The Strange, Beautiful Castles in the Middle of China's Rice Paddies
Imagine driving through the lush, green rice paddies of southern China, when suddenly, a bizarre, multi-story tower that looks part-European castle, part-Chinese fortress, rises from the fields. Then you see another, and another. These are the Diaolou of Kaiping, and they tell an incredible story of global ambition and local fear.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many men from this region sought their fortunes abroad in North America and Australia. When they returned, rich but worried about bandits and kidnappers, they built these surreal, fortified watchtowers to protect their families and flaunt their newfound wealth. This is why the architecture is so wonderfully strange. You’ll find concrete towers with Romanesque domes, Baroque flourishes, and Islamic arches sitting right next to traditional Chinese ceramic details. Visiting a village cluster like Zili lets you wander among these fairytale structures, climb their narrow staircases, and look out from their iron-gated windows onto the peaceful fields they were built to defend.
Insider Tip:
The Diaolou are spread out across a rural area. The absolute best way to explore is to rent a bicycle. Pedaling along the quiet country lanes that connect the villages gives you the freedom to stop whenever a particularly stunning tower catches your eye, allowing you to experience the landscape at a slow, immersive pace.
