The Tianluokeng Tulou cluster is one of the best-preserved tulou areas and is one of the most photogenic.

About the Tianluokeng Tulou cluster

Tulou buildings are unique to tha Hakka people - a race that live mostly in Guangdong and Fujian province.

Each building can house up to a few hundred people and act as mini communities, with some having stores, restaurants and mini apartments all in one.

The Tianluokeng cluster is the most famous cluster and is otherwise known as "four dishes one soup" because of the shape.

So, now you're there - here's how to make the most of it:

• Start at the viewing platform above the cluster - snapping some shots of the iconic buildings from above. If you're a photographer, great! This is one of the spots you can drive in and get here for sunrise. Not only is the lighting better, but the spot is popular and can get quite busy later in the day.

• Take the path down to the village and wander around these iconic buildings

• Head out to Yuchang Building: Yuchang is the largest tulou in Fujian - with 5 floors and 270 houses. Seeing how people live here is fascinating in and of itself. IF you're taking photos, make sure you have a super wide-angle lens if you plan to shoot here.

Other buildings to visit:

• Huaiyuan Building: a double ring tulou that is fascinating to look at. The outer ring is used for housing while the inner ring handles things like worship and schooling.

• Hegui Building: one of the tallest square buildings.

• Hekeng Cluster: a far less touristy cluster, Hekeng is able to maintain it's farming roots better than others. Considering how close it is, Hekeng is a fun one to wander around and see how people here truly live.

It is worth noticing that Nanjing has plenty of other tulou buildings and driving around the area you'll see plenty of signs pointing you in the direction of other clusters - but these are the most famous and the easiest efficiency wise.

Getting to the Tianluokeng Tulou cluster

The cluster is in Nanjing, Fujian province and while there is public transport, I'd recommend driving in from Zhangzhou or Nanjing railway station. You can take a high speed train to both of those spots. Just be careful about buying tickets to nanjing that you mention Nanjing, Fujian and not Nanjing city.