Chuxi Tulou Private Day Tour from Xiamen: Hakka Earth Buildings

Nine hours in a Hakka village: terraced fields, wooden stairs and a family lunch

A 9-hour private tour from Xiamen takes you to Chuxi Tulou, a cluster of centuries-old Hakka earth buildings once mistaken by satellite for a missile base. Your guide picks you up at your hotel and drives you through the countryside, stopping at a local family home for traditional lunch, then walking through the village to explore five differently shaped buildings (square, round and hexagonal), and the Hakka Folk Museum inside the 580-year-old Jiqing Building. The return drive gives you time to rest before you're dropped back at your hotel.

Step-by-step itinerary

Chuxi Tulou private day tour

• Pick up from hotel in Xiamen
• Drive 3 hours to Chuxi Village
• Learn about Chuxi Tulou history
• View Chuxi Tulou from observation deck
• Cross Chuxi river to local Hakka family
• Enjoy traditional Chinese lunch and rice wine
• Visit Jiqing Building and wooden stairs
• Explore Hakka Folk Museum
• Tour other Tulou buildings of various shapes
• Visit local primary school and interact with pupils
• Drive 3 hours back to Xiamen
• Transfer to hotel, airport, or downtown location

The experience

The drive from Xiamen takes three hours each way, and your guide uses that time to explain the history of the Hakka people and the earth buildings you'll see. When you arrive at Chuxi Village, you start at the observation deck for a full view of the cluster before crossing the river to a local family's home. The lunch is traditional Hakka food cooked in the house, and you eat with the family: a chance to ask them directly about their daily life and customs instead of hearing it secondhand.

After lunch, you walk through the Jiqing Building, which has stood for more than 580 years. The stairs are built entirely from wood with no nails, and the Hakka Folk Museum inside the building shows how the earth buildings were constructed and how people lived in them. You then move through the other buildings (the square Shengqing, the round Shanqing, the Gengqing and the hexagonal Gongqing) each one a different shape but built the same way. There's also a stop at the local primary school where you can talk to the children.

The tour operates in all weather and includes bottled water, insurance and an English-speaking guide (French, Chinese and Korean are also available). Vegetarian meals can be arranged if you request them when you book. The return journey gives you three hours to rest in the air-conditioned vehicle before you're dropped at your hotel, airport, train station or anywhere else in downtown Xiamen.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and return to Xiamen main island.
• professional English-speaking guide (French, Chinese, Korean and additional languages available).
• three-hour drive each way in a private air-conditioned vehicle.
• traditional Hakka lunch with the local family.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• entry to the Hakka Folk Museum and all buildings.
• China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance.
• government taxes and fees.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day10 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:30

AgesAdult (3 to 90 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effort

Operated by Tulou Travel

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a private guide and the flexibility to ask questions at your own pace: the family lunch and village interactions are built into the day, not rushed through. The nine-hour commitment suits travelers who can spend most of a day traveling and exploring without a packed itinerary of multiple stops.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French, Chinese, Korean, Chinese and Japanese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 3): free.

What is the "missile base" that foreign intelligence mistook for Chuxi Tulou?

The Chuxi Tulou cluster was misidentified by satellite as a missile base or flying saucers because of its unusual circular and geometric shapes. The earth buildings' distinctive architecture (round, square and hexagonal structures arranged together) created that confusion when viewed from above.

How old are the buildings I'll visit, and what makes them different from each other?

The Jiqing Building is more than 580 years old. The five main buildings you explore have different shapes: Shengqing is square, Shanqing is round, Gengqing has its own form, and Gongqing is hexagonal. All are Hakka earth buildings made without nails, but their layouts and designs vary.

Will I eat with the Hakka family, or is lunch served separately?

You eat lunch with the local Hakka family in their home, sharing their traditional food and homemade rice wine. It's a meal in their house, not a restaurant, so you have the chance to talk to them and learn about their life directly.

How much of the day is spent driving versus walking and exploring?

The drive to and from Xiamen is three hours each way. Once you arrive at Chuxi Village, you spend the afternoon walking through the buildings, the museum, the village and the primary school before the return journey.

Can I request a vegetarian meal or other dietary changes?

Yes, vegetarian options are available for the traditional Hakka lunch. You need to advise your dietary requirements when you book so the family can prepare accordingly.