The castles of Kaiping.

China- In the middle of rice fields, near Canton and three hours away from Hong Kong by car, there are 1833 castles. Their architecture is inspired by middle age and Renaissance French castles. Some of them have art deco styles in their interiors. They were all built between the 15th and the beginning of the 20th century.

The 28th June 2007, UNESCO has named this architectural and invaluable treasure "world testimony of humanity".

The castles of Kaiping named "world testimony of humanity".

Photos ŠZeng Nian/Lightmediation Contact - Thierry Tinacci Lightmediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

1029-09: The restoration of the Mingshi castle built by Fang Runwen in 1925. He made fortune in the USA. The town now takes care of the castle.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-01:Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-02: The tomb of his father, mister Fang Runwen, died in 1937. In front of the tomb are some offerings given to the deceased. Minster Fong hold in his hands some paper

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-03: Mister Alan Fong shows a picture of when he was small ; this picture is in the Mingshi castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-04: Mister Alan Fong in the Mingshi castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-05: The arrival of Mister Alan Fong at the Mingshi castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-06: The delegation of mister Alan Fong from the USA in the way of praying in front of the ancestors tablets on the familial altar. At the first row, a grilled pork, some fruits, a

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-07: Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-08: A picture of the delegation in front of the castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who

1029-20: Several castles behind rice fields.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-09: The restoration of the Mingshi castle built by Fang Runwen in 1925. He made fortune in the USA. The town now takes care of the castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-10: A tourist has a picture taken of her in front of the Mingshi castle built in 1925. He made fortune in the USA. The town now takes care of the castle.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-11: The interior of the Mingshi castle built in 1925 by mister Fang Runwen. He made fortune in the USA. The town now takes care of the castle. On the wall of the rear,

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-12:The Ruishi castle built in 1923 by mister Huang Xiubi, who died in 1941.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-13: Aerial photo of The Ruishi castle built in 1923 by mister Huang Xiubi, who died in 1941. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-14: The Ruishi castle built in 1923 by mister Huang Xiubi, who died in 1941.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-15: The Ruishi castle built in 1923 by mister Huang Xiubi, who died in 1941.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-16: Two castles of Kaiping. / China /

1029-58: An old man holds an old picture of the castle at the rear.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-17: A castle of Kaiping. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-18: A castle of Kaiping. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-19: A castle of Kaiping. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-20: Several castles behind rice fields. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-21:A strategic castle which received some bombs during the second world war. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-22: A castle of Kaiping. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-23: Several castles behind rice fields. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-24: View of a castle of Kaiping. / China /

1029-10: A tourist has a picture taken of her in front of the Mingshi castle built in 1925. He made fortune in the USA. The town now takes care of the castle.

1029-27: Two castles in a village.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-25: View of a castle of Kaiping. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-26: Two castles behind rice fields. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-27: Two castles in a village. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-28: A strategic castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-29: A castle behind a banana tree. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-30: Two castles behind a pond. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-31: A castle in a field. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-32: A castle in a village. / China /

1029-31: A castle in a field.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-33: A castle felled into ruins. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-34: View of the metal-clad door of a castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-35: The English garden of the Liyuan castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-36:The kitchen of the Liyuan castle with a metal-clad door. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-37: The interior of the Liyuan castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-38: A sleeping chamber in the Mingshi castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-39:A sleeping chamber in the Liyuan castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-40: A living room where mah-jong is played in the Liyuan castle.

There are some art deco drawings on the floor. / China /

1029-21:A strategic castle which received some bombs during the second world war.

1029-22: A castle of Kaiping.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-41: The entry of the Liyuan castle. There are some art deco drawings on the floor.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-42:A funerary room dedicated to the deceased wife of the builder of the castle (she died when giving birth). / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-43: Sculptures of the daily life in the Liyuan castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-44: The kitchen of the Junlu castle. / China /

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-45:The ancestor altar of Junlu castle. At the top, some frescos of the life of overseas Chinese. Below, the earth globe with a lion representing overseas Chinese.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-46:View of the earth globe with a lion representing overseas Chinese.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-47:On the front door of a castle a fresco representing the known world of overseas Chinese.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-48: View of a fresco representing the known world of overseas Chinese.

