From the late 19th century to the middle 1930s, Kaiping Diaolou and Villages flourished. However, after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the construction of Diaolous gradually declined. The Kuomintang even asked Kaiping people to dismantle Diaolous so that they would not be used by the Japanese invaders. Kaiping people organised armed forces to defend Kaiping, and turned Diaolous into strongholds used to resist Japanese invaders. Some of them became martyrs.

The fiercest battle associated Diaolous was the one fought at the Nanlou Tower in Chikan Town, Kaiping. The story about the seven heroes who became martyrs there remains moving.