What Are the Attractions in Yuanyang?

Yuanyang Terraced Fields feature six or seven scenic spots including Duoyishu, Bada, Mengpin and Longshuba in Jinzhu Village, each with unique charms. The farthest site lies 24 kilometres from the county seat. At sunrise, crimson clouds fill the sky and mist surges across the valleys. Sunlight glints off the water-filled terraces, creating shimmering golden waves for a spectacular view. In the afternoon, visitors can head to a second spot to admire terraced sunsets. Staying three to four days in the new county town of Yuanyang during fine weather with mist, sunshine and colourful glow guarantees rewarding photography trips.

Ticket Price: 30 yuan per person Address: Yuanyang County (6 kilometres from Xinjie Town) Opening Hours: 08:00 – 20:00

Immerse yourself in authentic Hani ethnic customs here. The village preserves Yuanyang’s best intact clusters of original mushroom-shaped stilt houses, alongside traditional living and working facilities such as water mills, water rollers and rotating swing grounds. It fully embodies the Hani cultural ecological model known as the harmonious coexistence of four elements: forests, terraces, villages and rivers. Stunning terraced scenery is also available for viewing.

Located within Yuanyang Terraced Fields National Wetland Park and the core zone designated for World Cultural Heritage inscription, Laohuzui is 20 kilometres away from the old county seat (Xinjie Town). It boasts over 850 hectares of magnificent terraces in diverse shapes with breathtaking grandeur. On clear winter and spring days, the flooded paddies naturally form patterns resembling two galloping stallions, coiled dragons and crouching tigers, as well as a millennia-old giant tortoise resting quietly in the valley bottom, telling the profound history of Hani ancestors reclaiming mountain slopes into farmland. Featuring the steepest terrain and most imposing terraced landscapes in Yuanyang, it is hailed as the ultimate masterpiece of the "Sculptures of the Earth".

This extraordinary landscape rose to global fame after French newspapers listed it as one of the seven newly discovered world cultural landscapes in 1993. A French film producer named Yann Lama travelled here with his fiancée to hold their wedding and shot the landscape documentary Sculptures of the Earth, which was released at home and abroad.

Key attractions at Laohuzui: Laohuzui Terraces, Amengkong Terraces, Baoshan Village Terraces and Mengnong Tusi Ruins.

Sited 23 kilometres from Xinjie Town in the core heritage zone at an altitude of 1,900 metres, Duoyishu Scenic Area covers 650 hectares of terraces spread across bay-shaped hillsides with slopes ranging from 25° to 50°, covering Duoyishu, Aichun and Dawazhe. It is the premier destination for watching and photographing sea-of-cloud terraces, sunrise and mountain villages. The renowned landscape film Stories of Yunnan was mainly shot among these terraces and hamlets.

Key attractions: Huangcaoling Terraces, Pugao Old Village Terraces, Duoyishu Terraces and the Zongwa Tusi Administrative Yamen Ruins.

Fourteen kilometres from Xinjie Town within the World Heritage core zone, Bada Scenic Area contains more than 950 hectares of splendid terraces.

Famous for its magnificent scale, graceful flowing lines and strong three-dimensional layers, thousands upon thousands of terraced tiers stretch unbroken from the Malizhai River at 800 metres above sea level all the way to mountain summits at 2,000 metres, lifting Hani villages of Malizhai, Bada, Shangmadian and Quanfuzhuang high above a sea of clouds. Over 3,700 tiers form a celestial ladder reaching straight toward the sky. At sunset, the water-filled terraces glow brilliant gold and silver, offering unparalleled beauty. It is an ideal spot for viewing and shooting cloud-shrouded terraces, sunsets and mountain hamlets.

Key attractions: Quanfuzhuang Terraces, Malizhai Terraces, Bada Terraces and Shangmadian Terraces.

Ticket Price: 10 yuan per person Address: Seat of Panzhihua Township Government, 20 kilometres south of Yuanyang County Town Opening Hours: All day

Constructed during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, this ancient manor clings to the mountain with a majestic overall layout paired with delicate intricate carvings. It stands as a model of sinicized architecture in ethnic minority regions. The conference hall in the main building has been transformed into an exhibition hall, with detailed texts and images illustrating the complete history of the ancient ethnic Tusi system (visitors may compare it with the Naluo Tusi Yamen in Jianshui).

Ticket Price: Free entry Address: Eza Township, Yuanyang County Opening Hours: All day

Habo boasts vast stretches of terraces as well as rich, colourful Hani folk customs. Every November or December, the village hosts a grand Long Street Banquet. A trip to Habo delivers a dual feast for your eyes and taste buds.