Photos by Michael Yamashita yamashitaphoto / Tulou, Fujian, China: Readers may recognize this structure from the opening scenes of Mulan, when a spirited young girl chases a chicken over the rooftop of an oddly shaped building. Disney's 2020 remake of the studio’s animated 1998 feature as a live-action film starring Chinese actors was widely anticipated in China. But after its theatrical release there, audiences had some objections—primary among them was that the legendary woman warrior would never have lived in the round earthen buildings shown in the movie—they are tulou, the traditional dwellings of the ethnic Hakka people. The earliest were built in the 11th century, 700 years after the Ballad of Mulan was written. Mulan is also said to have hailed from the north, while tulou are only found in far southern China. But even though Mulan's tulou in the movie was considerably cleaned up, the distinctive structure, with fortified walls designed to fend off invaders and to house up to 80...