Kaiping is a land of towers. Towers that are a cross between Chinese and Western architecture. This came about because the landowners went abroad to work and brought their fortunes home with them. They used their money to build unique tower buildings that reminded them both of where they had been and of their Chinese heritage. Towers were built to protect them against bandits and floods.
Three things took the men away from Kaiping in the 1800s: the treaty from the Second Opium War that allowed “coolies” to be used abroad as laborers, the Gold Rush, and the building of the intercontinental railroad in America. So off they went all over the world. Some of them suffered greatly while others made out well. All were separated for extended periods from their families. The prosperous ones did so well that they decided to build big houses back in Kaiping. So they sent home postcards of big Western houses and had them built to withstand the problems of the times – bandits and floods. Thus came about the most amazing set of houses.
The returning businessmen would be prosperous enough that were kidnaped and feared for their lives.
The stairwell to the top of the tallest tower in Kaiping
From the top of the tower:
The towers are surrounded by rice fields.
This is rice as it is growing. It will turn brown at the end of the summer and the rice will be harvested.
A head of green rice.
Rice kernels
This is the trail to the towers. It is lined ponds full of water lilies of all shapes and sizes.
And here’s what the insides of the buildings look like:
This is the invitation the Chinese got to go abroad and earn their fortunes. They built the railroads, mined gold and created the Chinatowns in the US and other countries.
Chinese fortunes go to sons, not daughters. If the foreign workers had no sons, they had to find a way to pass their estate along.
Most of these homes were built in the 1920s and 30s. There are 1800 of them left today. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Next to the towers is a second village, beautiful in its own right and where many Chinese films are made. One was being done on the day that we were there.
Mister, can I please be an extra in your movie? Ann with one of the production assistants.
How to spend your fortune in style. This is a pink Bentley from the 1930s.
Misadventures in the Middle Kingdom 
We are excited to come. Do you have trouble drying t-shirts? Janie Homer
The hard thing to dry here are towels. We have learned that you hang them outside for a day then finish them with a day drying them inside. T-shirts? No problem. Jeans. Big problem. Just like a towel.
We have so enjoyed your sharing with us. You two have had quite THE EXPERIENCES!! We are now becoming eager to know that you are arriving home. So happy for you to have these adventures. Know that you are in our hearts. HUGS