Kaiping blockhouses are a peculiar type of residential building in Kaiping region, Guangdong Province with combination of Chinese and western styles. They were built by returned overseas Chinese through blending western architectural type with traditional Chinese style. Kaiping City was frequently plagued by flood and poor public security in the past. For this reason, large quantities of local dwellers left their hometown for America and Canada to make a living since the late Qing Dynasty. The city is hereby widely known as "the Hometown of Overseas Chinese". There still exist over 1833 blockhouses (mainly of clay, blue brick and reinforced concrete type) in Chikan, Tangkou and other towns.

With square plane, blockhouses are a sort of building characterized by strong defending functions. They were designed for anti-robbery and preventing flood at first, and later for inhabitation. Several parts of a blockhouse such as wall, floor slab and stair are built of concrete transported from overseas and are firm and fire-resistant. The blockhouses are fitted with loopholes on every floor and lookout pavilions on the top floor. Most of the pavilions are of western classical type yet different in details, all vying with each other for glamour and presenting unique charm. The most distinct feature of a blockhouse is the decorative art applied in the roof which is associated with Chinese building tradition and architectural elements of different countries. Other than traditional Chinese flush gable roof and overhanging gable roof, the blockhouses are provided with foreign architectural types and styles in different periods. They include Grecian, Roman, Byzantine, and baroque style, all presenting diversified features and a sense of rhythm.

Liyuan Building Complex is the most famous architecture among these blockhouses. It is comprised of villa, blockhouse and garden. The garden is endowed with both the lingering charm of Chinese garden and western enchantment of European and American architectures. With its combination with sumptuous Chinese and western styles, the garden deserves its fame as a model of gardens built by overseas Chinese. Other than Liyuan Building Complex, Kaiping City is provided with numerous renowned blockhouses including the dignified Ruishi Tower, long-standing Yinglong Tower, gorgeous Mingshi Tower, and Yunhuan Tower built by Malaysian Chinese.

Kaiping blockhouses serve as a historical testimony of the acceptance of foreign culture on the part of rural Chinese. Having a prime time in early 20th century by virtue of the development of overseas-Chinese culture, Kaiping blockhouse is an embodiment of regional history and culture in architecture. It is famous for the concentration of global architectural art and may be rated as a miracle in the architectural history in China’s countryside. At the 31st World Heritage Conference held in 2007, Kaiping blockhouses and hamlets were elected by a unanimous vote as included in the World Cultural Heritage List.