Yuanyang County was once crowned as one of the China's 17 most attractive scenic places. 326 km south of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. it is located in the depth of the Ailao Mountains in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Yuanyang has a population of 347, 000 with 2190 square kilometers. The annual average temperature is 16.4 degree Celsius, and 1407 mm of yearly average precipitation.
Yuanyang becomes a big draw to tourists and photographers for the amazing rice-terraces built on the red-soil mountains. 2500 years ago, the ancestors of Hani people came from Tibetan Plateau to this land and worked out the terraced fields on mountains generations after generations. Now we can see the terraced fields step upwards over range upon range of slopes from a height 144 to 2000 meters. In Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Emperor granted them the title of "Magic Mountain Sculptors". From the tidy and well-constructed fields, anyone has to admit that it is a human engineering feat only made by those hard working people.
The Hani terraces and their irrigation system constitute ingenious agricultural innovation. Ailao Mountain's temperate climate and large scope of vegetation assures precipitation adequate to water the terraces, but equal apportionment of water to each plot on each terrace requires special skill. The Hani people call their method of water management, "Carving Wood to Ration Water"; villagers from each household mark different gradations on a wooden cross and place it in front of the terrace's source of water. When water flowing into the terraces reaches a specific gradation, the flow ceases. This system ensures enough water for every terraced plot.
For more info and photos about Yuanyang Rice Terraces and Hani people, please visit http://www.easytourchina.com/
