Something like a 3-hour trip from tropical Xiamen sit the roundhouses of the Hakka. Declared a UNESCO world cultural heritage site in 2008 due to their unique style and architectural creativity, these houses reached fame due to an amusing misunderstanding, as the locals will tell you.
从热带厦门出发，大约需要3个小时的路程，就在客家的圆形房屋里。 正如当地人会告诉你的那样，这些房子因其独特的风格和建筑创意，于2008年被联合国教科文组织宣布为世界文化遗产，由于一个有趣的误解而声名鹊起。
The story goes that the discovery of the buildings in remote mountain areas was made by the Americans, whose satellites detected the round shapes, leading to the assumption they were missile silos. The American investigator was upon arrival surprised to find nothing more than the traditional round houses (Tulou; 土楼) of the Hakka minority.
故事说，在偏远山区发现的建筑物是由美国人发现的，他们的卫星检测到圆形，导致人们认为它们是导弹筒仓。 这位美国调查员一到就惊讶地发现，除了客家少数民族的传统圆形房屋（土楼）；什么都没有。
When stepping foot into the vast Chengqi Lou (承启楼), nicknamed the “King of Tulous”, you might get lost in the four different rings of which this building is made. In the centre, the ancestral hall becomes the main meeting place for weddings, funerals and the Court. Somewhat shamefully, access to the second floor is forbidden, since the most famous picture of the site is taken from the upper floors of the building. This meant the view for which I had come for was inaccessible!
当踏入绰号“图卢兹之王”的广阔承启楼时，你可能会迷失在这座建筑的四个不同环中。 在市中心，祠堂成为婚礼、葬礼和宫廷的主要聚会场所。 有点可耻的是，禁止进入二楼，因为该网站最著名的照片是从大楼的上层拍摄的。 这意味着我来是为了这个景色是无法到达的！
However, as with most Chinese restrictions, there is a way out! If you look Chinese, the local people will take you up the staircase for ¥30, provided one of the famous Bao’an (security guard) guarding the eight staircases has left his post. My Chinese friend therefore got to sneak upstairs, while I had to wait down below. None of the residents dared take me up with my large nose and round eyes. If caught, they face heavy fines. However, from what I could gather it is possible to stay in Chengqi Lou overnight and therefore go upstairs, after the Bao’an have left. It costs little more than the hotels outside; around ¥80 per night.
然而，与大多数中国的限制一样，有出路！ 如果你看起来像中国人，当地人会花30元带你上楼梯，前提是守卫八级楼梯的著名宝安（保安）之一已经离开他的岗位。 因此，我的中国朋友不得不偷偷上楼，而我不得不在下面等。 没有一个居民敢用我的大鼻子和圆圆的眼睛来接我。 如果被抓到，他们将面临巨重的罚款。 然而，从我收集到的情况来看，在宝安离开后，有可能在成旗楼过夜，然后上楼。 它比外面的酒店贵一点；每晚大约80元。
The legality of this is better left undiscussed. Since my time was limited, all I could do was let my friend take pictures in my stead.
最好不要讨论这个的合法性。 由于我的時間有限，我所能做的就是让我的朋友代替我拍照。
In the smaller buildings, the Bao’an is usually nowhere to be seen, so at least one can go up for a peek and a photo. In the “King’s” little brother, you might also meet an elder resident who will tell you that he is the owner of the site’s youngest house, which he built with his brothers some 50 years ago. Usually one Tulou houses one family, which seems quite spacious considering Chengqi Lou has 402 rooms. On the other hand, one family is not so little; a former owner had more than 20 sons and daughters.
在较小的建筑中，宝安通常无处可寻，所以至少有一个人可以上去看看和拍照。 在“国王的弟弟”中，你可能还会遇到一位年长的居民，他会告诉你，他是该地最年轻的房子的主人，大约50年前他和他的兄弟们一起建造了这栋房子。 通常，一个土楼住一个家庭，考虑到Chengqi Lou有402个房间，这似乎相当宽敞。 另一方面，一个家庭并不是那么小；一个前主人有20多个儿子和女儿。
No one, except inhabitants, dare go up to the second floor. It is a really fascinating sight though; such dark wood that has resisted the weather for so long. However, be sure to heed the locals’ warning, “Only go in there when it’s not raining!”
除了居民，没有人敢上二楼。 不过，这是一个非常迷人的景象；如此黑暗的木材抵抗了天气这么久。 然而，一定要注意当地人的警告，“只有在不下雨的时候才能进去！”
In Chinese, the roundhouses are called “earthen houses”, due to the material used in erecting the outer walls; a mixture of raw earth, sand, lime, glutinous rice, and brown sugar. The interior of the houses, on the other hand, is constructed entirely of wood. Some of the buildings might be round, certainly Yongding’s largest Chengqi Lou is, but many are also square and very similar to a Beijing Siheyuan. In total there are about 30 different shapes that may constitute the so-called “roundhouses”, making their common English name somewhat of a misinterpretation.
在中文中，圆形房屋被称为“土屋”，因为建造外墙的材料是生土、沙子、石灰、糯米和红糖的混合物。 另一方面，房屋的内部完全由木材建造。 有些建筑可能是圆形的，肯定是永定最大的城旗楼，但许多也是方形的，与北京四合院非常相似。 总共有大约30种不同的形状可能构成所谓的“圆屋”，这使得它们的通用英文名称有些误解。
Originally built by the Hakka minority; immigrants from Northern China, the Tulou’s unique architectural style is not only aesthetically pleasing but fulfils a very important practical purpose. Not always welcome due to their status as foreigners, the Hakka faced many attacks and conflicts over resources, in the process developing fortressed homes. Chengqi Lou’s 16-metre-high walls and lack of windows on the lower levels make it impossible to gain entry unless invited in through impenetrable iron gates.
土楼最初由客家少数民族建造；来自中国北方的移民，其独特的建筑风格不仅美观，而且具有非常重要的实际目的。 由于他们作为外国人的身份，客家人并不总是受到欢迎，在开发堡垒家园的过程中，他们面临着许多资源方面的攻击和冲突。 城旗楼有16米高的墙壁，下层没有窗户，除非通过不可穿透的铁门邀请进入，否则无法进入。
The threat the Hakka must have felt is not only reflected in their architecture but also in their traditions. As one of the local girls tells us, the well on the ground floor used to house a number of fish as a warning system; a Hakka tradition to make sure the water from the well had not been poisoned.
客家人一定感受到的威胁不仅反映在他们的建筑上，也反映在他们的传统上。 正如一位当地女孩告诉我们的那样，一楼的井曾经容纳了许多鱼作为警告系统；这是客家的传统，以确保井里的水没有中毒。
The Hakka presence is no longer very obvious in Yongding, since most residents are from other provinces, as is the case with the young married couple we met from Xinjiang. They, as many other “locals”, earn a living by growing their own tea and selling it to visitors, while the tourist attraction is their home.
客家人在永定的存在不再很明显，因为大多数居民都来自其他省份，就像我们从新疆遇到的年轻已婚夫妇一样。 他们和其他许多“当地人”一样，通过种植自己的茶叶并出售给游客来谋生，而旅游景点就是他们的家。
“Living here has its good sides and bad sides”, she tells us. “All the neighbours can hear you fight, but this also means they will usually butt in and help you solve your problems.”
她告诉我们：“生活在这里有好的一面，也有坏的一面。” “所有的邻居都能听到你打架的声音，但这也意味着他们通常会插进来，帮助你解决问题。”