The spectacular Yuanyang Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is well-known as the most stunning rice terraces in China. Besides the magnificent landscapes, the local Hani villages and ethnic markets are the perfect add-ons to deep dive into the local customs.
For luxury travelers, there are no luxury hotels in the whole area, local boutique hotels are the best and only options.
yuanyang tourist attractions
Duoyishu
It is one of the famous scenic spots for viewing Yuanyang Rice Terraces, sea of clouds, sunrise, and mushroom houses. The scenic spot includes a contiguous area of nearly 10,000 mu of terraced fields such as Duoyishu, Ai Village, and Dawazhe. It is one of the core protected areas of the World Cultural Heritage. It is a paradise for photographers to shoot sunrise. So many terraced fields and villages are hidden in the vast forest, and under the cover of the sea of clouds, they form a magical and magnificent landscape.
Laohuzui
Distributed in deep valleys, all shaped like a huge flower stamen. The terraces in various poses resemble ten thousand long dragons lying on the stamens, and ten thousand pieces of glass are embedded in the mountains. Standing on the high tiger’s mouth, looking down, like a tide like the sea, watching carefully, there are two galloping horses faintly lying on the mountain like a thousand-year-old tortoise, as if to tell the vicissitudes of the Hani ancestors who cultivated the terraced fields.
Bada
It is one of the famous scenic spots to watch the sunset, terraces, sea of clouds and Hani village. Bada terraces are magnificent, spectacular, beautiful in three-dimensionality. With the ridge of the terraces as the unit of calculation, there are more than 3000 levels. Layers of terraced fields are like ladders of heaven, bringing the villages of Bada and Ma Lizhai high into the sea of clouds.
Qingkou Hani Village
Qingkou Hani Village is an important part of the Yuanyang Rice Terrace Scenic Area. It mainly embodies the cultural history of the Hani ethnic minority’s long-term production and living in harmony with nature and can be called world culture. Heritage, the village has a strong Hani local style, distinctive ethnic characteristics, typical, traditional architecture, folk customs, and culture are preserved intact, production and lifestyle are unique, external cultural interference is not much, and the villagers are simple, kind, and hospitable.
Azheke Hani Village
At an altitude of 1,880 meters, Azheke Village is located at the heart of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, a site inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. The village is a traditional habitat for Hani people, with only 64 households and 479 villagers.
With its breathtaking natural scenery and distinctive mushroom houses, for many visitors, Azheke is like a fairyland on earth.
Ethnic Market
The local ethnic market schedule rotates between the nearby villages based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Match the animals on the calendar with a market schedule to decide the village in which the market is scheduled that day.
Besides the stunning landscape and the peaceful villages, visiting the local ethnic market is the best way to deep dive into the local customs.