Zhao Family Fort 400-year time-travel guide🏡
Less famous than the Yongding tulou! Tucked away in Huxi She Township, Zhangpu, there’s a “mini Bianjing of southern Fujian” that Southern Song imperial descendants have guarded for 400 years. Even more remarkable, within a five-li radius there are two other nationally protected cultural sites—Yian Fort and the residence of Lan Tingzhen—collectively known as the Five Li, Three Cities.
In short: if Yongding tulou are the Hakka people’s collective strongholds, Zhao Family Fort is a breathing, hidden dynasty dream of a fallen royal clan.
🧐 First, who built Zhao Family Fort
Zhao Family Fort was built by descendants of Zhao Ruohuo, prince of Minchong during the Southern Song. After the Southern Song fell, Zhao Ruohuo changed his surname to Huang to avoid capture by the Yuan forces and lived in exile in Zhangpu. The family restored the Zhao surname during the early Ming. In 1600 (the 28th year of Wanli), the 10th-generation descendant Zhao Fan returned in glory and expanded the fort.
What really astonishes is the layout—outer city, inner city, and Wanbi Building—directly mirroring Bianjing’s outer city, inner city, and imperial inner court. Zhao’s descendants, longing for their ancestral empire, recreated a scaled-down Bianjing deep in southern Fujian.
🚗 Getting there: driving is easiest
Driving (highly recommended): take the Shenhai Expressway and exit at the Zhao Family Fort interchange. The exit is only 3 km from the old town, so you’ll be there in no time. From Zhangzhou city center it’s about 50 minutes, from Xiamen about 70 minutes.
Public transport: Zhangzhou South passenger station has shuttles to Zhao Family Fort, but services are limited—confirm return times in advance.
⚠️ Three-city loop: Zhao Family Fort, Yian Fort, and Lan Tingzhen residence are all within a 10-minute drive of each other. Driving is the best option to visit all three in one day.
🗺️ One-day highlights route (visit all three without backtracking)
Morning: Zhao Family Fort (most attractions concentrated here) → Noon: Lan Tingzhen residence (small, quick visit) → Afternoon: Yian Fort (stroll and feel local life) → Return
Locals’ classic order is Zhao Family Fort → Lan Tingzhen residence → Yian Fort. Aim to arrive at Zhao Family Fort before 9:00 AM for softer light and fewer visitors.
📸 Zhao Family Fort must-see spots
1. Wanbi Building — 13.6m tall symbolizing the return of the jade intact
The complex’s centerpiece, a three-story Song-style rammed-earth building, stands 13.6m tall and evokes the idiom “return the jade intact.” The character for “bi” (jade disk) in the building’s name deliberately shows only half of the top-right “xin” stroke, symbolizing generations of hardship the imperial descendants endured to build it. The third-floor arched windows make a perfect photo frame, capturing the old village and distant hills.
2. Bian-style bridge — a Song-era stone bridge inspired by Along the River During the Qingming Festival
A stone bridge spans the pond, modeled on the scene in Along the River During the Qingming Festival, with a hexagonal pavilion on the bridge. It’s the best spot for reflections—when the water is calm, the bridge and pavilion mirror perfectly.
3. Ink pond stone stele — authentic Mi Fu calligraphy
A stele inscribed with the two characters “Ink pond,” 1.56m tall with 0.5m-high characters, attributed to Mi Fu, one of the four great Song calligraphers. It’s one of Zhao Family Fort’s most precious artifacts—calligraphy fans shouldn’t miss it.
4. Yu stele — one of only three in China
Also called the Gouluo stele, it records the water-control achievements of Yu the Great in 77 characters in ancient seal script. Only three steles of this kind remain in the country, and Zhao Family Fort has one.
🏰 Yian Fort — a living “ancient city fossil”
This is the most down-to-earth place among the Five Li, Three Cities.
Yian Fort was built with funds donated over generations by Huang Xingzhen, the 14th-generation descendant of a Huang retainer who followed Zhao Ruohuo. It’s a well-preserved civilian defensive fort. Unlike the museum feel of Zhao Family Fort, hundreds of Huang-family households still live in Yian Fort today; smoke from cooking fires is more common than tourists, and there’s virtually no commercialization.
