China, the ghost villages of Kaiping

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the diaolou, fortified houses in the villages of the Kaiping region, built on several floors, bear witness to a complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western decorative architecture. Kaiping was an area of ​​emigration abroad. Many members of the Chinese diaspora have their roots there. Until the 1920s, they influenced the architecture of the diaolou, merging traditional styles with elements seen in the United States or Europe. Of the 3,000 fortified towers, only 1,833 remain today and the villages were abandoned by their inhabitants over time.

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