Fujian Tulou
Discover Fujian Tulou
The Fujian tulou (Chinese: 福建土楼 Fújiàn tǔlóu; literally: "Fujian earthen buildings"), also known as Hakka tulou, Hakka earth houses or roundhouses, are rural dwellings unique to the Hakka people in the mountainous areas in southeastern China. There are also toulou in Guangdong and Guangxi, but the UNESCO World Heritage Site for toulou is 46 buildings in Fujian. A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, most commonly rectangular or circular, with very thick earth walls between three and five stories high. Traditionally, tulou have housed an entire clan with up to 800 people. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.
Taste of Fujian Tulou...
Each site has local restaurants so you will not go hungry. The ingredients are fresh and chicken are slaughtered on the spot if you enjoy that kind of freshness. Hakka cuisine is different from the other cuisines found around China and has some special dishes, e.g. Hakka tofu and beef ball soup. Another specialty is Hakka bamboo that many people find smelly at first. There are some restaurants at the river front serving the tourists. Apart from tea, there is the local rice wine called Nuomijiu (糯米酒). Many tulou make their own rice wine, which varies in color and ingredients and can be quite delicious. Earthen jars can often be seen outside or inside. Some tulou restaurants sell bottles of this as a souvenir, others simply offer it as a libation. Most of the more touristic earth houses offer simple lodgings, which generally will not provide the most basic conveniences and should cost around ¥30. Rooms are simple, and bathrooms are frequently located outside of tulou. Many tulou also close around 20:00 every evening. Since most of the tulou are in the scenic area (that requires an entrance ticket), so buy the ticket before trying to get to your accommodation! There are plenty of possibility to stay in Taxia. You can sleep in a renovated toulu (¥180), in the international youth hostel (¥100 for a room) or in one of the numerous guesthouses in the village. The youth hostel is a bit hard to find, but they have a small and fancy cafe/restaurant at the river front.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe easiest and most convenient way to get to these tulou is from Xiamen or Longyan by a direct bus. From Xiamen: from 24.470433118.1133241 Wucun Coach Station. From here you can take a direct bus to the Yunshuiyao Tulou Cluster. From Nanjiang: bus number 6 (¥10) brings you to the Park entrance. From there you can take a "Park bus" to Taxia or directly to the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster (¥15). All buses arrive at 24.6587116.9752 Liulian/Tulou bus station which is also frequently referred to as "Tulou Station" (土楼汽车站), and is next to the Hukeng/Hongkeng tulou cluster. Longyan can easily be reached by high-speed train from many cities in China, including Shanghai, Fuzhou and Xiamen. There are hourly direct busses from Longyan to the Liulian/Tulou bus station every day, leaving between 07:00 and 17:00 mostly from Longyan Bus Station (龙岩汽车站), but some also from Longyan Transport Center Station (龙岩汽车客运中心站) and Tourism Distribution Station (旅游集散中心). The exact schedule can be found on www....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The best way to see the different tulou is by private taxi or motorbike. Your guesthouse can help organize this for you, or else just walk around and some local will come up offering their service. Prices range from ¥100 to ¥120 for a half-day tour. Be sure to negotiate a price before the tour. Most tours allow you to choose 4 or 5 tulou to visit and a car with driver, who also acts as impromptu guide is ¥200, (2011 pricing). A motorbike with rider is ¥120 and would therefore be expensive and uncomfortable if there are two or more of you. You are not allowed to rent or ride a motorbike. While you will not be hurried, starting the tour at 07:00 will mean you will be back at your lodging well before lunch time. Just select one from the menu and you are on your way. As of January 2019, official taxis are rare to non-existent on the streets. Services such as Didi, that can be used elsewhere in China to order taxis, are also non-functional in this rural area.
Where to Stay
Most of the more touristic earth houses offer simple lodgings, which generally will not provide the most basic conveniences and should cost around ¥30. Rooms are simple, and bathrooms are frequently located outside of tulou. Many tulou also close around 20:00 every evening. Since most of the tulou are in the scenic area (that requires an entrance ticket), so buy the ticket before trying to get to your accommodation! There are plenty of possibility to stay in Taxia. You can sleep in a renovated toulu (¥180), in the international youth hostel (¥100 for a room) or in one of the numerous guesthouses in the village. The youth hostel is a bit hard to find, but they have a small and fancy cafe/restaurant at the river front. Just look for the flag of the International Hostel Association. Hukeng village has several lodgings that are a step up from this, speak English, have fast internet, and offer both Western and Hakka food and coffee.
Money & Budget
Souvenirs are available throughout the area and include miniature tulou, snow globes, keychains, and magnets. The region is also famous for its tea. Most tulou have stores and vendors inside, but be sure to haggle as prices for tourists are unexpectedly high. Try the mountain tea. Oolong tea is also famous throughout Fujian. Local tobacco also abounds, and many shops and restaurants sell packs of thin cigarettes in packages bearing a tulou logo. ¥15-20/pack. If the season is right, pick up some dried fruit and sweet potatoes; hibiscus tea is also something worth taking home. Each site has local restaurants so you will not go hungry. The ingredients are fresh and chicken are slaughtered on the spot if you enjoy that kind of freshness.
Language & Talk
As anywhere in China, Mandarin is the language of education, government and media, and the lingua franca for communication between groups. Speaking that or having a guide who does will stand you in good stead. However, over 90% of the district's population are Hakka, so that language is also very useful here. The main local language of the surrounding region is Minnan. Very little English is spoken in the region, except by a few people in the tourist industry; this is a rural area and many locals, including most of the well-educated ones, have left for jobs in the cities. Even Mandarin may not be universally known among the largely very young and very old population who remain, though it is at least reasonably common. There's also a strong accent to the Mandarin spoken here.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Fujian Tulou
Natural mountain scenery + Artificial temple 2016.08.24
a couple of people standing on top of a roof
A building that has a lot of lights on it
Natural mountain scenery + Artificial temple 2016.08.24
a couple of people standing on top of a roof
A building that has a lot of lights on it
Natural mountain scenery + Artificial temple 2016.08.24
a couple of people standing on top of a roof
A building that has a lot of lights on it
Natural mountain scenery + Artificial temple 2016.08.24
a couple of people standing on top of a roof
A building that has a lot of lights on it
Natural mountain scenery + Artificial temple 2016.08.24