A work of art with a soul

Even though he's an expert in tulou building, Xu Songsheng, 61, hasn't constructed a new building since 2002.

Xu was born and grew up in Jiqing Lou, the oldest tulou in Fujian province. His father was an outstanding tulou designer, and Xu began following in his footsteps at age of 14.

To Xu, a tulou is not just a clay building, but a work of art with a soul.

"Many visitors are extremely fond of circular tulou, but the shape is dictated by the site," Xu says. "The circular ones are generally built on large flat blocks, while the rectangular ones are built on mountain slopes."

Xu says the foundations are the most important part of the construction.

"The foundations of a tulou are laid with dry stones to avoid even the smallest cracks. For a medium-sized structure with 30 to 40 living rooms, the foundation work can take a year. The techniques can only be learned with time, patience and practice."

Xu owns a construction company, and is reasonably wealthy. His only real concern in life is that tulou building skills may be lost in the future.

He hired a number of apprentices, but demand for tulou is so small that they've all turned to modern construction work instead.

"With good maintenance, I think the tulou can survive for several hundred more years," Xu says. "To protect this heritage, each of us could be given 10,000 yuan ($1,633) a year as a subsidy. I hope the government can work out a way to help me pass on my skills."

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/16/2013 page25)