Aerial View of Dawanshiju

Dawanshiju is located in Dawan Village, Pingshan, Longgang District, Shenzhen. It is a large fortified Hakka village built by the Zeng family clan in the 56th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty (1791). The village covers an area of 22,680 square meters and is one of the largest surviving examples of Hakka fortified dwellings. These castle-like fortified dwellings are the most unique residential buildings in the Shenzhen area from the Qing dynasty. The Hakka fortified dwellings are one of the five traditional building styles of the Chinese people. Hakka fortified dwellings served two purposes: defense against danger and community living. The hallways retain an element of architecture from the Han of the Central Plains—the main building echoes a courtyard house (or siheyuan) and the layout is arranged along a central axis. This shows that Hakka people borrowed from other cultures when designing their buildings.