Shaxian District - Shuimei Earth Fort Group

Shuimei Earth Fort Group is located in Shuimei Village, Fenggang Street, Shaxian, Fujian Province. The group was first built in the 27th year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1847) and consists of three forts: Shuangji, Shuangxing, and Shuangyuan. The layout and structure of the three forts are balanced and rigorous, with exquisite decoration and rich local characteristics in their paintings, wood carvings, and stone carvings. Shuimei Earth Fort Group is the largest existing earth fort complex in Shaxian and the only example of clustered earth fort construction in the Sanming area. The layout and structure of the three forts in Shuimei Village are balanced and rigorous, with exquisite beam and window carvings, and are well-preserved. The three forts are built together, with a curved front and back plane, brick-wood-earth structure, and tall internal firewalls, complete with defense and living facilities. The roofs are layered, and the 'pin' shaped corner towers guard the entire fort. Shuangji Fort is a round-back earth fort with a hall-style two-entry house. Shuangxing Fort is larger in scale, with significantly improved defensive capabilities. The buildings inside the fort are also hall-style, with two entries. The first entry has five rooms, with a ground made of rammed earth and decorated with patterns such as vases and flowers. The second entry also has five rooms, with the main hall decorated with floor tiles, and the side room corridors also tiled, all with rammed earth floors. Shuangyuan Fort has corner towers at the two corners of the front fort and the center of the round back, forming a solid defense system with 58 shooting holes throughout the fort walls. The main and side doors are covered with iron plates, with horizontal bolts behind them to firmly resist external attacks. There are also water injection ports above the doors for fire defense. Once the doors are closed, the residents inside the fort can stay for months without leaving. The decorative arts of Shuangyuan Fort are meticulous, with carved beams and painted rafters. Whether it is wood carving, stone carving, murals, or pillar base stone carvings, and flower platform decorations in the courtyard, all are exquisite and meticulous. The fort's interior has stone steps, and the ground is paved with blue bricks, with the floors of the halls having intricate floral patterns.