Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
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The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are the system of Hani rice-growing terraces located in Honghe Prefecture, Yuanyang County,
Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
, China. The terraces' history spans around 1,200 years. The total area stretches across 1,000,000 acres and four counties: Yuanyang, Honghe, Jinpin and Lüchun, although the core area of the terraces is located in Yuanyang County. In 2013, 16,603 hectares of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces were listed as a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, because of their outstanding resilient construction, unique social-ecological system, and importance to the Hani people.哈尼梯田申遗成功
2013-06-22


Description

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are located on the southern banks of the Hong River, below the Ailao Mountains in southern Yunnan. The rough, mountainous terrain and high annual rainfall led to the creation of a complex terrace system for growing rice, with some locations having over 3000 terraces between the edge of the forest and the valley floor. Irrigation channels and artificial aquifers made out of sandstone distribute the water across the landscape. This system has been continually maintained and operated by the Hani people for over 1,300 years. The cultivation of rice is an important part of the Hani culture, theology, calendar, and political system. The terraces follow a distinct vertical structure that has allowed the landscape to persist for so long, incorporating forests, villages, terraces, and water supply. At the tops of the mountains (above 2000 meters in elevation), the forests are conserved, to act as a catchment for the rainfall and to "recharge" the fields and terraces below. An intricate system of canals and ditches divert the water into the terraces below. The villages in the region are usually constructed just below the forests, between 1400 and 2000 m. In the World Heritage Site, 82 villages, each with 50-100 households, are protected. The buildings are usually made of adobe and stone. Each household farms one or two terrace plots below, usually growing red rice and breeding cattle. File:1 yuanyang county rice terrace bada view 2012.jpg File:Subsistent Farming Southern China.jpg File:2007 1206 Cleared Hani rice terraces.jpg


References

{{World Heritage Sites in China World Heritage Sites in China Agricultural terraces Yuanyang County, Yunnan