Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
Location: Yunnan Date of Inscription: 2013
The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces China cover over 16,000 hectares in southern Yunnan. The spectacular terraces cascade down the slopes of the towering Ailao Mountains to the banks of the Hong River. Over the past 1,300 years, the Hani people have developed a complex system of channels to bring water from the forested mountaintops to the terraces. They have also created an integrated farming system that involves buffalos, cattle, ducks, fish and eels and supports the production of red rice, the area’s primary crop. The Hani worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, forests and other natural phenomena including fire. Situated between the mountaintop forests and the terraces, their 82 villages feature traditional thatched “mushroom” houses.