Were Children and Dogs Barred There Too? 



This shows a view of the 

 court and the architecture 

 of the oldest apartment 

 building in the world. It 

 was built in a village in 

 the province of Fu-ken, 

 Southern China, about 

 five hundred years ago 

 and has been in use ever 

 since. The ring-shaped 

 building is five stories 

 high and contains four 

 hundred one -family houses 



All apartments open on 

 the center court, in the 

 middle of which is the 

 cistern, supplying the ten- 

 ants with water. There 

 are no "modern conve- 

 niences" to speak of, 

 but the building is well 

 protected with a strong 

 wall with but a single 

 entrance. There are no 

 windows toward the out- 

 side of the circle. A tile 

 roof covers the structure 



