Nanjing Shanyutingxi Homestay（Yuchang Building）

The building is around 700 years old and has a distinctive look, a bit like Apple's headquarters. Northern Chinese people came to this isolated area to escape wars and disasters, then built these structures for protection from outsiders. It was a clever way to survive, but also a tragic kind of confinement. The village was beautifully depicted in the Chinese animation “Big Fish and Begonia.”

Our local guide was a boy who lived in one of these traditional fortresses, and we got to visit his aunt. Each family, we were told, lives in a three-storey section, with the kitchen and well on the ground floor. They call this the crooked building. The story is that the builders were angry because the owners didn't keep to their contract.

The most picturesque Tulou around here, and it's very well maintained.

On the third floor the pillars lean one way, then on the fourth they lean the other way. Fun little fact.