Xiamen Essence and Tulou Combination
3-Day Xiamen Essence and In-Depth Fujian Tulou Tour
This 3-day tour combines the essential attractions in Xiamen with the World Heritage Site — the Fujian Tulou. We have selected three tulou clusters, which are the essence of the Fujian Tulou and help you avoid the commercial sites and tourist crowds. In this way, you can experience the authentic lifestyle and culture of the Hakka and Minnan people. You can not only appreciate the unique architecture but also feel the spirit of the Hakka people condensed in the buildings.
Tour Highlights
- Wander around the romantic Gulangyu Island to enjoy exotic architecture with a Mediterranean flavor.
- Be amazed by Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster, which was mistaken for a missile weapon base by America.
- Find Mulan's "hometown" from the movie in the authentic Hekeng Tulou Cluster.
- Experience picking and processing tea leaves like a Hakka tea farmer.
- Spend one night in an original tulou to have a glimpse of a vanishing dimension of life.
- Discover more styles of tulou other than round and rectangular ones at Hongkeng Tulou Cluster.




98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Great tours!
I had an amazing two trips on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with the guide Ivy during my stay in China. She was very helpful and answered all of our questions with an enthusiastic approach. I have nothing to say but to highly recommend the trips they offer on the Great Wall hiking/camping and also the in-depth Forbidden City tour! Thank you Ivy and China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Serhat Altay
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Amazing First Time to Beijing with China Highlights
Tom, my private tour guide was there when I landed and accompanied me all the way through to sending me off at the airport after check-in at the end of my trip. Zhao the driver, who also did all the driving during my trip, was calm, confident and knowledgeable in taking us around. Both Tom and Zhao were punctual too. The Great Wall of China Hike I wanted to do started in a very remote, unrestored part of the wall. This would not had been possible without Tom problem solving many issues we had on the way up and I could not have done this on my own a a foreigner. It was well worth the effort and probably the highlight of my trip.The remainder of the tour around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Kingdom and The Temple of Heaven was paired with a detailed commentary by Tom of which I learnt a lot. more
May 2023,
Munsie
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Beijing - city of surprises
A fantastic guide was waiting for us - Jack, who told all the stories with passion and commitment. He also fulfilled those wishes that were not in the plan. I highly recommend visiting Beijing with this guide. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
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Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot…
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot of fun to spend time with during my first visit to Beijing. It was a wonderful intensive three days. more
May 2023,
Pam S.
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Great weather and a good trip out with Lily!
Many thanks to my guide Lily for customising the trip to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible. She arranged to start an hour earlier to beat the crowd and I got to enjoy the Great Wall before the crowd streamed in and while the weather was cool. I requested to switch the next attraction to visit from Temple of Heaven to Ming Tomb and she not only accommodated the prompt request, but made all the necessary arrangements even before the trip coordinator managed to reply! Kudos! Our driver was jovial and friendly, always on top of traffic conditions and took detours to beat slow moving traffic. Hassle free day and I wouldn’t have been able to cover the two attractions so easily and comfortably without them! more
May 2023,
Meibao
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This was our first time traveling to Beijing
This was our first time traveling to China, so we really wanted to experience some of the major historical sights of Beijing together with a tour guide. Our itinerary was very carefully planned out according to our interests and tailored to our needs. First, we went camping on the Great Wall and hiked from Jiankou to Mutianyu, and the next day we got an in-depth tour of the Forbidden City as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a taiji experience in the gardens. Our tour guide, Ivy, was truly wonderful in preparing and organizing our personalized itinerary. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and she was always able and willing to answer all of our questions. Ivy provided us with a truly amazing first visit to China and I would warmly recommend China Highlights for everyone who wishes to travel to China and I would especially recommend Ivy as a tour guide for your trips! more
May 2023,
Annalina Wheeler
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Tom is the BEST tour guide EVER!
Just had the most AMAZING tour with Tom. He was beyond knowledgeable, so generous with his time and made me feel so at ease which was super important as I am travelling by myself. Thank you Tom for the best day-you have totally made my China trip a fabulous experience, one I will never forget! more
May 2023,
SHARRYN HINCHLIFFFE
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Superb service and wonderful time in Beijing
Superb service from Jack who were with us for 4 wonderful days in Beijing. Jack was clearly knowledgeable about the history and able to deliver insight information to us about places. He was also kind and accommodating to my mother who has bad knees. Both China Highlights and Jack were flexible about the itinerary to ensure that we enjoy the best of Beijing. We'll definitely use China Highlights' services again for our next trip to China. more
May 2023,
Chani
