Criterion (iii): The building of defensive towers was a local tradition in the Kaiping area since Ming times in response to local banditry. The nominated Diaolou represent the final flourishing of this tradition, in which the conspicuous wealth of the retuning Chinese contributed to the spread of banditry and their towers were an extreme response. The nominated Diaolou, their surrounding village houses, and the agricultural landscape are all authentic, apart from certain houses in Sanmenli Village. The overall state of conservation of the Diaolou is good; the state of conservation of village houses and the agricultural landscape is reasonable. A Management Plan for the nominated property has been drawn up by Beijing University under the auspices of the People's Government of Kaiping City.