Yuan Yang


YAN YANG

I traveled about 350 km SW of Kunming to Yuan Yang. Located next to the border of Viet Nam, this mountain city is over 1000 years old. The surrounding mountains have been terra formed into “terrace farming” fields where you can see the “8th wonder of the world” before your eyes. These terraces are about 6′ high and rise thousands of feet straight up the sheer faces of the mountains here. See “Terrra 7” pic to get an idea of the size of these terraces. Now you can see the other pics and realize just how extensive these fields are. They go on for hundreds of km where everything is farmed by hand (and buffalo). The villages dot the countryside where for over 1000 years, farmers grow mainly rice and corn. The local minority people, Hani and the Yie, are interesting and quite colorful in their native clothes.The city of Yan Ying is built clinging to the mountainside several thousand feet in altitude. Many villages are spread throughout the mountains here to service the farming fields. Pics “Terra 8,9,10″ I shot at sunrise which reflects the water filled fields. Terra 6 shows a field ready for planting the rice. I hope these pics give some idea of the immense undertaking of these people to create this amazing landscape. It goes on for as far as the eye can see. And everything is farmed by hand. The walls are about 12” wide and allow the buffalo to navigate to the different fields for plowing. China continues to be a land of amazing sights and experiences.
Stay tuned……… I’m planning my next outing as you read this.