Oyster Shell Houses of Guangdong

Along the southern coast of China, particularly in Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta, a curious architectural tradition took shape during the late Ming and Qing dynasties — houses built from oyster shells. These oyster shell houses are a unique example of how coastal communities turned the sea’s bounty into durable shelter.

Oyster shell houses trace their origins to the 15th century, during the Ming dynasty, when the port city of Quanzhou flourished as a major hub on the Maritime Silk Roads. Merchant ships from Xunpu set sail laden with tea, silk, and porcelain bound for destinations as distant as the east coast of Africa. On their return journeys, the empty cargo holds made the vessels unstable, so crews filled them with oyster shells collected from local beaches to serve as ballast and prevent capsizing.

Close-up of the wall of an oyster shell house in Guangzhou. Credit: geneva_wirth

When these ships returned to Quanzhou, the shells were offloaded and repurposed by local builders, who mixed them with mud and natural binders such as brown sugar, glutinous rice, vinegar, and chaff to create sturdy walls for homes and temples. Oyster shells were also abundant in the surrounding coastal areas, making them an accessible and sustainable building material. Their calcium-rich composition hardened over time and offered natural resistance to salt corrosion and insect damage — qualities perfectly suited to the humid coastal climate.

At one time, hundreds of these oyster shell houses dotted the coast of Guangdong, but most have since been lost to redevelopment. Only a few remain standing today.

Credit: Haihong Huang