Rusheng Lou
It is situated in the northern part of Hongkeng Village, opposite to Fuyu Lou across the
stream. It is more commonly known as Misheng Lou because it is like a “Misheng” (a bamboomade
folk utensil for measuring rice or millet in old times) in shape. It was built as a residence
of the Lin family during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) of the Qing Dynasty.
Facing the west, this single-ring earth-wood-structured Tulou is three storeys in height and
23 meters in diameter with each story having 16 bays in an inner-corridor layout. The 1st
floor without window is used for a kitchen and a dining room. The 2nd floor is used as a grain
storage room without windows either, and 3rd floor is used for bedrooms. The whole Tulou is
provided with only one gate, and the gate, the entrance hall and the back hall (ancestral hall) line
along the central axis. There is a water well in the patio. Structurally, it is a combination of the
overhanging gable roof, the column and tie construction and the post and lintel construction.
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