Kaiping Watchtowers

Kaiping Watchtowers/Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

The Kaiping Diaolou, the unique vernacular architecture in the area of Kaiping, are the multiple-storey castle-like houses for the purpose of defence and dwelling, harmoniously integrating the Chinese and Western architectural art into one entity. They reflect, in a specific period and specific region, the historical development of the multi-culture exchanges of the Chinese countryside with the West. They have been generally recognized as a striking art gallery for architecture. Thus, the Kaiping Diaolou, with the remaining number of 1833, is also regarded as a brilliant logo of Kaiping City. Moreover, the Kaiping Diaolou were, by the State Council, selected as the Cultural Relics of the National Importance under the Protection of the State in June of 2001, and approved as one of the China’s applying projects for the World Cultural Heritage in February 2002. The application documents concerned have been sent to the World Heritage Center under the United Nations (UN), and the said project was inscribed on the standby list for the world cultural heritage.