In the Fujian province, situated on the southeast coast of China, live the Hakka minority group, famous for their extraordinary dwellings called 'Tulou' houses 土楼. In 2008 these dwellings were listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The photographer Ryan Pyle has given the following description of this very unusual style of habitation:

'The Tulou is typically a large enclosed building, rectangular or circular in configuration, with a very thick weight supporting earth wall (up to 6 feet thick) and wooden skeletons, between three and five stories high, housing up to 80 families. These earth buildings usually have only one main gate, guarded by 4 to 5 inch thick wooden doors reinforced with an outer shell of iron plate. The top level of these earth buildings has gun holes for defense against bandits. They are a testament to the unique cultures that exist throughout China.'