Natural site · YUNNAN · UNESCO
Yuanyang Rice Terraces
元阳梯田 · Yuányáng Tītián
About
UNESCO-listed Hani-minority rice terraces in southern Yunnan. The most spectacular terraced-paddy landscape in southern China.
The Yuanyang rice terraces are a 1,000-year-old Hani-minority cultivated landscape spanning 16,000 hectares of mountain slopes in southern Yunnan. UNESCO-listed in 2013. The classic photography window is November to March when terraces are flooded for the next planting cycle, reflecting sunrise and sunset light. Three main viewing villages — Duoyishu (sunrise), Laohuzui (sunset), Bada (full panorama) — each have viewing platforms. Multi-day visit recommended.
How to get there
Long bus from Kunming (~7 hours) or short flight to Mengzi + bus.
When to visit
Mid-November to mid-March (flooded season). Avoid summer mud.
Other attractions in Kunming
Itineraries featuring this site
- Photography focus — Yunnan and Guilin, 10 days
10d · Ten days through two of China's most photogenic landscapes: Yunnan's terraced rice fields and highland villages, followed by the karst pinnacles and river mist of Guilin and Yangshuo.
- Yunnan deep loop — Kunming to Tengchong, 14 days
14d · Fourteen days through the full breadth of Yunnan: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, the Yuanyang terraces, Jianshui and the geothermal fields of Tengchong — the province's different climates, altitudes and minorities in one loop.
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