The terraced fields in Yuanyang, Yunnan are scattered everywhere, which is very attractive to many tourists. This is an ancient farming model where you grow crops. Now it is well preserved and becomes a beautiful and spectacular attraction. The following is a detailed introduction for you.
Yuanbada Scenic Area.
This is my second time coming to Yuanyang. The first time was more than ten years ago, when Yuanyang was still trying to apply for a world heritage.
There are no decent roads built in the scenic area, so there is no way to charge fees. It is a small town made up of many freely accessible villages. The center of the town is Xinjie Town.
In the blink of an eye, the small village of that time has now become famous. Not only has it been successfully applied for World Heritage, but it has also become one of the most famous scenic spots in Yunnan.
To be honest, before I got there, I felt uneasy.
I am really afraid that the simple villagers and mushroom houses in ancient times have been completely submerged by the tide of modern life and no longer exist. Or it's completely commercial and ostentatious. Fortunately, after coming to Yuanyang, most of these worries have not happened yet.
Women still wear national costumes and still carry baskets on their shoulders, which contain today's harvest or babies to be fed; men still gather together, sit around, and spend all their time together. They are all spent on the wisps of green smoke in the hookah; in the village where we live, the sun rises and sets as before, with no neon lights and no promotion; every market day still follows the ancient calendar, and the days gradually turn into grains of rice in the terraced fields. .
No one thinks it’s strange, no one thinks it’s bad, and no one thinks it should be changed.
In an era when women's rights are surging, only women are seen working hard in the streets, alleys, and fields; on the streets where cars come and go, chickens, ducks, and buffaloes are still walking freely; Yuanyang just Take off the label of a poor county (poverty alleviation on May 17, 2020), but today with such a beautiful scenic spot, people here are not in a hurry to kill the goose to lay eggs, but let everything continue to take its course. Perhaps this is how the Hani people have believed in the harmonious coexistence between man and nature for thousands of years. They never fish when the water is dry, and never burn forests for hunting.
Of course, the only constant in this world is constant change, and nothing can stop it.
More bamboo baskets on women’s shoulders have been turned into plastic materials, many mushroom houses have been completely rebuilt, and even the town center has been moved to Nansha. Xinjie is now the "old county seat". The men in the village may finally be willing to go out to "work". When they heard our drone was lost, they organized a team to find it. Then ask for the highest price accurately. Negotiation skills are enough to get Canada to release him immediately. Pretty good. Better than doing nothing.
In Yuanyang, we encountered setbacks and made new friends. It became the longest stay in Yunnan so far. We saw many beautiful scenery, tasted new food, and cooked together. made an agreement. We will come again this winter!
When you go to Yunnan, you will see terraced fields. Although you must say "Yuanyang terraced fields", in fact, Yuanyang is not the only place with terraced fields.
Even my favorite terraced fields are not in Yuanyang, but Yuanyang people wisely define it as the "core area" of terraced fields. So, as early as the first big woman was carried through the front door, she stood firm and became arrogant from then on.
After we left Yuanyang, we did see many terraced fields that were no less beautiful than this one or even more beautiful: some were like a cowardly concubine, simply wanting to remain unknown and isolated from the world, and even did not dare to stand. Put up a sign on the roadside to announce your existence; some people are satisfied with receiving favors; others, relying on their beauty, are gearing up to challenge the status of the mandarin duck.
In short, there is nothing Yuanyang can do when coming to Yunnan to see the terraced fields. However, it is best not to think that just coming to Yuanyang is enough.
The terraced fields that were originally unsuitable for growing rice have turned the mountains into thousands of acres of fertile farmland, making the Hani people’s lives stable and prosperous.
There are many theories about the history of the Hani people. At present, the most common view in academic circles is the theory of long-distance migration, that is, the ancestors of the Hani people originally lived in Nanjing, Shanxi and other Central Plains areas and have the same origin as the Han people; they were also the Qiang people who originally lived in Gansu, Qinghai, and Tibet. No matter where it originated, it drifted all the way to the current Red River area.
