Fujian Tulou and Yunshuiyao Village: Private Day Trip from Xiamen

The Fujian Tulou are among the most unusual buildings in China, and they are best seen with someone who can explain how and why they were made. This listing offers a private day trip from Xiamen or Zhangzhou to the main tulou sites and to an old riverside village. GetYourGuide shows it from US$277 per person, with a rating of 5.0 from two reviews. The page says that the group size is one to twelve people, that the tour lasts about ten hours, and that the guide speaks the language that you select, from a list that includes Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Japanese.

The day begins with a pickup at your hotel in central Xiamen or Zhangzhou, and a drive through the hills of Fujian. The page promises rolling hills, rice paddies and small villages, and on the way the guide shares the history of the Hakka people and the reasons why they built the earthen fortresses known as tulou. The Hakka were migrants who moved south over the centuries, and their communal houses combined defence with family life, with a single entrance, thick walls and rooms for many families around a courtyard.

The first stop is Yunshuiyao Ancient Village, a riverside settlement that the page calls famous for its thousand-year-old banyan trees. You walk along cobbled paths shaded by giant canopies, cross old stone bridges and admire the reflections in the clear river. The listing mentions Huaiyuan Lou, one of the most refined round tulou, and Hegui Lou, a rare square tulou with six hundred years of history that leans gracefully to one side and yet remains solid. The area is also known for scenes from Chinese films, which gives it a romantic atmosphere.

Lunch is a farm-style meal in a village restaurant. The page lists regional specialities such as salt-baked chicken, stuffed tofu, braised pork with bamboo shoots and seasonal vegetables, and calls it a chance to experience the true flavours of Fujian. The price does not include the lunch, however, and the listing says that guests will be recommended local options by the guide, so you pay for the meal at the restaurant. One local snack and a drink are provided during the day.

The afternoon is devoted to the most famous site. The Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster, nicknamed the Four Dishes and One Soup, is a group of five earthen buildings arranged in a striking formation on a terraced hillside, best admired from a viewpoint above that gives a postcard panorama. The page says that you can explore inside the round, square and oval tulou, learning how families lived together in these fortress-style homes. The courtyards, the wooden galleries and the ancestral halls show a way of life that lasted for centuries.

Then you visit Yuchang Lou, nicknamed the Leaning Tulou. The listing says that it was built in 1308, and that its wooden beams are tilted but that it has stood strong for more than seven centuries. The sight of a tall building that leans and yet remains in use is one of the most memorable of the day, and a guide can explain how the builders used rammed earth, wood and stone to create structures that survive earthquakes. After this stop, the ride back to Xiamen or Zhangzhou takes you through the mountains in the evening light.

The page states the inclusions clearly. The price covers the pickup and drop-off from anywhere in Xiamen or Zhangzhou, the guided tour in your chosen language, the tickets to Yunshuiyao Ancient Village, the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster and Yuchang Lou, and one local snack and drink. Lunch, other personal expenses and tips are not included. The tour is listed as not suitable for wheelchair users, because of the steps and the uneven paths in the villages and the buildings.

Some practical advice helps. The drive from Xiamen takes about two hours each way, so the day is long, and an early start gives you more time at the sites and the best light at the viewpoint. Wear comfortable shoes with good grip, since the paths can be wet and the steps steep, and bring a light jacket, because the hills are cooler than the coast. Carry your passport or an identity document, as some sites check tickets, and keep some cash for small purchases in the villages. The weather can be misty or rainy, which gives the tulou a special atmosphere but can reduce the view from the hillside.

Choose this tour if you want to see the tulou without the hassle of public transport, which is slow and complicated, or if you are travelling with a small group and want to choose your guide's language. Excurze also lists a private day in Xiamen and Gulangyu, and our concierge can combine the two, add Hong Kong, Guangzhou or Taiwan, and arrange the trains, the hotels and the meals for a journey through the south of China.