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本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了福建特殊的住宅建筑——土楼。
Tulou, a special residential architecture of Fujian Province, was included on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List during the 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Quebec, Canada.
In the fourth century, Han Chinese living in the Central Plains area began to migrate （迁移）south, gradually gathering in Fujian and forming the Hakka communities. As a defence against enemies, the Hakkas chose to live in compact （紧凑的）communities, and the tulou was their preferred houses. Tens of thousands of such earthen structures were constructed in Fujian Province.
Most tulous are to be found in the valleys, surrounded by high mountains, and some are in the depths of the great mountains. Most are three to four storeys high, and look like circular blockhouses （堡垒）. Rooms on the first floor are used as kitchens, rooms on the second floor are used as barns （谷仓）, and rooms on the third and fourth floors are for bedrooms and living rooms. For defensive purposes, the rooms on the first floor have no windows.
Raw materials for the tulou were obtained locally. Their main building material was a mixture of clay, sand, lime and water, and egg whites, brown sugar and rice water were added as adhesive agents （黏合剂）. It was then mixed to form the walls. Once they dried, the walls were so hard that driving a nail into them would have been difficult. Fir branches, which are extremely strong and do not rot, were used to strengthen them, and many centuries later they have remained their original look.
Tulous are located in a region where earthquakes happen frequently, and their circular construction helps them resist the regular shocks.
The proven design even inspired one famous Peruvian architect, who paid several visits to Yongding, to build a tulou back home. Not long after, an earthquake struck only 10 kilometers away, and while all the houses around the earthen building fell down, his tulou remained.
土楼是福建省一种特别的住宅建筑，在加拿大魁北克举行的第三十二届世界遗产委员会上，被列入联合国教科文组织的《世界遗产名录》。
在四世纪时，居住在中原地区的汉族人开始向南迁移，逐渐聚集在福建，形成客家社群。为防御敌人，客家人选择住在紧凑的社区里，土楼是他们首选的房子。数以万计的这种土制结构在福建省建成。
大部分的土楼位于山谷中，周围都是高山，有些在大山深处。大多数有三、四层楼高，看起来像圆形碉堡。一楼的房间用作厨房，二楼的房间用作谷仓，三楼和四楼的房间是卧室和起居室。出于防御目的，一楼的房间没有窗户。
土楼的原料可以就地取材。它们的主要建筑材料是黏土、沙子、石灰和水的混合物，并加入蛋清、红糖和米汤作为黏合剂，然后把它混合砌成墙。一旦它们干了，墙就变得如此地坚硬，以至于人们很难将钉子钉进土墙。杉树的枝条非常强壮，不会腐烂，可以对土楼起到加固的作用，许多世纪以后它们也仍然保持原来的样子。
土楼位于地震频发地区，它们的圆形构造有助于抗击频繁的震动。
这个经过验证的设计甚至启发了一位著名的秘鲁建筑师，他几次访问永定，回家后也建造了一个土楼。不久之后，10公里外发生了一场地震，周围的房屋都倒塌了，他的土楼却岿然不倒。
defence n. 防御
construct vt. 建造
strengthen vt. 加强，增强
Once they dried, the walls were so hard that driving a nail into them would have been difficult.
一旦它们干了，墙就变得如此地坚硬，以至于人们很难将钉子钉进土墙。
Tulous are located in a region where earthquakes happen frequently.
土楼位于地震频发地区。