Liulian – Yonding County – Fujian Province
Rain stops play so a chance to catch up on the internet. Now in Liulian, a small village near Yonding. Despite this area being on the UNESCO world heritage sites and the Chinese give it a AAAA tourist award, tourism is still in its early days but plenty of construction going on so big plans for the future. Certainly from the westerners point will be a while before it becomes mainstream.
Its prime attraction are its Tulou, large earthpacked roundhouses numbering over 30000 in the region and occupied by the Hakka people. Probably an early version of a high rise density housing cum fortress, the buidings are massive circular constructions with rooms built into the walls like cells and a communal area in the center for cooking etc. Many ways more like a prison than a settlement but at least provide safety. Some attractive surrounding countryside, described by L.P as stunning but in mid winter that would require a vivid imagination. The paddyfields are dead and not a lot of colour this time of year plus the general mist. Also tea growing big business with the locals spending their time either sitting around sorting it or trying to sell it to tourists.
If I was a good tourist/backpacker I would have told you whats its like to sleep in one but I’m not so opted for a room with heating and a heated bathroom instead and it actually all worked. Just a shame some Californian 4×4 driving enviromentalist told the chinese that solar heating is the way to go so my hot shower will have to wait for next summer.
Been doing my sightseeing yesterday afternoon and today, fortunately in good weather but now its looks to have changed.
The journey here no great problems bar thinking I was on the wrong bus going in the wrong direction for the first couple of hours. The ticket office insisted there was no bus to Yonding so when we headed inland rather than further north to Lonyan I thought we must be going to Longchuan towards the south west. Thankfully it was just taking the scenic route to Yongding over the hills. Admittedly the early stages not that scenic, a few of the old settlements had some charm but generally poor and ugly. For any youngster with a brain, the bright lights of the coastal cities or even better, abroad, must have great appeal. Even worse, as elsewhere in China the kitchen white tile man has done a great trade in selling them and which now cover most modernish buildings. I am sure Mao for a joke told everyone to go out and cover all their buildings with white tiles, so they did. Dirty and ugly they make most chinese towns and cities horrendously unattractive especially combined with their 1950s style housing blocks. Fortunately once out into the country you get into far more idylic surroundings.
Tomorrow go to Longyan and then hopefully north but where will depends on connections.
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