, which can be visited together.

Kaiping Diaolou and Chikan Ancient Town Day Tour

First stop: Morning tea in Goose City: The tea is delicious, the dim sum is tasty, the environment is beautiful, the service is enthusiastic, and the key point is that it's not expensive. Second stop: Pioneer Bookstore Granary, a great place for photos; Third stop: Li Garden, the combination of Chinese and Western architecture and decoration is breathtaking; Fourth stop: Self-reliance Village Diaolou: The beauty of history, well worth the trip; Fifth stop: Chikan Ancient Town: The main attraction is the architecture, another great place for photos. The schedule is tight, yet the visit is satisfying; it's convenient for self-driving with easy parking.

World Cultural Heritage - Kaiping Diaolou

Kaiping Diaolou and villages are located in Kaiping City, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province. They are multi-storey tower-style buildings that integrate defense, living, and Chinese and Western architectural art. The Diaolou was built in the mid-16th century in the late Ming Dynasty. The early Diaolou was mainly traditional Chinese residential buildings, built by overseas Chinese. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of Chinese workers who traveled to the United States and Canada built Diaolou after accumulating some industries. They also brought back the architectural styles of other countries, incorporating elements of Western architecture such as ancient Roman and Greek columns, Byzantine dome roofs, mountain flowers, and Baroque architectural styles, and the architectural styles of the Byzantine and Gothic periods in the Middle Ages in Europe. The architectural shape is mostly upper and lower simple, which is a combination of Chinese and Western architectural art. The Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourism Area is mainly composed of Liyuan, Zili Village Diaolou Group and Majianglong Diaolou Group. At its peak, there were more than 3,000, and in the 21st century, there were more than 1,800 well-preserved Diaolou in Kaiping, scattered in various villages. In 2007, Kaiping Diaolou and villages were included in the 'World Heritage List'. Kaiping Diaolou can be divided into green brick buildings, mud buildings, stone buildings, and reinforced concrete buildings according to building materials; according to location and function, they can be divided into watchtowers, public buildings, and residential buildings. The watchtower is also known as the lantern tower or the watchtower. It is generally funded by the whole village and is located at the entrance of the village or outside the mountain. It is used for lookout and sentry. The Fang's Lighthouse and the South Gate North Gate Tower are the most representative. The public building is a Diaolou built by the whole village or several villagers. For example, the Yinglong Building in Sanmenli Village and the Tianlu Building in Majianglong Village have simple Diaolou shapes, few external decorations, and strong defense. When an accident occurs, the villagers hide in the building, so the public building is generally located in the middle or side of the village. The residential building is funded by the owner alone, with complete living facilities, beautiful appearance, both living and defense functions, mostly 4-5 floors, the most numerous, built behind the village. Among the many types of Diaolou, residential buildings are the most numerous and common. The scenic area also preserves the watchtowers represented by Fang's Lighthouse and the public buildings represented by Yinglong Building. Most of the existing Diaolou buildings are made of reinforced concrete. The indoor space is mostly narrow, and in order to save expenses, the floors are mostly covered with wooden boards; there are windows opening downwards on the surrounding walls, equipped with iron windows; on the roof, in order to accurately warn, there are protruding square or round corner castles, equipped with shooting holes. In the Diaolou, the gate is the only way in and out. The door panel is made of heavy steel plate. There are usually three or four locks inside the door. There is an iron gate outside the door. Above the door, there is a small hole, which is very strong. The Kaiping Diaolou Group is a classic work of integrating Chinese and Western architecture. We contemporary people appreciate them, they are very artistic, and they shine with the surrounding rural landscape, witnessing the prosperity and prosperity of the local area for hundreds of years.

The representative of Lingnan style architecture - Zili Village

The Diaolou in Kaiping, Jiangmen is a unique scenic spot, these Diaolou are the masterpieces of Lingnan architecture. Like the nearby Tulou, the existing Diaolou are precious historical relics that have been preserved. There are several scenic spots in the Diaolou of Kaiping, the most representative of which is the Diaolou of Zili Village. The combination of Diaolou architecture and the beautiful natural scenery around it is a beautiful picture.

