Rammed Earth in China

China has practiced rammed earth construction for thousands of years. A wide variety of building types have used this practical material from houses to fortresses and including parts of the Great Wall of China which still survive to this day. There are even large multifamily buildings that house up to 300 people built by the Hakka people, many that are of 3 or more stories in height.

Qin Mausoleum

China’s first emperor was buried with a terra cotta army in 210 BC. The tomb was constructed using rammed earth as one of the main building components. It is believed to have been constructed by a workforce of 700,000 people

Hakka Buildings

The Hakka people have built a vast amount of rammed earth buildings in the southern provinces of China starting in the 17th century. Some of these structures are 3 or 4 stories high, can house up to 300 people and can be as large as 40,000 square meters. In addition to housing these buildings also served as protection with few windows on the lower levels and small windows.