There is an old local ballad: "On Xiaoling and Maluo Ridges, Every step meets a steep ledge. Ploughing here is sheer toil; Both men and oxen gasp for breath."

Xiaoling Village and Maluo Village lie in Tongfang Town of Changting County, right on the border with Liancheng County. Perched at high altitudes with precipitous slopes, the villages have more than 800 mu of rice paddies clinging to steep hillsides.

Thanks to this unique terrain, Maluo and Xiaoling have become popular tourist and photography destinations during three golden periods: around the Dragon Boat Festival when the terraces are filled with water, around the Mid-Autumn Festival when the rice ripens into golden waves, and around the Spring Festival when sea of clouds frequently forms over the mountains.