I personally feel that if this statement is true, then these terraces are the answer that the Hani ancestors in ragged clothes and suffering from drifting are looking for. It is the Hani people who have taken root here and never The reason for traveling far away.
Without the Hani people, there would be no terraced fields; but without the terraced fields, perhaps the Hani people would have disappeared in the long river of history.
Why are there terraces?
In the legend of the Hani people, due to greed, excessive expropriation, and deforestation in the early years, birds had no support, and all animals were poisoned to death, leading to the extinction of life. Finally the gods punished him by being naked for a long time, a moment of genocidal survival. Fortunately, the daughter of God who was left behind in her early years secretly taught the Hani people a way to survive because she refused to give up her lover who was still in the world and taught the Hani people to respect nature. Farming was used instead of hunting, and water problems were solved by digging terraces. Since then, the Hani people have adopted the principle of coexisting with nature and caring for each other, and they continue to thrive to this day.
This story is beautiful. I watched it with great interest for about 20 minutes at the Luchun County Museum.
I can only pick up some wisdom here. Friends who are really interested should go and see for themselves.
But I believe in natural science more. I found a more convincing reason in the science room at the entrance of Yuanyang Scenic Area.
Ailao Mountain stands majestically, and the heat under the mountain is unbearable. A lot of water vapor evaporates every day. When it reaches the top of the mountain, it encounters cold air to form orographic precipitation, and then falls back to the ground. It goes round and round, never ending.
The ancestors of the Hani discovered and exploited this natural wonder and dug terraces in the mountains. Use carved wood to regulate water flow, make full use of precipitation, and grow rice to provide you with food and clothing. In addition, fish, shrimps and crabs can also be raised in the rice fields. Their excrement allows the rice to obtain sufficient nutrients and attracts birds. The arrival of birds drives away pests in the fields, and the residue that falls into the lake becomes a delicacy for fish. From then on, all parties depended on each other and enjoyed themselves happily.
The Queen Mother has her own views on the formation of terraces. After seeing terraced caves in Jiuxiang, she believed the Hani people were inspired by them. I wonder if the ancestors of the Hani people discovered the caves in Jiuxiang. Maybe, maybe not.
However, many things in nature actually lead to the same goal by different routes. There is an invisible hand that makes everything follow its own rules. Perhaps the ancestors of the Hani people felt this call. It is said that "man-made earth is created, the earth creates heaven, heaven creates Tao, and Tao creates nature."
Overview of Yuanhani Rice Terraces Scenic Area Strategy
1. Attraction Information
Now Yuanyangtai Scenic Area requires tickets, but the entrance is closed. state. There is no clear ticket check-in location and no one is on duty. You can drive in without stopping and no one will stop you, so there was no notice when we drove in on the first day. During the epidemic, we thought we didn’t need tickets, so under the guidance of the innkeeper, we drove more than ten kilometers back to buy tickets for the next day.
But what’s interesting is that once you enter the ticket office, you need to take your temperature, scan the health code, and register the vehicle. Really: you have to check it consciously, and you have to sneak in and out at will. I hope the scenic spot can improve in this regard in the future.
May 23, 2000, Shengcun Inn. Photography/Hei Fatty
If you don’t buy a ticket, you can still enjoy most of the terraces at will. There are only two places where you need to show a ticket to enter, one is Duoyishu and the other is Bada.
What is a bit darkly humorous is that just after passing the ticket gate, you can see a blatant dirt road in Bada Scenic Area that can bypass the ticket gate and enter the scenic spot. However, seeing the numerous roads paved by manpower and the perfect facilities at the viewing platform in the scenic area, I still hope you can buy a ticket generously and enjoy this beautiful scenic spot legitimately.
It turns out that the ticket also includes Hukou Scenic Area
But the scenic area kindly deducted this part of the fee from the ticket. The ticket to the scenic spot originally cost 70 yuan, but now it is 35 yuan. This year Yunnan Province has implemented a half-price ticket policy, which only costs 35 yuan. There are additional discounts for purchasing tickets from its official APP to travel to Yunnan, which costs only 28 yuan.
