Fujian: Meet the Hakka people

First Stop: Xiamen, Fujian Province

Directly across the Taiwan strait, Fujian is a mountainous, coastal region of southern China. With trade and migration between Fujian, Taiwan, and Southeast Asian regions, including Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, this province is characterized by a subsequent outward-looking mentality.

Explore Xiamen’s port-city heritage through its European-influenced architecture, narrow hillside lanes, and relaxed neighborhoods. In Fuzhou, discover Fujian’s historic provincial capital and enjoy its well-known hot springs.

Your Journey Begins

Today is the day, the start of your China Adventure Club adventure. Step off the plane in Xiamen and meet your local guide in the airport arrivals hall. They’ll be waiting to welcome you and will have your private vehicle on standby, ready to whisk you off to your hotel for check in.

Gulangyu Island

Just a hop, skip, and jump (or short ferry ride) away from Xiamen, tiny Gulangyu Island is bursting with a quaint charisma. A foreign concession for 13 countries until World War II, this car-free escape still retains the cross-cultural architecture and ambiance of its colonial past, with willowy banyan trees and vine-draped villas thrown in for good measure. Explore the area on foot, wandering the island’s winding network of trails and basking in the delightful lack of engine noise. Various points of interest are scattered around the island, allowing you to leisurely enjoy the peace and quiet of a bygone era.

Next Stop: Yongding

Drive 3 hours to Yongding. Resting in the southwestern region of Fujian Province, Yongding County is populated almost exclusively by China’s Hakka people. The Hakka, literally translated as ‘guest families,’ are renowned for their distinctive tulou dwellings. Meaning ‘earthen buildings,’ the tulou are veritable cities condensed into multi-story buildings made from rammed earth, housing up to 800 people each. Of the ten UNESCO-protected edifices strewn throughout Fujian, five can be found in Yongding.

Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster

First up, we’ll visit the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster, a gathering of four round buildings ranging from three to five stories high and arrayed around a single square house. Planted on a hillside, the Tianluokeng dwellings are classic examples of a disappearing vernacular architecture from the southern region of China. More than just houses, they are a town compressed into one building. All of the village’s storehouses, wells, and bedrooms are located inside the stout, reinforced walls, thus creating a fortress-like communal dwelling that offers protection from both bandits and wild animals. The resulting building is well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof, and quakeproof. Explore its many corners, chatting with the local residents with the help of your guide if you wish.

Chengqi House

Continue your journey to the Chengqi House, one of the oldest and largest circular buildings in the area. Known as the ‘king of tulou and built in 1709,’ the complex consists of four concentric circular buildings surrounding an ancestral hall in the middle. Each ring ranges from one to four stories tall and boasts 400 rooms including three wells, kitchens, grain storage rooms, and a community library. In its heydey, the complex could accommodate some 80 families totaling more than 600 people. Imagine what life was like during Chengqi’s prime as you explore its rings.

Chuxi Tulou Cluster

Nestled amid rolling hills alongside a lazily flowing river, the Chuxi Tulou Cluster is a pastoral gathering of golden, earthen homes. All buildings in the cluster share the word qing, meaning ‘celebration,’ perfectly reflecting the hospitable nature of the Hakka people, including the huge Jiqing House known for its 72 sets of stairs (and not a single nail), Fuqing House, and Shengqing House. Altogether, a total of five circular and ten rectangular tulou can be found here, and life continues much as it has for generations. Keep your eyes peeled for evidence of daily life, from vegetables left out to dry on the roof to colorful clothes flapping in the breeze as they dry.

Nanxi Tulou Cluster

Snaking through verdant hillsides like a Tulou Great Wall, the Nanxi Tulou Cluster is a sight to behold. The settlement stretches for several kilometers and is made up almost entirely of tulou, the most remarkable of which is Yanxiang House. Built during the Qing Dynasty, this large, circular dwelling was designed to imitate a dragon’s head and body and was once the home of a high-ranking official.

Back to Xiamen

Drive about 3 hours back to Xiamen via the riverside city of Zhangzhou

Zhongshan Road

Zhongshan Road is the place to go to shop in Xiamen – especially at night, when the street gets quite lively. The old European-style buildings lend a special touch to this pedestrian street, which is lined with shops, malls, restaurants, and food carts selling mainly Taiwanese snacks. The small side streets which branch off Zhongshan Road are also worth a visit.

Transfer to Airport

Your local guide and private chauffeur will escort you to the airport and help you check in for your departure flight.