Journey Through the Fujian Countryside

The Fujian countryside is not on most tourists' lists of destinations in China-it isn't even a popular domestic travel destination. However, it is a growing destination among Chinese and foreign travelers for a good reason-it is a beautiful, unique region of China that has not yet experienced the construction and development boom that is taking over much of the country. The Fujian countryside provides tourists with views of mountains and terraced fields as well as cultural heritage that cannot be found in other parts of China.

The area surrounding the town of Shuyang is inhabited by the Hakka people (Kejia in Mandarin). While the Hakka are considered to be ethnically Han, they have their own traditions. In Fujian, the Hakka established communities in tulou (土楼), earth buildings. The tulou were built primarily as defensive structures-the circular building allowed residents to see approaching danger from all directions. Each tulou houses an extended family, with each family occupying one room on each floor-the ground floor is used as the kitchen, second floor is used for food storage, and the third floor and above are used for living quarters. The inside of each is an open courtyard where families meet to work on the harvest that comes in from the fields. Some of these buildings date back more than 700 years and can house up to 800 people. In 2008, 46 clusters of tulou were named UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Although there are many clusters of tulou throughout Shuyang and the surrounding region, not all of them are set up for tourists. Most of the larger and better maintained villages are open to tourists and are prepared to sell souvenirs and local food. During national holidays, tour buses roll through the winding mountain roads to the larger and more interesting tulou of Fujian. Most tours include the oldest and largest tulou as well as others with unique architectural features such as temples and shrines in the courtyards. The main tourist village is Taxia, where there are a few guesthouses and small restaurants.

The easiest way to get to Shuyang and the villages around it is by bus from Xiamen. A bus from Xiamen takes about two hours. Getting through the villages requires a car, and there are very few drivers who speak English in the area. Hiring a driver costs about $100 for a day, and they generally know the tour bus schedules to help avoid crowds. For the more adventurous it is possible to ride a bike through the mountain roads, though some of the mountains are quite steep. The main sights can take a day to see, but it's worth the time to relax for a few days in the countryside and watch the water buffalo get herded down the streets.

The greatest difficulty with traveling through the Fujian countryside is that most of the people do not speak English or standard Mandarin-even native Mandarin speakers have a difficult time understanding the Fujian dialect.