7. Yongding in Southeast China's Fujian Province

Yongding, a county in Fujian Province, is the home of many Hakka families and is known for its unusual architecture called Tulou (Hakka Earthen Fortresses). These large, circular edifices were built by the Hakka, one ethnic group in China. The architectural art of Tulou enjoys great admiration among architects worldwide. The older examples of this style of construction consist of interior buildings enclosed by huge peripheral ones holding hundreds of rooms and dwellers. With all the halls, storehouses, wells and bedrooms inside, the huge towerlike building functions almost as a small fortified city.

Most earthen castles are not tourist traps. People really live and work here, and invariably, when you show up on their doorstep they will grin and say, "You've come! Have some tea!"