Time of the visit: the 26 and 27th of nov.,2025

Fujian Tulou are large, fortified earthen buildings in mountains, built between the 15th and 20th centuries for communal living and defense. A whole clan could live in one structure.

They gained UNESCO World Heritage status for being exceptional examples of a building tradition that showcases communal living, defensive organization, and a harmonious relationship with the environment.

My accomodation was in Tianluokeng.I traveled by public transport from Xiamen to the Tulou region.Surprisingly,everything went smoothly without any major problems.I took the train from Xiamen to Nanjing early in the morning.Several taxi sharks were waiting for the arriving passengers.One even followed me to the bus stop asking for 250 yuan at the end of our one-sided conversation. Several buses go from there to Nanjing's bus station like bus nr. 1 and 2 and some more.After two minutes waiting bus nr.1 took me to the bus station.There I had to wait around 15 min. for the bus (around every 30 min) to the Shayang bus hub and visitor center( all shuttle buses start from there).

Of course, everything is geared towards domestic tourists.

I couldn't manage to leave my baggage with the electronic baggage lockers( everything in Chinese).Therefore I could leave my baggage in the office for free.

First I bought a ticket for the Tourist Line A 100 yuan (includes Tianluokeng Tulou cluster, Yuchang Building, and Taxia Village).The ticket is valid for 2 days. Then I asked if there is a tulou near the tourist center.They pointed me to an area just a 5 min. walk from the tourist center. It was an misunderstanding.I came to a ticket booth with a sign Tulou 15 yuan and some other attractions.I paid the entrance fee,but...the cashier accompanied me. Weird.He couldn't speak a single English word.He took me to a kind of endless treadmill that led upwards. He gave me a seat cushion and started the machine. So far, so good. Once at the top... the cashier was waiting for me... he'd driven up on a motorcycle. Strange. He escorted me to two suspension bridges that I had to cross... one of them truly frightening because of its poor condition. Then to a glass bridge, which we crossed together, twice. I could finally see a Tulou from above... then it was back down to the entrance.

Then I understood... there was no Tulou, but rather some entertainment facilities. I only paid 15 yuan for the Tulou, whatever that meant. I was the only person there. The cashier showed his foreign guest all the facilities for free. What an experience!

It got even better. Next to the entrance, a sign pointed to a wood art exhibition, supposedly located in a kind of gigantic warehouse. I went to the ticket booth and was about to leave when a young man approached me and asked if I wanted to see the exhibition. I was hesitant, but he spoke excellent English and offered to accompany me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I entered the hall. Incredible treasures in this unassuming hall, empty of visitors. Countless figures carved from the most precious wood in China, from individual tree trunks. He explained everything to me, and we also had a very interesting conversation about China.It turned out that the young man was the son of the wealthy owner, who came from this area. The hall receives hardly any visitors but employs dozens of specialists. An extremely expensive hobby. Parts of the exhibition are soon to be included in a traveling exhibition through major Chinese cities. At the end of the tour, I didn't have to pay anything. I can only strongly recommend that every visitor see these treasures with their own eyes. Directly opposite the tourist center.

I then fetched my baggage and took the shuttle bus to Tianliokeng.

I got off at the upper viewing platform,stayed there for a while and went down the stairs to Tianliokeng .At the end of the stairs was my accommodation right next to the top tulou. After having a bite to eat, I went back up to the viewing platform to watch the sunset and the illuminated tulous at night. Magical.I stayed there almost one hour.Then I went back down the excellent and well-lit stairs.I entered every Tulou... in the last one I wanted to eat... but was invited to join their plentiful meal by two owners of a construction company from a city near the North Korean border. Both spoke good English.A great day. Very satisfied, I drank two more cups of coffee in the anteroom of my room with a view of the illuminated Tulou.

The Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster is the most iconic cluster, nicknamed "Four Dishes and One Soup".
It consists of 1 square tulou surrounded by 3 round and 1 oval tulou.

It was a privilege to be on the upper viewing platform with just three other visitors enjoying a can of cold beer and watching the tulous during nighttime.Without a doubt the most photogenic place of all tulou clusters.

The next day I took another shuttle bus to the Yuchang Lou, a five-story rectangular building (known as the "leaning tulou" due to its tilted wooden pillars) which turned out to be very touristic with constant large groups of Chinese tourists who stormed the large tulou and photographed absolutely everything and everyone.I felt sorry for the inhabitants.After around 15 min .I took the next shuttle bus to Taxia village.A very interesting town with quite a few cafes and restaurants and with some lesser touristic tulous,some scenic areas and all in all very pleasant.It would also have been a wonderful place to spend one night.Without my baggage I would have probably walked from the Yuchang Lou to Taixa as the way seemed to be very scenic and safe.From Taixa I took another shuttle bus back to Shayang tourist center and from there again another shuttle bus to Hongkeng.I skipped Yongding as the owner of my accomodation as well as some Chinese guests who had been there advised against visiting it due to the big crowds.My visit was short as I didn't have much time and the last shuttle buses would soon be going back to Shayang where a pirate taxi driver offered me and a woman with her adult daughter a ride to the Nanjing train station for just 30 yuan..for all of us.The friendly and warm-hearted mother+daughter paid the ride.I invited them to a coffee in Xiamen.A fantastic whs and a very satisfying visit. I highly recommend spending a night there.

The tulous are still inhabited, mostly by elderly people. This type of communal life is dying out and will not survive the next 10-15 years. I didn't see a single child in the tulous. The most authentic tulou I saw was the one somewhat hidden at the entrance to Taixa.