2013-05-31
1585
7
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作者：春天之故事
The tulou are an amazing, unique piece of China’s diverse history. I strongly recommend getting away from Guangzhou & Shanghai to see these unique buildings nestled in gorgeous tea and rice terraces. Definitely a must visit for people wanting to see the diversity of China.
The tulou in Fujian are not easy to get to from any larger city. By car, Xiamen is 2.5-3 hrs away. Even when you are in the tulou area, they are quite spread out. Tourists really must hire a driver (either car or motorbike) because the public bus system runs so infrequently.
In 2010 or 2011, the Nanjing county government opened a giant tourist reception/ticket center in Shuyang village where tourists have to stop in order to get tickets. All the prices for the tulou are posted in English & Chinese. Most tickets provide entry into 2-4 different tulou or village areas. Our ticket provided entry into Taxia, Yucheng, & Tianluokeng for RMB 90. Most of the roads are very new and do appear to have gate checks to see if tourists are carrying tickets. If you happen to make it to Shuyang on your own, there will be plenty of locals waiting there to offer their transportation & home-stay services.
Taxia village is quaint and has its own unique architecture. Had I known better we probably would have lingered there a bit longer. One tulou we saw in that area was only a half: the earthen wall was complete but the inside wooden frame rooms only went half way. This was very cool in order to see how the inside was built. Yucheng lou is gigantic and somewhat awe inspiring given its age & size. It also has some pleasant scenery around the back. Tianluokeng really is amazing, especially when seen from both viewing decks (there is one below and one above). Although there are 5 tulou in Tianloukeng and people mostly just come to see those, the village atmosphere is quite alive. All the work to make paths among the tulou (which are on a hill) is done by hand as local workers haul rock & make mortar. There are chickens running everywhere and people are constantly going to & from their vegetable patches and rice paddies, which surround the village. The scenery around Tianluokeng is lovely with all of its rice paddies and tea terraces, even in the mist that seems to hang over the mountain all the time. The weather is humid, but even in July/August was much cooler than at lower elevations. If you don’t mind mud and can find the paths, walking around the village’s farmlands is fabulous. The diversity of crops and their placement really demonstrates how precious land is. One other side jaunt in Tianluokeng was the village’s daoist temple, built slightly down the hill, off to the side. In it is a rendering of the Huang family patriarch and his 3 wives who established Tianluokeng. The temple itself is clearly not in use, although it seems to have been built in the 1990s by a Huang relative who had gone to Taiwan. In any case, it is an interesting display of family history.
Staying in Tianluokeng is easy. We slept in Wenchang lou and we hired one of the local women cook dinner & breakfast. Very good, fresh food, local food. If you are squimish about seeing your dinner alive before eating it then I recommend sticking with the doufu and vegetables. The room was clean and basic, with toilet and wash facilities outside the tulou. (Locals used these, too.) Room for 1 night and 2 meals averaged to RMB 100/person. Very reasonable.
We were coming from Shanghai and, after a lot of research and map-reading, we knew we needed a driver some point. We eventually discovered www.52tulou.com and Alice Huang (tara@163.com) who provided a ton of helpful advice about getting to the area. We eventually hired a car thru Alice to pick us up at the airport in Xiamen and drive us around to the different tulou. She arranged for us to stay the night in Tianluokeng (after visiting several tulou), and then we were driven directly to our hotel in Xiamen the next day after exploring the area a little more. Alice’s company provided excellent service at a very, very reasonable price and I strongly recommend them for anyone wanting to visit the tulou. Hers is a local family-owned business and the obvious care they provide to their customers shows.
IN XIAMEN
Millenium Harbor View Hotel
We stayed here. Very, very good location. We could walk to Zhongshang lu and the ferry terminal. Bus stop 1 & 21 stopped right outside the hotel on Siming Nanlu, which made it very easy to take the bus to and from Nanputou and Xiamen University. We had a normal room and it was clean and comfortable. The bathroom was excellent, actually. We had one problem with the TV (after a storm there was no signal) and when we called about it, they fixed it right away. They do have an outdoor pool that looked decent, but we didn’t end up using it. We used a friend’s corporate rate and got a price of about RMB500/night. This did not include breakfast, which we got on our own outside the hotel.
Nanputuo:
Chinese temples look the same after a while but the grounds behind the temple are lovely. Just keep walking up the steps (around, to the right of the last building) and you’ll be in a tree-shaded area with rocks and small paths. Feel free to climb up on a rock and watch the world go by. That tree-shaded pathway up the hill behind the temple was particularly refreshing in the blazing summer sunshine & heat. -Vegetarian restaurant- fabulous! Excellent food. You have to pay in advance and for non-Chinese speakers it is actually pretty easy. Just point to the set lunch for the number of persons you have. We got the set lunch for 2 (88 RMB) and it came with four dishes in a smaller size portion. Perfect amount. They will give you a ticket, and then you walk into the room to find a seat. You’ll have to wait for and pounce on table when it becomes available. Wave at the server and s/he will take your ticket, place a number on your table, and then bring the food.
Xiamen University: is literally right next door to Nanputuo. Walk through the main gate and turn right at what looks to be the first major intersection. About 300 meters in front, on the left, is a large area of trees, ponds, and grass that you are allowed to walk on. Way in the back are smaller paths and amazing old dormitory buildings. A very attractive campus. Not a "must see" but if you have time, it is lovely place to walk (and even sit!) in nature.
Gulangyu: Clearly the top draw and a must visit. Visiting the island is really about looking at all the details on the rocky, sub-tropical island. You don’t go there to do anything in particular. It is a beautiful and fascinating place to wander around, especially if you love architecture. Ferry ride still 8 RMB. Can be shockingly crowded on the ferry ride and immediately upon disembarking. But just keep walking, especially on the smaller streets away from the shopping area and the crowds thin out pretty quickly. Actually, it’s probably best to go to the right from the ferry terminal rather than straight or left, if you want to avoid the crowds. The buildings are in all states of repair or disrepair, which makes wandering around so much fun. Gulangyu is surprisingly hilly, so just be prepared for gently rolling alleyways. Most people go to the beach neat Shuzhuang garden so it is crowded. However, there is a much, much less crowded beach on the west side of Yingxiong hill & the aviary. It is especially pleasant in the later afternoon when the sun is setting an shining directly on Yingxiong hill. If you don’t want to mess with crowds on Sunlight Rock, then go into Shuzhuang garden and wander some of the paths that are along the ridge. They provide a great view into the ocean. Shuzhuang Garden has some quaint places to sit, and also something akin to a rock maze that can be fun to wander around in as long as you’re not actually trying to get out. We found a café (I have no idea where) in a restored building and just sat there for a while drinking fresh fruit smoothies. The building was gorgeous and it was a great break in the day. Food on the island is pretty expensive but if you’re up for eating from a food cart, it can be tasty. We purchased a mixture of soy bean sprouts, green onion, garlic, another green vegetable, fish balls, and toufu that was cooked on a very hot griddle for 10 RMB. It was fabulous.
