Fujian Tulou福建土楼 · Fújiàn Tǔlóu — the Hakka's fortified round earth castles
Forty-six earthen buildings raised between the 15th and 20th centuries in the hills of southwest Fujian — circular and rectangular communal fortresses, each housing up to 800 people of one clan behind walls a meter thick, with a single gate and windows only above the first floor.
A whole clan, living inside one building.
Fujian Tulou is a property of 46 buildings constructed between the 15th and 20th centuries, scattered over about 120 km in the hills of southwest Fujian, inland from the Taiwan Strait. Built by the Hakka people amid rice, tea and tobacco fields, these multi-storey earthen houses follow a circular or square floor plan and could each shelter up to 800 people — an entire clan under one roof, functioning as a self-contained village.
They were built for defense: a single entrance, blank outer walls of rammed earth up to a meter thick, and windows only above the first floor. Behind that fortress exterior, the interior opens onto a shared courtyard, with each family holding two or three rooms per floor — plain and forbidding outside, warm and communal within.
"Tulou" (土楼) literally means "earthen building." The most photographed clusters — Chengqi Lou, Zhencheng Lou, Yuchang Lou and the Tianluokeng "four dishes and a soup" group — are split between Yongding and Nanjing counties, about two to three hours apart by road, so most visitors pick one area rather than both.
The tulou worth the detour.
Yongding has the greatest concentration (23 of the 46 listed buildings) and older Hakka heritage; Nanjing is less commercialized and includes the most-photographed cluster.
Tap or hover a photo for access details.
Chengqi Lou 承启楼
The "King of Tulou" — the largest surviving circular tulou, built in 1709, with four concentric rings and once home to over 800 people.Built 1709 · In Yongding
Zhencheng Lou 振成楼
The "Prince of Tulou," built in 1912 — famous for its Bagua-inspired layout and a Western-touched interior hall with granite columns behind a traditional Hakka exterior.Built 1912 · In Yongding
Yuchang Lou 裕昌楼
The oldest and largest of the region's tulou, dating to 1308-1338, nicknamed the "Zigzag Building" for pillars that lean up to 15 degrees yet have stood for seven centuries.Built 1308-1338 · In Nanjing
Tianluokeng Cluster 田螺坑土楼群
The postcard image of Fujian Tulou — three round, one oval and one rectangular building arranged like "four dishes and a soup" on a terraced hillside.In Nanjing · Best view from the hillside lookout above
Spring or autumn, for cool air and green terraces.
March–May and September–December are the most popular seasons, with mild temperatures and good light for photographing the terraced hillsides around the tulou. The subtropical climate keeps the region pleasant most of the year, so a summer visit isn't ruled out — just hotter and more humid.
Don't try to see both Yongding and Nanjing in one day. They're roughly two to three hours apart by road, and transport between individual tulou within each area is thin — most visitors give each county its own full day, with a private driver or chartered car for the day.
For foreign travelers.
- Split your visit across two days if you want both counties: one for Nanjing's Tianluokeng cluster and Taxia Village, one for Yongding's Chengqi Lou and Zhencheng Lou.
- Hire a private driver or chartered car for the day — public transport between individual tulou is sparse, even within one county.
- Several tulou are still lived in; be respectful when wandering the courtyards, and many families sell tea or snacks from their ground-floor rooms.
- Base yourself in Xiamen and day-trip, or stay overnight in a guesthouse tulou for a quieter early-morning look before the tour groups arrive.
- Pair with Xiamen's Gulangyu Island for a coast-and-countryside itinerary.