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Yuanyang terraced fields
Symphony of man and nature
Yuanyang is located in Yunnan province, and it is the central area of the Hani minority terraced fields. In the flat land of the river at an altitude of 472 ft (144m) to 1970 ft (600m), the Tai people live. The valley areas from 1970 ft (600m) to 3280 ft (1000m) are inhabited mainly by the Zhuang. The lower mountainous areas from 3280 ft (1000m) to 4595 ft (1400m) are for the Yi. The upper mountainous areas from 4595 ft (1400m) to 6560 ft (2000m) are the place to see the Hani people, and the areas above 6560 ft (2000m) are for Miao and Yao. The Han people usually live in townships or along the roads.
The upper mountain areas where the Hani people live have a temperate climate and plentiful rainfall, with an annual average temperature of 59F (15C) - very suitable for rice growing. Since the Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty, the ancestors of the Hani came here to reclaim terraces on which to grow rice. In the past 1200 years, the Hani have made painstaking efforts and brought their great wisdom and bravery into full play, reclaiming the horizontal terraced fields that were arranged layer after layer up to the top of the mountain. They have also dug thousands of irrigation canals and ditches which are just like silver girdles encircling the mountains.
The Hani made plans according to the topographical features, with immediate adjustments to suit the surrounding conditions. Wherever there was a big piece of land and the slope was gentle, they made large fields, but on the small strips and steep slopes, the terraces shrank to a very small size. Usually bigger ones have the area of an average field, while small ones are as tiny as a dustpan. Sometimes on a single slope there are hundreds, even thousands, of terrace pieces, together comprising a versatile and ever changing symphony.
When approaching the terraces, it seems as if there is nothing blocking your field of vision. So beautiful, so impressive - every piece of land seems to be filled with water, and every piece of land filled with water is like a mirror. Some are high and some low, some big and some small. In every mirror you can see the blue sky, the white clouds, the sunshine, the inverted reflection of trees, the colour of flowers, and the silhouettes of birds. It's as if all the colours of a season are reflected.
Those hundreds and thousands of fields, one by one, look like a giant printed cloth pieced together with odds and ends of coloured materials in the hands of a clever woman, or like a magical jigsaw.
At sunrise, all the landscapes are plated with a thin layer of gold. The sun with divides the terraced fields into two parts. Some are halfway up the mountains, reflecting the rosy dawn. Others hide in mountains covered with winding clouds and mists. The two parts are harmonious and beautiful. A sea of clouds, lingering, often seems not to want to leave, eastward or westward, upward or down- ward, taking forms of infinite and ever changing variety. As you look, a sound comes to you, very distant, and very near, very grand, and very minute- as if the silkworms are chewing the mulberry leaves, or the wild horses are galloping in the wildness. The terraced fields are witness to the brave struggle of human beings against nature, as well as the conditions they have created in order to survive.
This is not a historic site such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Qinshihuang Mausoleum, the Pyramids in Egypt, or the Taj Mahal they have already lost their functions. Nor is it merely a natural sight like Taishan Mountain, Huangshan Mountain, or Niagara Falls. It is a great creation by the Hani people during their long relationship with the Ailao mountainous areas, representing the integrity of nature and humans when working in harmony and in compensation- a product of culture and nature in an artistic combination and crystallisation.
Location
The area occupied by these peoples is in Honghe Hani and the Yi Minorities Autonomous City, Yunan province.
Climate
Most of the Honghe areas belongs to the subtropical plateau monsoon climate, with annual average temperature of 59-72.8F (15-22.7C). Yuanyang is foggy. In February the average temperature is 51.8F (11C) and there is an average of 14 rainy days.
Of Special Interest
The terraced fields in Yuanyang covering more than 329 acres (133 hectares) present a vast outlook, graceful and powerful.
Main Attractions
The foggy mountainous city, Bada, Duoyishu, Longshuba, and the rural landscape of Jinzhuzhai.
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