Xiamen: Episode 4 - Tulou

One of the reasons I was keen on this trip was that I had always wanted to see the traditional "tulou" or earthen buildings unique to the Hakka clan in Fujian.  These round buildings, sometimes rectangular, can house up to 800 people and are three to five stories high.  We were told they were built between the 12th and 20th centuries.  The cluster that we saw is only one of the many in various parts of Fujian.  

I was quite awed when I stepped into one of them.  The structure resembles a small fortified city with small individual units.  As we walked round, we saw that there were various rooms designated for common activities like meetings, weddings, ancestral worshipping, funerals, festivals, education, etc.  These "tulou" are really an architectural marvel.  Here are a few pictures we took.

 

It was drizzling when we went exploring, hence the raincoats and umbrellas you see!

Before visiting the "tulou", we had lunch at a small "coffee shop".  The food was very good and we all enjoyed it. Actually we had been having good food since the start of the journey - no wonder everyone  had put on weight!

(To be continued)