Stand at attention! Tickets are valid for 72 hours. You can freely choose your visit time within the valid period, but you can only enter once. Scenic area opening hours: 6:00-20:00.
On May 21, 2000, a scene outside the window of Yuanyang Shengcun Inn. Photography/Black Fatty
Second, the way of sightseeing
The scenic area is very large, so driving or renting a car is the best way to see every famous terraced field. You can also stop and look for the scenery you think is beautiful. The next best thing is cycling, which is okay, but it’s not effortless because it’s mostly uphill and downhill, mostly on gravel roads.
If you want to complete it on foot, you need extraordinary physical strength and sufficient time. However, the ticket is only valid for 72 hours, which means that hikers need to complete the two scenic spots that require ticket checking within three days.
The total distance from Duoyishu Scenic Area to Bada Scenic Area is about 8 kilometers, and the non-stop walking time takes about 2 hours, depending on personal circumstances. If you like, you can try hiking.
3. Best Viewing Season
The best time to view the terraces is from the end of November to the beginning of April every year.
Because there were no seedlings in the ground at that time, only water. At that time, the sky and clouds were reflected by the water surface, as if a colorful sky curtain covered the earth like a broken mirror. So much so that during the peak season, the place is overcrowded, but after the peak season, it immediately becomes deserted. It seems that only the terraces at that time were worth seeing. We were also persuaded by many friends when we came, for the same reason: the terraces at this time are not beautiful.
But to be honest, whether it looks good or not is relative. When the fields are full of green, yellow or dark green seedlings, it is also a rare and good scenery. At least we are all glad that you came.
Of course, mandarin ducks in winter are also a must, after all, it is really the most beautiful time. Meet up with friends you like.
Recommended travel routes in Yuanyang
Schematic map of Yuanyang Scenic Area. Production/Hei Fatzi
1. Scenic Area Tourist Service Center: Buy tickets and learn some important background knowledge about Hani Rice Terraces.
There is the Hani Rice Terraces Cultural Landscape Exhibition on the right side of the ticket gate. It is worth a visit to let you understand the overview, cultural value and application of the Hani Rice Terraces.
2. Qingkou Observation Deck: It is about 500 meters in front of and behind the visitor center, still some distance away from the real Qingkou Deck.
You can see some terraced fields and part of Hani town from here, but the view is not very good. From here you can go down the steps and walk to Qingkou Village, Bada Village and Quanfu Village.
3. Hani Nationality Township and Hani Nationality History and Culture Museum: About 1.5 kilometers ahead from the Qingkou Village Observation Deck.
Hani Town is built for tourists’ shopping, leisure, dining and entertainment. Although it has the appearance of a mushroom house, it is not the soul. The Hani History and Culture Museum is open from 9:00-17:00 and is closed on Mondays.
4. Duoyishu Scenic Area/Dayutang Village: After visiting the museum, continue driving along National Highway 245 to the depths of the scenic area. After about 850 meters, you can see the three-way intersection.
If you continue to drive along National Highway 245 (turn right), it is an uphill section and you will arrive at Duoyishu Scenic Area.
Turn left onto Dasheng Township Road, and you will immediately see Dayutang Village. No matter which road you take, you will bid farewell to asphalt roads, and the road will be paved with small pieces of granite, making it bumpy. Our choice was to go down first because the inn is along this road.
Yutang Village is worth a visit. Although it has been rebuilt with Shanghai counterpart assistance and the old and dilapidated buildings have been abandoned, the village still retains its original charter and living habits. It is recommended to read some background information on Hani religion before coming, which will make the visit more interesting.
5. Quanfuzhuang Observation Deck: 3.6 kilometers from Dayutang Village to Shengda.
The Fuzhuang Observation Deck is very close to the terraces and overlooks the Qingkou Rice Terraces Scenic Area. The scenery is very beautiful especially at sunset.
6. Mali Village Tea Factory Parking Area: After passing Quanfu Village, walk 1.2 kilometers along the Shengda Section and you will arrive
7. Bada Scenic Area: Malizhai Tea Factory The parking lot extends for 1.2 kilometers.
You need to show tickets to the Bada Scenic Area, which means that Bada is naturally one of the most magnificent places in the entire scenic area, and in fact it is. In the deep valley, the terraces are arranged as densely as a dragon forest, covering tall bodies, stretching as far as the eye can see and majestic.
