Picture Perfect: Longsheng Rice Terraces (龙胜梯田)

Photography by Xue Feng

The most amazing rice terraces in China—Longsheng, also known as Longji (Dragon’s Backbone)—are located in Guilin, Guangxi Province.

The terraced fields are built along winding mountain slopes, stretching from the riverside up to the mountaintop at elevations between 600 and 800 metres (2,000 to 2,600 ft) above sea level. A coiling line of terraces rises from the mountain foot to the summit, transforming the landscape into layers of water in spring, layers of green rice shoots in summer, layers of golden rice in autumn, and layers of frost in winter. Most of the terraced fields were built approximately 650 years ago.

The Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Rice Terraces received their name because the terraces resemble a dragon’s scales, while the mountain ridge above looks like the dragon’s backbone. (Wikipedia)

Longji is also a place where visitors can experience China’s ethnic minority cultures. Of China’s 55 officially recognized ethnic minority groups, 27 reside in Guangxi Province.

Longsheng Rice Terraces Photos

Longsheng in Black & White

Map

Photos are copyright © Xue Feng.