[3] The earliest standing diaolou in Kaiping is Yinglong Lou (迎龙楼) in the village of Sanmenli (Chikan township), built by the Guan lineage during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1522–1566).

It was a massive three-storey rectangular fortress with one-meter thick walls, with little resemblance with the high tower diaolous built four centuries later.

[1] It was not until after 1949 when an administrative system that extended down to the small villages was created that the diaolou lost their defensive purpose and were then abandoned or converted.

[8] UNESCO wrote, "...the Diaolou ... display a complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms.

[9] Yinglong Lou (迎龙楼), located in the village of Sanmenli (Chikan township), was built by the Guan (关族) lineage during the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty (1522–1566).

As the oldest preserved diaolou in Kaiping, it retains the primitive model of a watchtower with traditional square structure and is not influenced by western architectural styles.

Tianlu Lou (Tower of Heavenly Success), located in Yong'an Village, was built in 1922 and is seven storeys tall plus a rooftop floor.