After entering, you can walk about 700 meters along the well-equipped viewing trail. Walking is not difficult. The further you go down, the more beautiful the scenery becomes. There were not many people when we arrived. It must have been affected by the epidemic. But judging from the signs here reminding tourists not to compete for camera space and not to climb over the guardrails, it is definitely a difficult place to find here during the peak season. You'd better come early.
The Dam Scenic Area is a famous place to watch the sunset, but I think it should also be beautiful when the first ray of sunshine shines on the terraced fields and the mountains behind it at sunrise. Unfortunately, tickets can only be used to enter each scenic spot once, and tourists have to make a tangled choice on when to enter the scenic spot.
8. Shengcun: the most prosperous place in the entire scenic spot.
There are some small shops, restaurants and inns, and we also chose an inn here.
In fact, it is also a good place to see the sea of ??clouds. We can see the beautiful sea of ??clouds from the roof of the inn or even from the room.
The sea of ??clouds in the dry season can only be seen in the morning after the night rain.
9. Yingkou Observation Deck: Starting from Shengcun, drive 3.8 kilometers along the Shengyan Section and Zhulu Section to reach it.
Yingkou Observation Deck is said to be an excellent place to watch the sunset.
However, there is no parking area like other observation decks. The narrow gravel slope on the roadside can only park one or two cars. Luckily when I got here there was no one at all. The nearly abandoned facility and "No Viewing Here" signs seem to ward off visitors. I quickly found the answer. There are almost always strong winds above level 10 here. My camera tripod got hung up, my camera bag became heavier and I couldn't stand still. After a few minutes, I felt like my body heat had been drained out of me. I wanted to grit my teeth and wait for the beautiful sunset, but I had to escape after ten minutes.
10. Mali Village: A little further along the eagle's mouth is Mali Village.
It is said that this place was once a famous scenic spot, but now it has been slowly forgotten like the eagle's beak.
There is a parking lot in the center of the village. It costs five yuan for residents of the village and eight yuan for people outside the village, but no one seems to be on duty at all.
This is worth a visit. The village is relatively primitive and complete, and you can walk up to the Luomadian terraces from here. If you have good physical strength, you can also walk to Qingkou Terrace.
11. Hani Four Seasons Observation Deck: On the way from Shengcun to Duoyishu along the Feast Section, you will first pass by Hani Four Seasons Observation Deck.
Oddly, most tour guides and navigation software do not include this place. The scenery here can only be considered average, but the platform is quite large. But you can see the village next to the terraces up close, which should be Walnut Village.
12. Huangcaoling Observation Deck: Between Hani Four Seasons and Duoyi Tree.
After Hani Four Seasons, you will also pass by Huangcaoling Observation Deck on the way to Duoyishu. The signboard here is very small and there is no parking lot, so it is easy to miss, but the scenery is actually quite good.
13. Duoyishu Scenic Area: It is more than 4 kilometers from Shengcun to Duoyishu.
Like Bada, there are magnificent rice terraces for which tickets are required. The ticket inspector here is probably the first to get up among all the employees in the scenic area.
Contrary to Bada, this is the best place to watch the sunrise.
My personal suggestion is that you’d better put on a pair of headphones, listen to some soft music, and enjoy the gentle morning light together, otherwise the sound of the drone whizzing above your head will more or less interfere with your appreciation. The mood of beautiful scenery.
14. Hukou Scenic Area: the saddest place.
Hukou Scenic Area, this is the former king. But last year, a flash flood triggered a landslide, and mudslides covered nearly 6,000 acres of terraced fields, completely destroying the scenic spot. I don’t know how many years or months it will take to recover. In fact, this is our dissatisfaction with the seemingly magnificent scenery of Yuanyang Terrace.
In fact, Hani Rice Terraces pay attention to four elements: rivers, terraces, forests, and villages. Only when these four things are perfectly and harmoniously unified is a complete ecosystem.
