Along some dark, difficult roads in a stuffy sleeper coach, my colleague "Joules" and I travelled out of Guangdong Province and into Fujian Province. The temperature was chilly when we arrived in XiaYang, but then it gave us an excuse to talk about the weather and rustle into our back packs for extra layers of clothing. Someone had left a brazier by the bus stop and we warmed there and talked with a young Chinese couple. Then we followed them on a wild goose chase because they persuaded us with their sincerity and one or two words that were comprehensible: "hot springs". I think I understood that they were returning to their parent's place, which was a hotel. Anyway, we made use of google translator and drank Gong Fu tea while Joules ate the meaty soup that had been kindly offered. After the last day of school and sports days, I was definitely low on the sanitation scale. I really was on the look out for home comforts, so I made my way to the bathroom and took a warm shower. How cheeky! When it was about 4 am we walked through the market, picked up some fresh fruit, and then found the road for the bus stop to Yong Ding. The bus didn't have a number, but then everybody knew where we going to, to the Tulous.
The landscape was mountainous and exciting after Guangzhou. We passed square homes with pheonix roofs and then the first Hakka earth home came into sight! We entered Chengchilou, and a little man showed us in with such a bright personality, not a hint of the jaded tourist guide demeanour at all. We looked up and saw the 4 levels of the wooden balconies. The wood architecture was dark and rustic. The lowest level had pots and pans everywhere as the morningtime was already busy with the daily routines of plucking chickens and ducks, urggh. Anyway, it's a tickets only site, so we got ushered back to the hut and paid our 30 rmb. I think you can buy a group ticket if you need to.
By my reckoning, the 17th century must have been a period of high mobilisation for so many of the Hakka people to have moved into the province. The homes are sizeable, well protected and have extremely complicated designs. Why did they move? What occurred? I am not sure, and will have to investigate that further.
We walked up the mountain and found over 5 tulous in one area. The day was steeped in ceremonies as the locals were busy moving trays of food to the Taoist shrines to show respect for their ancestors. Incense filled the spaces, and they brought baskets of cooked chickens, ducks, peanuts, fruit and other foods, all balanced in their two basket poles, just like the yin and yang symbol.
I stayed in room 3011, I really don't know why the number was so high. Anyway, I had a fan, two beds, a candle and a cloth over my window. The housemartins were nesting oustide and the communal hubub was friendly and comforting. The Hakka host gave me a bucket for during the night. They have just one hot shower between a fair few people.
The tourists arrived early in the morning and like faithful visitors, they followed their guides with outrageously loud microphones and colourful penants. I sat under the banyan tree, walked up the hill, and visited every home that I could whilst I had the energy. I reflected that I must have been into 500 people's home in the two days. That's quite a gatecrash!