There are many famous villages in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are not so many famous villages in Guangdong. This view is actually a little one-sided. If you go to Kaiping Country, you will find many strange villages, such as Zili Village. Zili Village is located in Tangkou Town, Kaiping. It was famous at the end of the 20th century. Tourists went on sightseeing in the early 21st century, but what really made it famous was Jiang Wens blockbuster movie Let the Bullets Fly. Because Zili Village used to be one of the main locations. Into Zili Village, the most striking thing is that all the buildings in the village are like bunkers, and the locals call this building a "tower". Some of the towers in Zili Village are funded by the villagers, and some are built by overseas Chinese. Because the Kaiping terrain is low, the old buildings suffer from shackles, and the buildings in the towers are waterproof and thieves-proof. The Mingshi Building in the village was built in 1925. The owner Fang Runwen is an American overseas Chinese. He had run a restaurant in his early years and later made a grocery store. Ming Runwen, who was built by Fang Runwen, is the main location of Let the Bullets Fly. The middle and lower structures are relatively simple, the upper part is complex and gorgeous, the columns are Romanesque, and the six-storey frontal flowers are baroque. The building is currently a national key cultural relic. Protected units are also listed on the World Heritage List. Because it is located in Lingnan, there is no cold in winter. Zili Village can see green all year round. The green seedlings and golden rice ears in the busy season are the most beautiful, and there are rapeseed in spring.

Zili Village has ingeniously blended traditional Chinese rural architecture culture with Western architectural culture. It rarely reflects the extensive exchanges of modern Chinese and Western cultures in China's rural areas, and has become a commemorative monument of Chinese overseas Chinese culture and a unique world architectural art landscape. The building is full of furniture, living facilities, production tools and daily necessities. It is rich and interesting. It is a testimony to the culture and life of overseas Chinese at that time. The self-residents of the village are living abroad with one person and the outsiders. When they made money, they came back to buy a home, and then returned to foreign countries. In the 1920s, due to the frequent occurrence of bandits and floods, the overseas Chinese had successively built 15 towers that could be kept. The towers and the residences are generally named after the name of the founder or their wishes. These towers are iron gates and iron windows. They are all equipped with guns, copper plaques and searchlights. They store a lot of food. Once a thief invades, the villagers will hide in the building and compete with them to make the thief look at the building. I am sighing and returning without success.

There are many overseas Chinese in Jiangmen, but the most distinctive feature of the building is Kaiping. Zuli Village, located in Tangkou Town, is a representative part of the Kaiping Diaolou Group. A few years ago, the director of Jiang Wens high-box movie "Let the Bullets Fly" greatly enhanced the popularity of Zili Village, and many foreign tourists came to visit because of the movie. Zuli Village has a lot to come. It is said that at the beginning of the village, there were only two houses in the whole village, and later developed to 63 families. The overseas Chinese and Hong Kong and Macao compatriots exceeded the resident population. The owners and descendants of all kinds of dilapidated houses scattered in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Southeast Asia. Zili Village is as low-lying as many Kaiping villages, and floods and floods are frequent; in addition, in the past, the village has been scarce because of the scarcity of men, causing bandits, and the "squatter" is the invention of the wisdom of the local people. This characteristic building has a rich western style, while retaining some details of the Chinese architecture. The clever thing is that the building builders consider the anti-theft and anti-theft features. For example, every floor has a gunshot, as long as the criminals are close to the building, Shoot from the gun eye or throw pebbles, alkaline water, water guns and other things to drive away the enemy. Zili Village retains many old mansions such as Longsheng Building, Yangxiu Villa, Ball House, Yunxiao Building, Ju'an Building, Yaoguang Villa, Zhulin Building, Zhen'an Building, Anzhen, Yi The agricultural building, Ye Shengju, the official residence, the residence, the Zhan, and so on. The mansion in the "luxury house" is the number of Mingshilou. The building is the "home" of Chow Yun-fat in the movie "Let the Bullets Fly", and it is also the value of the various buildings of "Let the Bullets Fly".