Xiamen

A day trip to Fujian's enigmatic Tulou Castles feels like stumbling onto a medieval UFO landing site-massive, circular fortress-houses built centuries ago by the famously enterprising (and equally defensive) Hakka people, who took the idea of neighborly trust and tossed it out entirely, erecting colossal donut-shaped bunkers. These UNESCO-hailed earthen dwellings anchor you into a landscape that feels equal parts Tolkien fantasy and alien outpost: thick mud-clad walls, mysterious wooden interiors, and resident elders calmly sipping tea as tourists gape and snap selfies. Plan to arrive around mid-morning, when the sunlight bathes the structures in gentle glow, and, importantly, the local grandmothers have boiled fresh tea and steamed fragrant dumplings for sale-bring cash and budget around 200 RMB for food, souvenirs, and the inevitable entry fees, not forgetting sturdy footwear to navigate uneven stone steps guarded by surprisingly assertive chickens. Be sure to schedule ahead by a day or two, convincing a local guide to spill the tales of clan rivalry and pirate-defying architecture secrets. Sure, the logistics may seem slightly inconvenient, and your reward, practically speaking, is just some earthen architecture and history-but trust me, there's nothing quite like casually mentioning at your next dinner party that you've spelunked through ancient Chinese fortress donuts.