Kaiping Diaolous (Say "Dee Al Ohs")

Tim in Li Gardens, Kaiping, China

Li Gardens

Li Gardens

Hungry Fish!

Zili Village

Gathering wood chips

Zili Village (Yes it does lean)

Zili Village, eggs and dried fruit for sale

Zili Village

This Easter weekend was a three day weekend for us here in China. We decided to make use of it by traveling into rural China. I have been wanting to see something of China besides high rise buildings and concrete. Now this was a real stretch for us since we were not traveling with an interpreter, a group, or even another couple, there is always safety and support in numbers, but rather just Bev and I with are very limited Chinese took this trip.

Well we made it and have some great stories to tell but it was a challenge. We did not see another American at anytime during the two day trip and only had one HK gentleman start talking English to us when we were touring one of the villages.

So we went to see the Diaolous (Dee Al Ohs). They are a particular kind of residential home that were built near Kaiping City between 1821 and 1920. The owners of most, were prosperous emigrants from a variety of places that made their fortunes and came back to their roots to live out the rest of their lives in what was a very luxurious style at the time. Most of the buildings have a similar style and are built with reinforced concrete. A total of 1833 Diaolous have been identified near Kaiping. The design is usually 5-6 stories with a ballasterd terrace at the top and a small room with a temple. Amazingly the stairways take up much of the central structure of the home. Many have a double stairway all the way up. Rooms are off to the sides. Three or four very small rooms at each level. We were able to see some that were furnished as they would have been. All ceilings and spaces seemed tight to me at over 6 foot tall. These are pretty secure structures with only one entrance and bars on a gate to that door. All windows are barred with exterior metal shutters that can be locked from the inside.

The weather was not wonderful but we did not get rained on while we were there. We also had a wonderful meal at the Hotel on Saturday night that included salmon for me and a t-bone steak for Bev, I think it is the first steak she has had since our Christmas trip.

More information on the Diaolous of Kaiping click here