Get to know Yongding District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Longyan
- Chinese name
- 永定区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,223.00 km²
- Population · 2015
- 361,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The district is mostly mountains and hills, rising to 1,547 m at Chiyantou (赤岩头). Its main rivers are the Ting River (汀江) and the Yongding River (永定河), and the largest reservoir is Mianhuatan (棉花滩水库). Neighbours are Nanjing County (南靖县) to the east, Pinghe (平和县) to the south-east, Shanghang (上杭县) to the north-west and Xinluo (新罗区) to the north-east. Most people speak the Yongding variety of Hakka (客家语).
History
Yongding County was carved out of Shanghang in 1478 under the Ming and belonged to Tingzhou Prefecture (汀州府), one of its eight Hakka counties. From the late Ming, according to the national intangible-heritage list, Yongding Hakka grew rich on tobacco growing and trade, and this wealth underpinned the spread of the tulou. From 1929 to 1934 the county was part of the Central Soviet Area (中央苏区). It became a district of Longyan in February 2015.
What to see
More than 20,000 tulou survive in Yongding, mainly along the Ting and Yongding rivers. Square buildings are the norm; round ones cluster in the Jinfeng River (金丰溪) valley, and the "five-phoenix" mansions (五凤楼) that mix both forms stand mostly along the Yongding River. Fujian tulou joined the World Heritage List on 6 July 2008. Chengqi Lou (承启楼) in the Gaobei cluster (高北土楼群), built in 1709, has four concentric rings around a central ancestral hall. Zhencheng Lou (振成楼) in the Hongkeng cluster (洪坑土楼群), built in 1912 by descendants of a tobacco merchant, has a four-storey outer ring divided into four segments on the Bagua (八卦) pattern. The Chuxi cluster (初溪土楼群) is in Chuxi village, Xiayang (下洋镇), and in Hukeng (湖坑镇) the Nanxi valley (南溪) is lined with tulou for several kilometres. The Hakka tulou building craft itself entered the first national intangible-heritage list in 2006.
Food and local products
Yongding Wanying tea (永定万应茶) is a pressed herbal tea cake, on the national intangible-heritage list since 2008. The Caishantang (采善堂) pharmacy, according to the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network, traces it to the Qing Jiaqing reign, when a Yongding doctor blended mountain tea leaves with more than thirty medicinal herbs; the network lists it for indigestion, mild diarrhoea, and headaches from chills or heatstroke.
Highlights
- Chengqi Lou, Gaobei cluster 承启楼: Round tulou of 1709 with four concentric rings around an ancestral hall; part of the World Heritage listing.
- Zhencheng Lou, Hongkeng cluster 振成楼: Double-ring tulou of 1912 built by a tobacco merchant's descendants, divided on the Bagua pattern.
- Chuxi Tulou cluster 初溪土楼群: World Heritage tulou group in Chuxi village, Xiayang.
- Yongding Wanying tea 永定万应茶: Herbal tea cake of tea leaves and 30-plus herbs, on the national intangible-heritage list.
Sources for this guide
永定区 (龙岩市) - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
客家土楼营造技艺 - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network
中医养生（永定万应茶） - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network
Fujian tulou - Wikipedia · English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Yongding District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Yongding District
Earthen tulou buildings of the Yongding Hongkeng Tulou Cluster · 永定区永定洪坑土楼群 Source-recorded photograph date: Taken on 31 January 2006.Yongding Hongkeng Tulou Cluster永定洪坑土楼群
Hongkeng is one of Yongding's principal tulou clusters, including Zhencheng, Fuyu, Kuiju and Rusheng buildings.
Read the place guide →
The Chuxi tulou cluster on its hillside. Photograph date recorded by the source: 2009-11-07.Chuxi tulou cluster初溪土楼群
Chuxi is a Xu-clan village where earthen residences stand together in a mountain setting. Jiqing Lou is especially distinctive for its concentric rings and many separate stairways, which divide the outer structure into family…
Read the place guide →
A group of large multi-storey rammed-earth buildings with grey tiled roofs and timber galleries, one with a central gate and a small pavilion roof, standing above a stone-walled stream; a courtyard in front holds a parked motorcycle, drying laundry and a few villagers, with wooded hills behind.Hongkeng Tulou Cluster洪坑土楼群
Qing-to-modern tulou group in Hongkeng Village, Yongding, with the double-ring Zhencheng Lou of 1912, tiny Rusheng Lou and mansion-style Fuyu Lou.
Read the place guide →
Round earthen tulou buildings of the Gaobei cluster, Yongding District · 永定区高北土楼群，圆形土楼俯瞰 Source-recorded photograph date: 2014-08-29 13:00:16.Gaobei Tulou Cluster高北土楼群
Tulou group in Gaobei Village, Yongding, spanning Ming to modern times and centred on Chengqi Lou, the ringed "king of tulou" finished in 1709.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Yongding District local specialties
永定区特色美食 · 3 specialties to discover
Yongding taro dumplings 永定芋子包AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
The wrapper is softer and more yielding than a wheat dumpling skin, with a subtle taro flavour around the seasoned centre.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Yongding beef doutang soup 永定牛肉兜汤AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
The soup combines a savoury broth with soft, smooth beef pieces. Its texture is a key part of the dish's identity.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Yongding marinated duck feet 永定泡鸭爪AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
Expect springy skin and tendons with a sharp, savoury seasoning. The bones remain part of the snack.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →More dishes from across Fujian are in the Fujian food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Yongding District is about 50 km in a straight line from central Longyan. Search for 永定区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Yongding Hongkeng Tulou Cluster and Chuxi tulou cluster are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Longyan →More in Longyan
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 永定区 (龙岩市) — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against Fujian tulou — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Yongding Hongkeng Tulou Cluster · 江上清风1961 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Chuxi tulou cluster · 文子言木 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Hongkeng Tulou Cluster · 江上清风1961 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Gaobei Tulou Cluster · 颐园新居 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.