Yuanyang County is about 300km south of Kunming City, renowned for its rice terraces, which claim as the world's largest and most spectacular one, crafted out by bare hands by the Hani people one thousand years ago and is still in use today. The rice farmers have had to practice ecology and land preservation centuries before those concepts were widely accepted around the world. Without hard work maintaining the terrace walls and irrigation system, the precious top soil would wash down the hillsides into the rivers.

Yuanyang is mainly a new town dominated by unimaginative cement buildings and two long streets. Its buildings rise so steeply that stairways connect many roads. Strolling through the market was visually intoxicating. Ethnic minorities, who make up the bulk of the people in town and the rural scenery are Yuanyang's attractions. The town was a bustling mosaic of brilliant color. Women in dazzlingly embroidered outfits toted bushel baskets of produce that seemed to glow in the alpine light.

Yuanyang has a various of ethnic minority groups (7 groups), and is renowned for its rice terraces, which claim as the world's largest and most spectacular one, crafted out by bare hands by the Hani people one thousand years ago and is still in use today. The landscape changes vividly through the year. The flooded paddies from Dec. to April creates reflecting pool effect, which is a photographer's dream.

Yuanyang Rice Terrace is a self sustaining ecosystem. During winter to early spring, the entire field is irrigated with spring water from the forest above to rejuvenate and getting prepared for the next season. The Hani people have repeated this for more than a thousand years. There is only one harvest in a year for the Yuanyang Rice Terrace; planting is from March to Oct./Nov. every year.

Yuanyang Rice Terrace is a perfect example of SYMBIOSIS with nature. The water evaporate from the rice terrace to form cloud, the rain is collected and trapped by the forest on the mountains, the spring water flow down to the rice terrace and the whole cycle repeats itself perpetually.

Although not many general tourists have visited the Yuanyang Rice Terraces, hordes of photographers have. The landscape changes vividly through the year. The flooded paddies from Dec. to April creates reflecting pool effect, which is a photographer's dream. In summer, the paddies are luxuriantly green with growing rice stalks. After the fall harvest, the paddies become naked bare earth.