1029-08: A picture of the delegation in front of the castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-49: View of a fresco representing the known world of overseas Chinese.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-50: View of a fresco representing the known world of overseas Chinese.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-51: View of a fresco representing the known world of overseas Chinese.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-52: View of a castle where the picture of President Mao was painted during the cultural revolution.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-53: View of a fresco on a wall of a castle which represent a landscape with birds ; on the top of this fresco, a real bird net with 4 small birds being fed by one parent.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-54: A communal tomb built in 1892 for the ashes of 387 overseas Chinese from San Francisco. / China /

1029-57: Mister Ronald Toy, former parachutist of the 101 division, who came back to live in Kaiping.

The incredible castles of Kaiping / 1029-56: Mister Ronald Toy, former parachutist of the 101 division, who came back to live in Kaiping.

1029-55: Mister Ronald Toy, former parachutist of the 101 division, who came back to live in Kaiping.

The incredible castles of Kaiping named "world testimony of humanity".

Text for information only : At the west of the Pearl river delta, in villages nestled in green bamboos and banana trees, surrounded by rice fields, are standing incongruous and dark donjons with crenels, big fortress with embrasures and some elegant towers and mansions finely worked. How did they arrive on the side of the rice fields of Kaiping ?

Kaiping officially has 1833 of these buildings called "dialou" which were mostly built at the beginning of the 20th century. The people of Kaiping built these diaolous in their villages in a chaotic historical context. Like European middle ages and other fortresses, they had a defensive aim in these times of wars, of conflicts between warlords and also of bandits.

Since the end of the 18th century, because of the demographic pressure, the people of Kaiping started to emigrate to other places in China. Since the 19th century, they went overseas, principally to Southeast Asia, North America (USA and Canada) and Australia. The first wave of emigration to North America occured between 1849 and 1880. The emigrants first participated to the gold rush in California; they are called jinshake (or kam-shaan hak in Cantonese, which means host of the gold mountain).

Afterwards, they participated to the construction of the railroad on the American continent : in USA from 1860 to 1880 and in Canada from 1880 to 1884.

These overseas Chinese, after having become rich, came back home and built the diaolous. On the 1833 diaolous, 1474 (80 %) are made of concrete.

They were built in the late years of the empire and under the nationalist regime before the Sino Japanese war (1937 - 1945); most of them were built

during the years 1920 - 1930. Concrete and steel were first imported from abroad as well as the construction concrete techniques. The overseas immigration has also led to changes in the aesthetical tastes of the people of Kaiping and led rise to a particular architecture that combines Chinese and Occidental elements : for instance, the domes, the Greek columns and some decorative elements like acanthus leaves are typically occidental.

The reinforced concrete diaolous have more complex forms. Their numerous windows let light ant air enter, and are bigger that the first diaolous that have only narrow embrasures. The embrasure and the lintels are heavily decorated. The most important change is the superior part of the buildings, which has became prominent and adorned. This evolution aids the need of defence while improving the aesthetical aspect. At the top of the building, the turrets and the covered galleries generally have their ground drilled with holes.

Most of these castles are abandoned and nobody lives in them today. Often, their last owners have fled the political persecution of communists.

They were neglected for a long time, they today represent an important capital at the time of the promotion of tourism and of concurrence between Chinese cities to get visitors. Their acknowledgment by UNESCO as a world testimony of humanity should accelerate their reconstruction.

Captions.

1029-01:Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

1029-02: The tomb of his father, mister Fang Runwen, died in 1937. In front of the tomb are some offerings given to the deceased. Minster Fong hold in his hands some paper money to be burned as offerings. The tomb is one kilometre away from the castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

1029-03: Mister Alan Fong shows a picture of when he was small ; this picture is in the Mingshi castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

1029-04- 05: Mister Alan Fong in the Mingshi castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

1029-06: The delegation of mister Alan Fong from the USA in the way of praying in front of the ancestors tablets on the familial altar. At the first row, a grilled pork, some fruits, a duck, alcohol, etc, are given as offerings. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

1029-07: Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi

castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.

1029-08: A picture of the delegation in front of the castle. Mister Alan Fong, 72 years old, lives in the USA where he has a restaurant. He is the son of mister Fang Runwen who built the Mingshi castle in 1925. He left the castle at 14 years old. It is the first time he comes back.