In-depth Hakka Tulou Tour from Xiamen
Overview
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Upon your arrival at xiamen rail station or airport, you will be met by your tour guide, and transfer to hotel to check in. After a short rest, you will start your tour in Xiamen. The first stop is South Putuo Temple. The temple was first built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it is now an imposing multi-layered trapezoidal structure that overlooks the sea. Later you will be continuative guided to visit the Hulishan Fortress which is a key national historical and cultural site. The Fortress was constructed in 1890. It was an important defensive factor during the war against Japanese aggression in 1900 and 1937, and it houses the world’s biggest cannon for coastal defense. After the tour, you will have a leisure drive along part of the Island Ring Road. The Xiamen Island Ring Road is a 4-6 lane seaside road totally 43km in length, a green belt that offers tourists a perfect place to bike along beautiful seashores. Have a stop for a relaxed walking and the view of the sea will make you be more closer to the sea town. Return hotel for a good rest.
Meal: D
After breakfast, you will meet your guide at hotel, and take a drive about 3.5hrs to Nanjing county. In Nanjing, firstly, you will be guided to visit Tianluokeng earth bulding cluster (Tulou), which is one of the best known Fujian Tulous. It consists of a square earth building in the center, surrounded by four round earth buildings. These earth buildings have only one entrance, guarded by 4–5-inch-thick wooden doors re-enforced with an outer shell of iron plate. Later we continue to visit another unique example of Tulou - Yuchang Earth Building, after a 15 minutes’ drive. Yuchang Earth Building is double-ring five-line structure built in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty (1308-1338). There are 270 rooms in the 18 meter high building, and now there are still families living inside. Yuchanglou has been nicknamed the "zigzag building", because the vertical wooden post structure is not straight and perpendicular, but zig-zag. Next, after 20 minutes’ drive, let’s continue the visit to another earth building cluster, the Hekeng Earth Building Cluster, which is one of the earth building clusters belonging to the World Heritage Site. Hekeng is an authentic and less touristy Hakka village full of earthen buildings in different shapes, so it’s nice to get closer to local people’s life here when walking inside the village.
Thereafter visit Taxia village, where is minutes driving away. Taxia Village is a nice Hakka village located in a valley of Nanjing County. There are over 40 earth buildings in Taxia village, and the oldest one among them is Fuxing Building which was built in 1631. Different from other villages, we can see 11 small stone arch bridges here, what are built thanks to the donation from those people who once worked oversea. From April to November, Taxia village also offers you a chance to pick tea leaves at local tea farms and learn how to make tea from local residences. Stay overnight in an earth building style hostel.
Meal: B, L
After a simple breakfast at hotel, we will start today’s trip with a 20 minutes’ drive. The first stop is Chengqilou Earth Building of Gaobei Tulou cluster at Gaobei Village of Yongding County. Known as the King of Earthen Buildings, Chengqilou was created by three generations over a period of 50 years. It was printed on the stamps of a Chinese Residence Series in 1986 as an example of the this kind earth building. Later we head for the Chuxi Earth Building Cluster, where you can find five round earthen buildings and dozens of rectangle earthen buildings. Jiqinglou, the largest round tulou, and also the oldest in this cluster, built in 1419. It’s nice to take a leisure walk inside the Chuxi village, on a small path made of cobblestones. It’s also possible to climb up nearby hills crossing terrace fields for a bird view of the earth building cluster. In summer and fall, tourists are able to buy fruits directly from local farmers and even picking fruits themselves in fruit gardens. There’re also chances for we to be like a local farmer here doing some farm work in traditional way.
At an appropriate time, transfer back Xiamen by about 3hrs drive, and arrive the airport/rail station for your flight/train to next destination.
Meal: B, L
