The wooden door opens onto a circular courtyard, and suddenly the world outside seems very far away. Morning light slips between wooden balconies, voices drift from one doorway to another, and somewhere nearby water is beginning to boil for tea. It is difficult to reconcile the quiet intimacy of this place with its imposing exterior: from the air, the tulou look like enormous earthen fortresses scattered among the green mountains of Fujian. But these remarkable buildings were