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Visited as a weekend trip in November 2020. Totally unexpected wonderful experience. Unfortunately the area is being commercialized very fast. They built a visitor center to charge a totally frivolous fee for golfcart pickup in one of the clusters, in another place along the river there is a clearing to build condos, and and a superhighway is being constructed right in the heart of the Longyan area, so that it is now visible from one of the most scenic spots (photo). So, I'd say you better rush to visit!…
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Date of experience: November 2020
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A well-maintained village circular earth-dwelling protected by a tall outer wall. Somewhat akin to a fortified village. Some housed up to 800 people.
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Date of experience: September 2020
24 Helpful votes
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The whole area of the Hakka earth houses is amazing and worth a special trip. Fortunately (or unfortunately for some), it is not on the main travel route of the foreigners. Do yourself a big favor and do not do it as a day trip from Xiamen, but rather spend a night or two in one of the villages. It will give you more time to appreciate the old way of life, see the various houses and enjoy their architectual complexity. It was defintely one of our highlights during our trip to the south of China.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
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Mine is a party of Mandarin-speaking OBCs. I suggest you hire a translator if you do not speak the Mandarin-dialect or the Hakka-dialect. We hired a guide at the "welcome center" for 60 RMB. It's 60 RMB per party not per person, Mandarin-speaking. She/the guide was basically a resident of the Hakka houses (tulou) who has an extensive family. Yes, while she upsold/cross-sold, the experience was nice and we felt we got the authentic feel and we spoke to real people and not just the World Heritage Site tulou. There was no hard sell or anything. We ate lunch and dinner at 2 different restaurants both owned by her clan. Don't expect high cuisine. We saw they had tea they grew and bought some because we liked how it tasted. Just note that Yongding tea isn't as well developed as Wuyi mountain tea. The price reflects the grade. There is only a (what I call 3.5 stars) hotel in the area so if you like modern amenities. It comes with free Chinese breakfast buffet and costs 400RMB a night when I went (2019, July). Else, bed and breakfast in any one of the tulou would be the ultimate authentic experience. I think I'll try that next time. Generally the people are very friendly. As the commune received $ from the provincial tourism board, I believe they have to stick with some board rules. E.g. cars are not allowed before sunset. So, expect to lug your baggage if you choose to stay in the tulou bed and breakfasts. The history is awesome but I don't believe there are any foreign language speaking guides. Get a translator would be my suggestion. I would suggest you to come from Xiamen as that would be the most likely place to find a translator. We came in a van full of 12 persons. Paid the driver, van, and fuel 1000 RMB per day.…
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Date of experience: July 2019
1 Helpful vote
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Tulou are multistorey fortified structure that were built to protect the Tulou inhabitants from bandits and wild animals. This is a magic place and it feels like going back to the past. These villages are UNESCO world heritage and really worth the visit. The most authentic way to visit this place is to spend one night inside a Tulou: many of them have some rooms to rent (be careful, it's cold and humid). Visiting Tulou means discovering that just one hour away from big cities people still live in these ancient buildings living a rural life. Don't expect restaurants or fancy hotels. You eat with the locals and sleep in their Tulou, that's why this trip is ideal if you want to have an authentic experience. There are two ways to get there: if you can speak Chinese just take the train to Longyan and take an taxi to the Tulou you want to visit; if you don't speak Chinese just book a guided tour from any city in Fijian province. …
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Date of experience: March 2019
55 Helpful votes
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