Key info: free admission, open all day, no reservation required—just go. For drivers, navigate to “Yian Fort parking lot”; there’s free parking at the fort entrance. The fort has four gates; local custom keeps the north gate closed and uses the south gate as the main entrance.
Recommended activities: climb the east or south gate walls to photograph the crenellation light and shadow—sunset with village smoke in the frame is especially evocative. Wander the alleys to observe locals’ everyday rural life.
🏯 Lan Tingzhen residence — the martial grandeur of the “new town at the top of the altar”
Lan Tingzhen was a Qing naval commander in Fujian credited with contributions at Pingtai Bay. His residence is large and rigorously laid out. The complex faces east-west and covers about 4,300 m², with a broad plaza paved with 360 slab stones arranged in a crosshatch pattern that emphasizes its military character.
Free to visit, open all day. The fourth-side buildings form a wall-like enclosure, and a tulou-style structure inside creates an enclosed courtyard layout, hence the nickname “new town at the top of the altar.” Enter through the main gate and follow the central axis to see the entrance hall, main hall, rear hall, main building, and back wing; the left and right wings protect the compound and are connected by a water-passing corridor.
🍜 Foods to try in Zhangpu (30–50 RMB per person)
· Old preserved radish soup: the soul dish. Zhangpu’s aged dried radish is local specialty and considered “black ginseng” by Minnan people. The soup is savory with a slight tang and really whets the appetite. The pork tripe with aged radish soup is the signature—rich and flavorful.
· Fresh-seaweed hot pot: a popular farmhouse stall dish; for four people it’s about 50 RMB per person and great value.
· Fried oyster omelet, baby squid, steamed mixed fish: Zhangpu is coastal—affordable seafood is a must-try, and small street eateries deliver satisfying portions for 30–40 RMB per person.
· Zhangpu meatballs, salty rice cake, shacha noodles: authentic snacks full of local flavor.
· Where to eat: near Zhao Family Fort there are farmhouse-style stalls locals frequent that focus on honest, fresh flavors.
🏠 Where to stay: stay in Zhangpu county seat
There are limited, basic lodging options inside Zhao Family Fort. Staying in Zhangpu county offers more choices and better facilities.
· Zhangpu Huicheng Hotel: close to Zhao Family Fort and the volcanic geology park, with free parking and WiFi, pet friendly, and offers mountain-view and balcony rooms.
· chain hotels in the county seat: comfortable stays for just over 100 RMB with supermarkets and food options downstairs.
· design-focused stays: near the Yongjia Tiandi shopping area there are designer hotels convenient for shopping and outings.
💡 Practical tips (avoid these pitfalls)
1. Tickets: Zhao Family Fort admission is 10–15 RMB (varies by source). Yian Fort and Lan Tingzhen residence are completely free. Of Zhao Family Fort’s three gates, the west gate may be unmanned and not have parking—use the north gate parking lot to enter.
2. Opening hours: Zhao Family Fort summer hours 8:00 AM–6:00 PM, standard hours 8:00 AM–5:30 PM.
3. Best time to visit: spring and autumn (March–May, September–November) feel most comfortable—sea breezes keep it cool without strong sun. Clear mornings or dusk have the best light and fewer visitors.
4. What to wear: paths are uneven stone slabs—wear non-slip shoes. Keep quiet inside the old town and respect residents’ lives.
5. Photo spots: Wanbi Building’s third-floor arched windows and the Bian-style bridge reflections are Zhao Family Fort classics; at Yian Fort, the wall crenellations and sunset with cooking smoke make the most evocative shots.
6. Combined trips: you can link to Jiaoluo Feicui Bay, the volcanic geology park, and Qixing Sea to make a 2–3 day deep trip in Zhangpu.
7. Budget: 1-day trip costs about 100–150 RMB per person (including tickets, transport, and meals).
This Five Li, Three Cities cluster tucked in Zhangpu’s mountains lacks Yongding tulou’s tourist hordes and Yunshuiyao’s commercial bustle. Instead, it offers the 400-year vigil of a Zhao Song imperial line in Wanbi Building, the cooking-smoke life of hundreds of Huang households in Yian Fort, and martial echoes on the slab-stone plaza of Lan Tingzhen’s residence. Before tour groups discover it, add it to your Fujian list.