Kaiping Watchtowers
The Kaiping Watchtowers, also called Kai Diaolou, are multi-story defensive village houses that reflect a fantastic combination of Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms. They were added to the World Cultural Heritage List in June 2007.
Kaiping watchtowers were used to prevent flooding and to defend against bandits. These structures have retained their original purpose. Having been equipped with spotlights and an alarm, they make it easy to detect prowlers and alert the villagers.
Residential watchtowers are good examples of combining defensive and residential functions.