开平碉楼是一种集防卫与居住功能为一体的多层中西合璧的楼式乡土民居建筑,始建于明代,鼎盛于19世纪末20世纪初,高峰时达4000余座,现留存1833座。其功用主要是防盗、防洪和安居。风格上土洋结合、众多侨居国的建筑艺术与本土个性化建筑情调结合,创造了独特的乡居文化景观,是华侨主动吸收外来文化并将中西 The Kaiping Diaolou is a multi-storey Chinese-Western residential building built on the combination of defense and residential functions. Built in the Ming Dynasty, it flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with more than 4,000 seats at its peak. It now houses 1833 seats. Its main function is theft, flood control and housing. Combination of style in the earth and ocean, many expatriate country architectural arts and local personalized architectural mix, creating a unique rural cultural landscape, is the overseas Chinese take the initiative to absorb foreign culture and the West