Scenes around Xiamen and in Yongding county

Random pictures

Pu'erh tea. Supposedly good for regulating blood pressure,lowering cholesterol and assist in losing weight. :-)) Mixed with honey,it is also supposed to be good for insomnia. The older the tea, the better the potency and the more costly it is. Can keep forever like wine?????

The ornate South Putuo temple in Xiamen

South Putuo temple. This building houses Kwan Yin statue.

Sunset at Gulang Island

Xiamen city viewed from Gulang Island

Bronze staues everywhere on Gulang Island. In the olden days, the expats prefer to live on the island so many colonial buildings abound.

Salted fish drying in the open on Gulang island

Another statue on Gulang island. Island is popular with the locals. Need a 5 mins ferry ride to the island.

Mother and child bronze statue

One of the many stately colonial buildings that are now neglected due to the squatters who have squatter rights in the buildings on the island.

Many brides ( we counted 7 brides) go to Gulang island to use the old stately buildings as props for their wedding photos

A very sweet bridal couple

Selling rambutans and custard apple 

Many vendors still use old traditional hanging baskets to sell food

Statues abound in the many landscaped gardens that dot the city of Xiamen

Traditional folk dance in Meilin town

Drying padi in Meilin town

A vendor at one of the Hakka tulous. The government apparently pays the residents of a Tulou as much as 4,000  to 100,000 renminbi   per family per year to  continue to stay in the Tulous to lend authenticity to the Tulous which are now very popular tourist destinations. The fee varies depending on the importance of each Tulou site.

Typical river facing a Hakka tulou with the mountains at the back

Harvesting padi in the countryside. Typically, 2 crops per year are possible.

Beautiful countryside scenery

A hakka napoleon in the making??

A 500 yrs old turtle that is fed on pork and carrots! A hakka turtle????

A hakka resident of one of the Tulous

Another proud hakka who showed me the tiny room where he stays.