Katie and my mom at the Tianluokeng tulou cluster.
For our last stop on our trip to China, Katie, my mom, and I visited the Hakka tulou region of Fujian province. Tulou (土楼, literally “earthen building”) are the “castles” of the region, fortified to prevent invasion. They were built as either circles or rectangles, and they contain large central courtyards, with housing for up to 800 people.
This was our favorite destination of our trip. The region has beautiful landscapes, friendly people, and an interesting history. Here are a few of my photos. What do you think?
My mom at our bed and breakfast, the Fuyulou Changdi Inn. We were staying on the top floor.
A papaya tree in the village.
Getting all dressed up.
Goin’ fishin’.
The gateway to a temple.
A pond in front of the local temple.
Main street in the village.
One of the round buildings.
Jars of local rice wine.
Mom and Katie.
Heading home.
We thought this was fish, but it turned out to be bamboo shoots, laid out to dry.
Sunset on the river.
Square houses in a round village.
Hoeing the fields at sunset.
This girl nearly burned down the house with some fireworks she found.
Our guesthouse was decorated with many, many lanterns.
This is the Tianluokeng tulou cluster. The buildings represent the five elements of ancient Chinese philosophy (metal, wood, water, fire, earth).
A walk through a bamboo forest.
This guy is laying out bamboo shoots and vegetables to dry.
‘Sup?
Inside a tulou.
Dozens of families can live inside one of these buildings.
Outside of the tulou.
Local wild tea for sale.
Rice fields.
The Yuchang tulou is upwards of 1700 years old. They were rolling out a piano for a show that night.
Outside of the Deyuan Ancestral Temple.
Inside the temple.
Above the temple.
Inside the King of Tulou, the largest of all earthen buildings.
Walking the outer ring of the King of Tulou.