In Yuanyang, these four elements have been successfully halved, leaving only terraced fields and villages that are most attractive to tourists. There are not many forests, which may not be a good thing for soil and water conservation. Of course, I'm not sure this is the reason why Hukou collapsed, nor am I sure there were more forests in Yuanyang than there are now.
However, after leaving Yuanyang, we did see different terraced fields. There were trees in the fields and rivers beside them. It was really much nicer. Since I’m not in Yuanyang, I’ll write an article separately another day.
Experiences and some feelings and suggestions in Yuanyang
The impression given to us in Yuanyang is that the public security is good. In order to find the lost drone, we once wandered around the entrance of Mali Village after dark, and the car stayed there for a long time without any trouble.
Most of the villagers are very simple. We lost the drone, and some villagers enthusiastically took us to the village committee. The village committee also immediately tried its best to help us. (Although someone finally asked for money after I found it, I felt that since I lost the drone, I should pay for my mistake. He just asked for too high a price, and I didn’t want to wait for him to use the drone as his property in the future, so I would rather buy new ones and bear more financial losses, disagree).
The owner of the inn where we stayed was very nice and would take the trouble to cook local specialties for us every day.
It was the first time I learned that pomegranate flowers can be eaten, and it was the first time I tasted this tedious and delicious preparation. It takes at least three days to fry a pomegranate flower, from picking and preparing ingredients to removing the stamens, blanching, soaking, and frying one by one, and finally becomes our delicacy. We were impressed that there was a charge for a bowl of noodles.
Moreover, we spent a day finding unknown attractions that they found themselves, and we didn’t get a penny. I stay at her house every time I come here. In order to avoid the suspicion of advertising, I won’t mention the name of the inn. Friends in need, if you can take it, come either from a luxury hotel or a country inn. Talk alone.
Eating tofu at the market is charged per item. My grandma just immersed herself in baking tofu for us without looking at how much we took. She often asked us to remind her how many pieces we still had, so she shyly added a few more corn kernels. These scenes, which are hard to find in a big city like Beijing, warm our hearts time and time again.
Most attractions in the entire scenic area have obvious signs and are easy to spot. Huangcaoling and Yingzui are exceptions.
The road conditions in the scenic area are not bad. The road surface is a regular small stone road, which is a little bumpy and consumes a lot of fuel. But walking is not a big problem. The biggest advantage of this kind of road surface is that no one can drive fast unless they want to scrap their vehicle 10 years in advance and smash themselves into pieces. They don't have to worry about speeding, thereby protecting villagers and poultry and livestock to the greatest extent.
But the roads leading to Yingzui Village and Mali Village are very poor, not only narrow but also full of potholes. It seems that those two places have really been kicked out of the circle of friends.
Be sure to fill up your tank before coming to the scenic spot. There are no gas stations in the entire scenic area, and the nearest gas station is in Xinjie Town.
If you want to hike in the terraced fields, a good pair of shoes is essential. You can only walk on the ridge most of the time, so be careful. First, don’t destroy the terraces that farmers have worked so hard to build with their hands; the water in the field next door was waist deep, and I saw the snake with my own eyes. It's supposed to be a harmless snake, but you're sure to be startled when you encounter one unexpectedly.
Most of the observation decks in the scenic area are at the top of the mountain and halfway up the mountain. There will be no wind on the observation deck, but there will be sudden strong crosswinds in the valley. Not to mention drones, even helicopters can be blown up. Don't ask me how I know this.
The mountains are high and the valleys are deep, and the weather is changeable. You can’t see the sunrise and sunset every day, so it’s better to prepare for a few more days. On the day we left Yuanyang, we went to the museum, but we couldn't go in because of the power outage. Don't do such stupid things again, my friend. It is best to go to the museum when you arrive in Yuanyang. No one can move out of the terraces anyway. The power in the museum has been cut off, but w
If you want to hike in the terraced fields, you must protect yourself from the sun and bring plenty of drinking water. Don’t imagine you’ll pass by a 7-Eleven while hiking.