Where Are the Yuanyang Terraced Fields?

The Yuanyang Terraced Fields are located in the southern part of the Ailao Mountains in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province. They are a masterpiece created and passed down by generations of the Hani people.

Carved by the Hani ethnic group, the terraces conform to the contours of mountains and local landforms. Farmers adapt to terrain conditions: wide flat slopes are turned into large paddies, while steep narrow hillsides become small plots. Even tiny crevices beside ditches and ridges are reclaimed for farming. As a result, some terraces span several mu, while others are no bigger than a winnowing basket. A single mountain slope often holds tens of thousands of mu of terraced land.

Boasting a grand, magnificent layout, the terraces stretch across the southern bank of the Red River, covering Honghe, Yuanyang, Luchun, Jinping and other counties. Within Yuanyang County alone lie 170,000 mu of terraces, forming the core zone of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces.