Longyan City

The best-known tourist attraction in the area are the Fujian Tulou earth houses (土楼 tǔlóu), often round, of the Hakka people (客家人 kèjiārén). These houses are on to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Hakka means "guest"; they arrived in the area (western Fujian and Eastern Guangdong) as refugees from one of Northern China's wars several hundred years ago and still have their own dialect and customs. These houses are quite large, holding an extended family, and built to be easily defended. There are none in the city itself, but there are thousands in villages to the West. Hotels can arrange a car or van to visit these places (¥200-300/day).

There are casual food stalls and eateries all around the city, serving a variety of regional cuisines but especially focused on Hakka cooking. A large number can be found at the walking street mentioned in the Buy section above.

There are also country-restaurants where you can select whichever meats and vegetables look good and they'll stir-fry them in a large amount of oil. Expect to pay around ¥20/meal.

There is a number of tea farms in the area, and Fujian is well known for its Oolong tea, and to a lesser extent its Iron Guanyin Tea (铁观音茶). Fujian has what might be called a tea-ceremony, where water is poured into a pot full of tea leaves, immediately poured into another pot, and then poured into thimble-sized tea glasses. It's likely any restaurants, lodging, or private residence you enter, will offer you this style of tea. The tea itself varies wildly in both quality and price.

Additionally, many private residences will have a large jug of baijiu, with Chinese medicinals steeped inside.

Most soft drinks and especially beer will be served room-temperature.

Longyan's city center in itself is small, but has many places where designer brand and mobile phones etc. can be bought.

There is a walking street area (中山路步行街 Zhongshanlu Buxingjie) at Zhongshan Street (中山路), north of the river and next to Zhongshan Park (中山公园 Zhongshan Gongyuan), with many shops and food stalls that are open till late in the evening.

There is also the wholesale district of Jiaoyi Cheng which sells everything from shoes and tea to electronics at wholesale prices. As of June 2018, many massive furniture and home appliance outlets have opened in the area. Jiaoyi Cheng can be reached by catching the No.10, No.12 and No.19 buses. There is also a several-building clothing market in the Jaioyi area called Bai Ma (白吗). Go early— shops tend to close by 16:00, though many on the street level stay open later.

There are hotels in Longyan and the nearby city of Yongding. There is a number of cheap hotels just opposite the train station, any of the buildings with red or blue signs on top. Price ¥40-60 for a double.

Many tulou offer accommodation to tourists, ranging from very simple (plain rooms, no bathroom) to beautifully decorated rooms with airconditioning and private bathrooms. See Fujian Tulou for detailed information.

While there are occasional taxis and motorbikes, they're very irregular. There is a taxi stand at the train station. As everywhere in China, you can use the Didi app (Chinese Uber) to call taxis on the spot. A ride within the city center costs around ¥10.

Additionally, there is an excellent public bus system that connects all around the city (fare ¥1, cash accepted, no change given). Any lodging should also be able to arrange a taxi to visit the surrounding villages.

Longyan is a small city by Chinese standards (about 2.5 million) in Fujian. Most visitors end up here passing through to see the Hakka earth houses in Yongding County. Tourist infrastructure is minimal, and there are no large tour buses. An afternoon in Longyan can provide a glimpse of life in a growing, non-coastal city. Do not expect any English to be spoken.

The prefecture consists of: Xinluo District 新罗区, Yongding District 永定区, Zhangping City 漳平市, Changting County 长汀县, Shanghang County 上杭县, Wuping County 武平县, and Liancheng County 连城县.