Layer upon layer of vast green paddy terraces provide idyllic views in Yongding district of Longyan, East China's Fujian province at this time of year, dotted with variously-sized circular and rectangular tulou, or earthen buildings, which are the ancestral homes of local Hakka people. [Photo/IC]

Layer upon layer of vast green paddy terraces provide idyllic views in Yongding district of Longyan, East China's Fujian province at this time of year, dotted with variously-sized circular and rectangular tulou, or earthen buildings, which are the ancestral homes of local Hakka people.

There are more than 23,000 tulou in Yongding. The buildings became well-known after 46 of them were given World Heritage status by UNESCO in 2008.