Cultural Landscape Of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Facts You Must Know

The world heritage site of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces is considered to be of outstanding universal value due to its unique landscape and its importance to the Hani people's culture and history.

Many of the Hani people's religious ceremonies and festivals are held at the terraces. The area is also home to many ancient villages and temples.

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are a beautiful example of human interaction with nature. Located in the southern part of Yunnan Province, these spectacular terraces have been carved into the hills over centuries and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

They cascade down the Ailao Mountain slopes extending to Hong River banks.

If you're planning on visiting this area, it's important to know some facts about the cultural landscape first! In this article, we will discuss some interesting facts about the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces that you may not have known before.

Discovery And History

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are a Hani rice growing terrace system in the Honghe Prefecture of the Yuanyang County in Yunnan, China. The history of these spectacular terraces goes back to 1,200 years.

The Hani or Ho-people have created a complex system of routes for water supply to terraces from the forested mountaintops for more than 1,300 years. This complex system runs between a variety of valleys. They have also created an integrated farming system, involving eel, fish, ducks, cattle, and buffalos and supporting the primary crop, red rice.

They inhabit 82 traditional villages between the terraces and forested mountaintops. These small villages have thatched 'mushroom' houses. They worship natural phenomena like fire, forests, rivers, and mountains, and other natural phenomena like the moon, and the sun.

Cultural Heritage

The rice terraces of Honghe Hani Autonomous Prefecture are among the most splendid and well-preserved architectural wonders in China.

The unique construction of the rice terraces, which is a kind of hydraulic engineering, as well as their history and culture make them outstanding representatives of humanity's endogenous creation and reflect the wisdom and creative spirit of the builders.

Red rice is cultivated based on integrated and complex farming and breeding system. Snails feed on pests, water buffalos are used for sloughing for planting for next year, fertilizers from pigs are used for mature plants, and young red rice plants are fertilized by ducks.

The intricate socio-economic-religious order sustain the rice cultivating procedure, strengthening the relationship of humans with the environment, through accountability to the wider community and their lands. The physical manifestation of this two-fold inter-dependent system is called the 'Man-God Unity social system', forming an extraordinary cultural tradition.

Geographical Facts

Terraces are divided into four main areas: the Lower Dajie Area, the Middle Dajie Area, the Upper Dajie Area, and the Gaoligong Mountain Area.

The rice terraces occupy an area totaling 61.7 sq mi. (160 sq km) and involve the construction of some 530,000 small dikes and more than 62.1 mi (100 km) of channels on slopes up to 80 degrees steepness. They are fed by water diverted from the Hong River, one of the main tributaries of the Yangtze.

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are home to several different plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. This diversity is due to the wide range of altitude and microclimates found within the terraces.

The landscape has a unified four-fold system of houses, terraces, water supply, and forests. The forests on the top of the mountain are the essence of the terraces, as they capture and sustain the water required for irrigation. The four types of forests here are village forests for food and wood, consolidation forest, shared forest, and historical 'water-recharge' forest.

Site Statistics

The land management of these rice terraces shows extraordinary harmony between this environment and humans, ecologically and visually, based on long-lived religious and social structures.

Today, the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are a popular tourist destination, with millions of visitors each year. The terraces were originally used for rice cultivation, but have been gradually abandoned over time as new methods of agriculture have been developed. Today, the rice terraces are still used for agriculture by the Hani people and other local ethnic groups.

Each village of the Hani people has customary laws to manage natural resources and solve problems within the village. The local government of the region came up with certain programs for tourism management and development.

There are three regions of terraces, Laohuzui, Duoyishu, and Bada located in river basins of Amengkkong-Geta, Dawazhe, and Malizhai. The gradient of the Laohuzui terrace is very steep, Duoyishu medium steep, and Bada is gentle.

FAQs

Q. How do the rice terraces reflect the culture of the Ifugao?

A. The rice terraces are a reflection of the culture of the Ifugao people, who have lived in the area for centuries and have been responsible for their construction.

Q. Why did the Hani people terrace the mountain slopes?

A. The Hani people terraced the mountain slopes for a variety of reasons. One reason was to create arable land in an area that is naturally difficult to farm.

Q. What are the main influences on China's cultural landscape?

A. The main influences on China's cultural landscape are its history, geography, and climate. Each of these factors has played a role in shaping the country's unique culture and traditions.

Q. Did Ifugao build the rice terraces?

A. No, the Ifugao people did not build the rice terraces. The terraces were built by the Hani people, who are closely related to the Ifugao. The two cultures share many similarities, including their love of rice cultivation and traditional architecture.

Q. What kind of landform are rice terraces?

A. Rice terraces are a type of landform that is created when people alter the natural landscape to cultivate rice.

Q. How big are Honghe Hani Rice Terraces?

A. Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are about 61.7 sq mi (160 sq km) big!

Q. When did Honghe Hani Rice Terraces get listed as a UNESCO world heritage site?

A. The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces were listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2013!

Q. What made Honghe Hani rice terraces so special?

A. Many things make the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces special, but one of the most important is their age. These terraces are centuries old, and they have been passed down from generation to generation.