Long Ji Rice Terraces

candid China tips

 

Why
Long Ji Rice Terraces
are special

Long Ji is one of the world's most beautiful rice terraces. It is also one of the world's largest rice terraces, measuring 66 square kilometers (26 square miles).

Long Ji rice terraces
tips & insights

Creation

The Long Ji Rice terraces were begun in earnest during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and were virtually completed by 1700.

Name

The term Long Ji translates as Dragon's Back, the popular English name for the terraces.

Configurations

Most terraces are carved out of the hillside, one directly above the other. Some terraces spiral upwards, forming one continuous path around a hill, from its base to its top (this facilitates irrigation by allowing the water to flow down an unbroken track). 

Slope angles

The slopes are steep (30 degree average). Some have 50 degree inclines.

Altitude

The highest Long Ji erraces are 1100 meters (3600 feet) above sea level.

When to visit

The time you go will affect what you see. The paddies are lush green with growing rice stalks in the summer. After the fall harvest, paddies are exposed bare soil (no greenery or water). They are later filled with water, forming reflecting pools. They remain that way until the first rice shoots appear in the spring.

Nearby villages

Explore some of the interesting ethnic villages in the region around Long Ji, including those of the Shuang and Yao people.

Getting there

To reach the Long Ji terraces from Guilin (the major tourism city of the Guangxi autonomous region), you drive three hours north to the regional city of Longsheng, then one hour southeast up a twisting mountain road to Long Ji.

Pronunciation guide

Long Ji:  lah'ng gee

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©2010 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications