14 Days in Longyan

Land softly in Longyan — the Longjin river walk, an early noodle bowl and a good night before the tulou days.

1. longyan longjin riverfront

About an hour to Yongding, core of the 2008-listed Fujian tulou — the 1912 bagua-planned Zhencheng Lou and Chengqi Lou's four concentric rings of some 400 rooms; sleep inside a tulou.

1. longyan hongkeng tulou cluster
2. longyan chengqi lou

Dawn at Chuxi's riverside cluster, oldest hall dating to 1419 by most datings, then the protected Gutian site of the December 1929 meeting in its clan hall; back to Longyan for the night.

1. longyan chuxi tulou cluster
2. longyan gutian site

A green day in the national nature reserve straddling the county borders — ridge forests, the South China tiger research-and-breeding centre, and cool air above the basin heat.

1. longyan meihuashan reserve

The karst chambers of Longkong cave about 50 km from town, then a soft afternoon of riverside walks and market lanes back in Longyan.

1. longyan longkong cave

About 1.5 hours to Liancheng — cliffs straight out of the water, ridge walk and boat loop; overnight in Liancheng town.

1. longyan guanzhai mountain
2. longyan shimen lake

Peitian's 800-year Hakka lanes and courtyards, then Sibao, the Ming-Qing woodblock-printing valley with its old workshops still standing; second night in Liancheng.

1. longyan peitian village
2. longyan sibao printing village

Under an hour by rail to Changting, a national historic city since 1994 on the Ting river, called the mother river of the Hakka; restored wall, old street and riverside tea; overnight in the old town.

1. longyan changting ancient city

The Tingzhou examination hall, reused in the early 1930s as a Soviet-era provincial government office — a protected historic building — then the old street's workshops; rail back to Longyan by evening.

1. longyan tingzhou shiyuan

South to Xiayang town in Yongding — the ancestral village of the Nanyang tycoon Aw Boon-Haw, all lanes, wells and clan halls, with hot-spring guesthouses around Xiayang; back toward Longyan by evening.

1. longyan zhongchuan village

An honest neighbor-city day — Nanjing's cluster belongs to Zhangzhou, another face of the same 2008 listing; Yunshuiyao's banyan lanes and Tianluokeng's four-round-one-square lineup, back to Longyan for the night.

1. zhangzhou yunshuiyao ancient town
2. zhangzhou tianluokeng tulou cluster

Another honest neighbor-city day — Meizhou lies south in Guangdong, around three hours by road; the Hakka museum and old-town lanes round out the migration story in reverse, with an overnight option if the road runs long.

1. meizhou hakka museum

A rest day — riverside loops, a tasting of the local red glutinous rice wine steeped in centuries of brewing, and packing of tea and dried-mushroom gifts.

1. longyan longjin riverfront

A market breakfast and a last river walk, then the high-speed train from Longyan station.

1. longyan longjin riverfront