Tulou Day 2 morning: visiting almost all of Nanjing 南靖 tulou area
Before coming to the Fujian tulou, I did a bunch of research into which tulou clusters to visit, what to expect, etc. in order to plan out not just what to see when, but also how many days to allot to this leg of the trip. I had other destinations to visit in my October holiday vacation, so the timing would have knock-on effects.
I found the China Discovery website particularly helpful in learning more about key tulou buildings, and the logistics of getting to and around the tulou. Here is there page on the Nanjing 南靖 tulou, and the Yongding 永定 tulou. I also used a tulou holiday itinerary from Shanghai-based M2adventure as a reference.
My day started out in the Changdi Inn, which is inside of the Fuyu building 富裕楼 within the Hongkeng Tulou Cluster 洪坑土楼。
Already just downstairs from my room, was a staff member preparing some materials for the kitchen I think?
And then just stepping outside to the common courtyard of the Fuyu building, I came across a lady spreading rice out on sheets to dry. She was very warm, making small chit chat like asking me if I was staying at the inn.
Such beautiful textures!
Then just a few steps away, on the way to the car, another older lady was plucking feathers from a chicken. I love these local scenes!
Tianluokeng tulou 田螺坑土楼
Our first stop was the furthest point away from the Hongkeng area, which was the famous Tianluokeng tulou 田螺坑土楼 in the Nanjing 南靖 area. Now, given that Nanjing 南靖 and Yongding 永定 areas are always talked about separately, I assumed they would be far apart. But actually it was only a 30 minute drive! And from here going back towards Hongkeng, we’d just be getting closer and closer “back to home.”
Before reaching the tulou, the driver (who was the brother of the Changdi Inn innkeeper!) stopped at the viewpoint below the buildings. Such a magnificent view.
I loved the even and organic forms of the rice terraces. I’ll bet in other regions these terraces themselves would be the draw, absent of any tulou!
And then a short drive up the mountain, there was another viewpoint, this time looking down at the Tianluokeng tulou 田螺坑土楼. They have the nickname, “four dishes and a soup” or 四菜一汤, because there are four round buildings and one square building. What wasn’t apparent to me from this perspective, is that the round building to the upper left hand side of the square one, is actually not circular, but rather ovoid! I’d only realize that going into the buildings.
Here is the interior of one of the circular tulou. It’s set up with a few restaurants inside for tourists.
Now moving onto the ovoid tulou (which has amazing views by the way; I can only imagine waking up to such views every day!)…
Upon entry it looks like this…
…but then turn to the left or right, it looks like this!
At the entrances of the buildings, there were sellers peddling knick knacks like these. I felt the ashtrays in the shape of tulou, with the lids, were kind of disturbing, because no tulou has a cover like that!
But despite the kind of touristy nature of this tulou cluster, which is understandable because its “four dishes and one soup” configuration is quite iconic, it was still possible to witness everyday life. Shoes drying…
…villagers carrying things here and there…
…an old guy just struck up some conversation with me, asking where I was from, etc. So it is possible to just have a normal chat with people here.
Yuchang building 裕昌楼
Now making our way back down the road we came about 5 minutes, I realized that we already drove by two other stops. One was the Yuchang building, which is the biggest tulou in Fujian, and also one of the oldest, being built in 1308.
It’s known for having a “leaning” effect with the columns looking like they’re about to fall over, but it’s been standing for these last 700 years!
My driver pointed out the unique feature in this tulou: every room on the ground floor has its own private well! Here is one example, covered by a large ladle.
Taxia Village 塔下村
Then continuing a little further back towards Yongding Tulou, just a few minutes away, we made another stop at Taxia Village. I thought this would be a village tucked away somewhere, but actually it was just the buildings lining each side of a river we drove alongside.
Everyone in this village is named Zhang 张。So, I walked to the Zhang family ancestral hall 德远堂 to check it out. I later learned in Meizhou’s Hakka Museum that the stele on the left commemorate when family members pass the civil servant exam.
I didn’t spend much time at Taxia Village, so we were able to squeeze in one more stop before lunch.
Hekeng Tulou Cluster 河坑土楼
Hekeng was again quite near Taxia, perhaps about a 10 minute drive away. This was one of my favorite stops of the day. Even though it is also a tight cluster of many tulou, in a cool country setting, not many tourists come here. I don’t know why!
But the lack of tourists meant that you could really take in people’s daily lives here! I thought it was interesting in this building to see the individual sinks set out in front of each room, perched above the common drain.
Here are some geese inside of a pen.
Free-range chickens (but maybe those baskets are their “homes”?)
Pumpkins ready to be cooked.
A square tulou, with a pond with more geese.
More pumpkins and gourd, next to what looks like the purple version of my green bath mat back in Spain.
Coming into this tulou, there was a crowd of people gathered at the single entrance, buying vegetables I think. I asked if it was okay to come in, and the lady wearing the hat heartily said it was ok, proudly proclaiming that here they don’t charge entrance fees (like at some other tulou).
I liked seeing their clothes out to dry. And the umbrellas aren’t restaurants for tourists, but rather just shade for the residents.
It was so quite in Hekeng; the village had such a pleasant feeling.
Near this point, an old man crossed paths with me and asked if I had eaten yet. I said I hadn’t, and he just laughed. I thought he was going to suggest the restaurant that I saw just beyond him, but he didn’t. This really wasn’t a town with a commercial bent.
After touring the village, my driver took me to the bottom of the stairs that led up to a lookout point. That was from where I took the first picture above, under the title “Hekeng Tulou Cluster 河坑土楼.”
By the way Hekeng tulou cluster charged an entrance fee of 40 rmb (US$5.50), while the Tianluokeng, Yuchang, and Taxia villages had a combined entrance fee of 90 rmb (US$12.50). Both of these tickets I bought on the spot.
