Gazing Back Through Time: Zhang Canjin and the Journey of Restoring Fujian's Earthen Buildings

Fujian's tulous, or earthen buildings, are renowned for their unique mud and wood structure. Crafted meticulously from natural materials such as earth, stone and wood, they are designed to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes. Today, though, many of these buildings are in urgent need of restoration. Fortunately, craftsmen like Zhang Canjin are on hand, who are committed to restoring the tulous to their original state. Having started repairing them with his father as a boy, Mr. Zhang, now in his seventies, continues to work tirelessly. Throughout the restoration process, he’s not just an architect, but also a sculptor, meticulously recreating the centuries-old decorations and wood carvings. "A tulou is repaired once every hundred years and lasts for a hundred years," says Mr. Zhang. However, with young people no longer learning the craft, the long-term future of the tulous is uncertain. #worldheritage #chineseculture #earthenbuilding #architecture

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