4-day Xiamen and Hakka Earth Building Tour

Pick up at the airport (or train station) and transfer to hotel. Relax at the hotel or wander around.

In the morning, start your Xiamen discovery with a visit to South Putuo Temple. It was first built in Tang Dynasty with over 1000 years of history and famous for its rich Buddhist cultural relics collection. Climbing up the Wulao Peak behind the temple, have a magnificent bird-view of Xiamen port.

Important note: It takes about 1-2 hours to reach the peak with numerous steps. Do wear comfortable shoes if planning to up the mountain.

Continue visit to Hulishan Fortress. Built in the year of 1891, the Hulishan Fortress integrated the styles of Ming and Qing Dynasties. The ancient military facilities (such as the gates, walls, emplacements, the barracks, the castle, the trenches and fortifications) built with high-quality granites are well-preserved and are also valuable historical relics for the study of China's maritime defense history, Westernization Movement history and military construction techniques.

Have a seafood lunch.

Then take a 10 minutes ferry to Gulangyu Island. It was a foreign enclave from the 1840s until the 1930s, and is now both a residential suburb and a major tourist area. Integrated history, culture and natural scenery, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Called “the garden on the sea”, Gulangyu has more than 40% green land coverage and abundant plant populations. Filled with the charming colonial buildings such as churches, consulates, etc, Gulangyu is no doubt a museum of "Architecture of the World".

Climb onto the highest peak- Sunlight Rock, admire the bird eye view of this tranquil island. Later, visit the unique seaside park to Shuzhuang Garden. Covering an area of more than 3,000 square meters, Shuzhuang Garden was first built in 1913 by the rich Taiwanese merchant Lin Shuzhuang. Continue visit to the world-class Piano Museum in Shuzhuang Garden which is the only piano museum in China.

You could visit Xiamen Underwater World on Gulangyu optionally if interested.
Later, take ferry back to Xiamen cruise port. Your guide and drive will escort you to the hotel.

After breakfasts, your guide and driver will escort you from the hotel to Chuxi Earth Building Clusters in Yongding County. The driving distance is about 3.5 hours.

Chuxi Tulou Cluster has a pattern-like stretch with high historical, scientific, and artistic values. It is one of the representatives of Yongding Tulou and has been listed on the World Heritage List. The village of Chuxi Village has a population of more than 2,000 and all of them are surnamed Xu. The earth building clusters has a history of more than 600 years since its foundation in the late 14th century. There are 36 earth buildings in Chuxi, composed of five round buildings and 31 square buildings.

Have a Chinese lunch in the village.

Ascend to the observation deck and you will have a panoramic view of Chuxi Tulou. The south slope is a terraced terrace. The three giant round houses lined up are closely connected with two square towers. They have been mistaken for flying saucers or missile bases by foreign friends.

Visit the earth buildings.

The most worth-seeing building here is Jiqing Building. Completed in 1419, it has a history of more than 580 years. It is the oldest round building with the most stairs and special structures among the existing round buildings of Yongding. There are 72 stairs in the whole building without any snail. A large Hakka Folk Museum has been set up in the building, and valuable cultural relics in various times have been exhibited.

Continue visit other buildings like square Shengqing Building, round Shanqing Building and Gengqing Building, hexagon Gongqing Building, etc.

After the tour, transfer back to Xiamen. You may rest on the vehicle during the three hour drive.

Transfer to airport (or train station) for your onward trip.