Why are there many towers in Kaiping? Zebra knowledge+challenge

Since the Ming Dynasty, due to floods and bandits, Kaiping locals began to build towers. Before the Opium War, there were not many watchtowers. /kloc-In the mid-9th century, with the development of the western part of the United States and Canada, including the gold rush and the need for a large number of foreign workers to build railways, and the prevalence of the "dispute between natives and tourists" in Kaiping, people's living conditions deteriorated, and a large number of farmers began to emigrate to America, which in turn produced a large number of Kaiping Chinese workers living in the United States and Canada. By the 1980s of 19, the United States and Canada began to implement the Chinese exclusion policy, and its relevant regulations forced Chinese workers to return to China to buy land, build houses and get married. /kloc-from the end of 0/9 to the end of 1920s, with the rapid economic development of the United States and Canada, the income of Chinese workers and remittances sent back to Kaiping increased greatly, creating economic conditions for the massive construction of Kaiping Diaolou. From 1900 to 193 1 year, Kaiping * * * built towers 1648, accounting for 89.9% of the total; Especially from 192 1 to 193 1, * * 940 watchtowers were built, accounting for 5 1.2% of the total. In addition, due to the large number of local bandits in Kaiping and frequent wars during the Republic of China, bandits frequently robbed schools from 19 12 to 1926 for 8 times, capturing more than 100 teachers and students. Therefore, watchtowers with the function of preventing floods and bandits are favored by overseas Chinese, and a large number of watchtowers have been built, up to more than 3,000 at most. During the period of 1940s, as the United States and Canada released the immigration restrictions on China, a large number of overseas Chinese and their relatives reunited with their families, and the construction of watchtowers gradually decreased and finally stopped. The last tower in Kaiping, Lu Jian Village, Xintang Village, Liangbao Village Committee, Chikan Town was built at 1949. According to the data, from 1943 to 1949, only seven watchtowers were built in Kaiping, accounting for 0.3% of the total. Main functions: 1. Flood control. 2. Prevent bandits. Take Genglou as an example, it is mostly built at the entrance of the village or on the hills outside the village, with a wide field of vision and equipped with searchlights and alarms, which can detect bandits in advance. 1922 65438+In February, when bandits robbed Kaiping Middle School in Chikan area, they were illuminated by searchlights in Yingcun Diaolou, and four township groups stopped them in time, intercepting principals and students 17 people. 3. Live. Taking the giant building as an example, it combines the two functions of the watchtower, namely, defense and residence, with open space and perfect living facilities, and buildings are often built in places with beautiful scenery and suitable for living.

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