Around Yuanyang
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country, which borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with high elevations in the northwest and low elevations in the southeast. Most of the 46 million population lives in the eastern part of the province. In the west, the altitude can vary from the mountain peaks to river valleys as much as 3,000 metres. As with other parts of China's southwest, Japanese occupation in the north during World War II forced a migration of majority Han people into the region. Ethnic minorities in Yunnan account for about 34 percent of its total population. Major ethnic groups include Yi, Bai, Hani, Zhuang, Dai and Miao. Yuanyang County is located in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan province, along the Red River. It is well known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing. It is a popular destination with photographers due to the vast areas of nearby mountains which have been cultivated into terraced rice paddies for at least the past 1300 years by the Hani people. Despite the overwhelming scenic beauty of its landscape and colourful local minorities, mass tourism hasn't developed in this region, mainly due to its remote location, lack of a nearby airport, and until fairly recent, relative inaccessibility due to bad road conditions. The terraced areas are mainly found between 1000 and 2000 metres above sea level. The winter temperatures here, although never freezing, are such that they only support one rice crop a year. After the harvest, from mid-September till mid-November depending on the elevation, the terraces are filled with water until April, when planting begins.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Yunnan, China
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: arbres, arrozales, asia, asie, asien, bergdorf, campagne, campo, china, chine, countryside, culture, kultur, landschaft, minderheit, minority, minorité, minorí, montagne, montañ, mountain, paddy, pueblo, reisfelder, rizières, tradició, tradition, tree, village, yunnan, árboles, äume, 中國, 亞洲, 傳統, 少數, 少數民族, 山村稻田樹木, 文化, 農村, 雲南, 鴛鴦
