A typical tulou is a large, enclosed and fortified earthen building. They either rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick, load-bearing, rammed-earth walls, and typically three to five stories high. Traditionally each tulou housed up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls, which may house meeting/religious halls, storehouses, wells and living/working areas. The each family lives in a small apartment located on one of the floors. The whole structure resembles a small, fortified city and provided social, economic and military security through the ages.

Today, the Yuchang Guesthouse Tulou has been renovated and converted for modern travelors, yet it retains most of the original fittings and functions of a traditional family tulou. A few nights stay takes guests back into the quickly disappearing world of rural China, as the images below help illustrate.