South China
Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Rice Terraces
龙脊梯田 · Guangxi, Guilin
Centuries-old rice terraces rippling down the hillsides around Zhuang and Yao minority villages.
The Longji ('Dragon's Backbone') Terraces sweep over the hills north of Guilin like the scales of a dragon, carved by Zhuang and Yao farmers over 700 years. The Ping'an and Jinkeng (Dazhai) areas offer hiking trails between wooden villages, with views that change with the seasons: water-filled mirrors in spring, green ribbons in summer, golden rice in autumn and snow in winter.
The terraces were first constructed in the Yuan dynasty and expanded through the Ming and Qing by the Zhuang and Yao peoples, who built intricate irrigation systems to farm the steep slopes. Still actively cultivated today, they are a showcase of traditional minority highland agriculture and a celebrated photographic destination.
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