Throughout Kaiping County in China, are scattered hundreds of fortified multi-storey towers called Diaolou.
During the 1920s and 1930s, there were more than three thousand of these structures.
Today, approximately 1,833 Diaolou remain standing in Kaiping, and approximately 500 in Taishan.
20 of the most symbolic ones are inscribed on UNESCOs World Heritage List.
They cultivated rice and fished.
The influx of wealthy people attracted the attention of the bandits who raided, robbed and kidnapped.
In the same period most of the villages were built or rebuilt.
With that the role of the Diaolou disappeared.
In the 1980s following the re-opening of China, many villagers moved away.
Some still contain all their original furniture and fittings.
Also see:Fujian Tulou: Ancient Earthen Castles of China
Sources:UNESCO,Wikipedia