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Amazing Trip
First time booking a trip with China Highlights and was fortunate to have Sunny as my private tour guide. We went to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, then arrived and walked around Gubei Water Town, and then visited the Simatai portion of the Great Wall at night. Was a very enjoyable trip as we were able to see a night time drone show in the sky, ride a private boat through the canals of the Gubei Water Town, and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Sunny is super knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the Great Wall and took the time to explain various interesting facts and stories which made the trip very meaningful. The driver we had was also a very nice man who was always on time and eager to help. Was an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend Sunny and China Highlights :) more
May 2023,
Allen C
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Tour to the great wall from the airport
My guide Tom was ver kind and knowlegable, he explained everything to me about the great wall and even went out of his way to help me the next day at Bejings downtown! amazing service!!! thank you so much Tom! more
May 2023,
Fer Villasefior
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Great tour, fantastic guide!
This tour was fantastic! I loved hearing about the history of the Forbidden City and admiring the views at the Great Wall. William was a fantastic tour guide. We were a group of families with several young children, and he was very accommodating and flexible with timing and arrangements. I totally recommend this tour and William as a guide! more
May 2023,
Ryan Corless
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Four excellent sightseeing days in Beijing
We had wonderful four days in Beijing. The entire trip was tailored exactly to our wishes. From experiencing local food, to exploring the major sites of the city up to hiking the great wall of China. Additionally, we had two amazing guides Ina and Fan taking care of all the tickets and coordination required. Also, they could not only tell us everything about the sights we visited and give us an insight to local customs and traditions, but they did so in perfect German. The chauffeur service from Mr Chang was also excellent, getting us from A to B without any hazzle. The past couple of days were one of the most carefree trips we have had so far. more
May 2023,
Katha
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Great tour from William
Great tour organized by China highlights, our tour guide was William - his knowledge was impressive, his English was great and he was always on time. We did the four day tour including the wall and forbidden city - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an English tour guide. more
Apr 2023,
Lawrence
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Beijing 2 day private tour
The tour itself was great, private driver to and from, my guide Ivy was great English speaking guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country. Was a great time exploring the Great Wall of china and then my second day did a city tour (forbidden city, hutong tour, summer palace). Felt extremely safe, and was confident having an English guide. Thank you china highlights. (Provide them what you want and they’ll make it happen). Prices are reasonable as I looked at a few places but for private tour, my own schedule, and confidence of getting around safely you can’t go wrong. more
Apr 2023,
Mark
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Very enjoyable
Everything was to the vest standard, the history all very well explained by the Tour Guide in Beijing, Ivy. Really enjoyed it, and appreciated the time. more
Apr 2023,
Jonathan
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Amazing Beijing Experience
I had an amazing time in Beijing and glad Tom was my tour guide. He went above and beyond and I’m truly grateful. Tom did all that he could to ensure my stay in Beijing for two days was pleasant and thanks to him, I say that it was. The driver was also nice and courteous, I called him Jon. The company is blessed to have a good tour guide like Tom on their team so if you are planning to come down to Beijing, make sure you ask for Tom. Thank you Christy and Kimmy for replying all my emails with questions that I had. more
Apr 2023,
Pedro V
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Great experience
We had a great experience with China Highlights and Roger was highly efficient and helpful planning our itinerary exactly how we needed. more
Apr 2023,
Brenda Sarmanho
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Excellent service and tour guide!!
Excellent service and communication from the travel agent Roger Li and amazing tour and experience of Great Wall of China from our tour guide Amber. Highly recommended! more
Apr 2023,
Evangelos Athanasopoulos
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Maggie was such a tremendous help for…
Maggie was such a tremendous help for our recent Beijing trip. Very prompt and helpful in helping us plan and adjust/amend to our requests. more
Apr 2023,
Hi
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HK-Beijing-Wuhan-Guilin-HK
We travelled first to Beijing for a few days before moving on to Wuhan for the wedding and then for a few days in Guilin along with my son and daughter in law. It was a great trip and all went smothly with the help of the guides we had along the way. William in Beijing and Jenny in Guilin were excellent. Chas in HK was also very helpful in getting us to the right place and the right time to fly home. more
Apr 2023,
Alan Harris
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Suggested Itinerary
After your flight lands at the airport, your tour guide will wait for you with a welcoming smile at the arrival hall. Transfer to your hotel by a private car and driver. The rest of the day is for you to acclimatize and explore the city, or relax and recoup ready for the tour tomorrow.
Hotel options:
Ramada Hotel Xiamen
Pan Pacific Xiamen

Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster
Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster will be the first attraction you visit. It is composed of four round earthen buildings and a square one. It is one of the most magnificent and well-preserved Hakka fortresses. Your guide will give you detailed information about who built these earthen buildings, how they were built, and their advantages. We will drive you to a high vantage point so that you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the cluster.
Yuchang Earthen Building
Yuchang Earthen Building is a skewed building. It is one of the oldest existing tulou. This five-story earth building is most famous for its tilted pillars. The most extreme one is slanted at a 15-degree angle. There are five highlights in this building for you to discover. Let your guide uncover its secrets for you.

Hekeng Tulou Cluster
Hekeng Tulou Cluster is one of the six tulou clusters belonging to the World Heritage Site, the Fujian Tulou. It is an authentic and less touristy Hakka village full of earthen buildings in different shapes. It is Mulan's "hometown" in the movie Mulan. You will see the real earthen building where Mulan is depicted as living in the movie. The Hakka people are happy to invite you into the living room of their earthen building and show you the upstairs floor. This might not be available in other tulou clusters. Have a cup of local tea and listen to the stories about their families. It is a great chance to get close to the Hakka people's lifestyle and culture.

Taxia Village and Tea Plantation Experience
Taxia Village is a distinctive Hakka village located in a valley in Nanjing County. It was built by the Zhang family about 600 years ago and many famous overseas Chinese people can trace their history back to this village. From April to November, you can pick tea leaves at a local tea plantation just like a local Hakka tea farmer and learn to process the tea leaves. You can take the tea you make back home with you. You can also taste some black tea that has already been prepared by the local farmers.
Hotel options:
Nanjing Qingdelou Inn (original tulou with a private toilet)

Hongkeng Tulou Cluster
Hongkeng Tulou Cluster includes most kinds of earthen buildings. There are about 100 earthen buildings of various sizes and styles in the long and narrow village. Besides the rectangular and round-shaped tulous, you will also see the palace and villa styles as well as the smallest round-shaped tulou.
After lunch, you will be transferred to the airport or train station. Your private guide will make sure that everything goes smoothly before saying goodbye.

Trip Notes
1. About the Hotel in Nanjing
We have selected the best-value hotel in an original tulou for you to have a unique experience of staying in an earthen building. The facilities in the original tulou accommodation are limited. They are not as good as the facilities found in accommodation in the city. There is, however, a private bathroom and air-conditioning in the room. If you would like to upgrade to a boutique hotel in Nanjing, please let your travel advisor know.
2. About an Ancestor's House or Visiting Relatives
We know that some of our customers have a Hakka or Minnan origin. If you would like to find your ancestor's house or look for your relatives, we are happy to use our relationship with the local association of the family clans to help you.
3. Tailor-Make Your Tour
This is a suggested itinerary. It can be customized according to your interests and needs. Let your travel advisor know what you prefer to do and he/she will make a unique trip for you.
Price includes:
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.