Longji Rice Terraces

Longji Rice Terraces

Longji Rice Terraces, literally Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, gains its name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales and the mountain range looks like the backbone of a dragon. It is reputed as one of the most beautiful rice terraces in the world.

It is located in Longsheng County, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Guilin and 140 kilometers (90 miles) from Yangshuo. The construction of incredible Longji Rice Terraces started in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and lasted till the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Now, the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces covers an area of 66 square kilometers (about 16,308 acres) and spans an altitude between 300 meters (about 984 feet) and 1,100 meters (about 3,608 feet). Among them, two main and representative viewing areas are the Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields and the Jinkeng Terraced Fields where Zhuang and Yao Minority people have been living respectively for hundreds of years. In addition to appreciate the rice terraces, visitors can learn some unique customs in Longsheng rice terraces scenic area.
 

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields have totally 15,862 pieces of rice terraces, some big while some tiny. Here visitors can appreciate two unique sights of rice terraces. One is the “Seven Stars Accompany the Moon”, which is comprised of seven small piles of rocks left deliberately by people when they dig up the terraces and a moon-shaped terrace in the middle. Looking at it from a distance, it looks like “seven shinning stars” accompanying the “moon”. It is a perfect place for photography. Another one is “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers”. The nine ridges spread from the main vein of Dragon’s Backbone, which look like nine dragons bending over to drink water from the Jinsha River. Alongside, there are five tiger-shaped rocks. It takes about 2 hours to visit this area.

Being the first rice terraced area in Longji Rice Terraces that was developed for tourism, Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields is now well-equipped with modern facilities. The dining, accommodation and transportation are quite convenient.

Longji Rice Terraces in Spring

Local Residence of Zhuang Nationality

The Jinkeng Terraced Fields are inside the Dazhai Village, with mountains on all sides and known for its rich mineral resources of gold. Here visitors should not miss its three famous scenic spots - West Hill Music or No.1 viewing platform, Large-scale Thousand-Layer Terraces or No.2 viewing platform, and Golden Buddha Summit or No.3 viewing platform. All with high elevation of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), they are the best places for viewing the sunrise and sunset as well as overseeing the whole Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. A visit needs about 4-5 hours.

Dazhai Village is also equipped with hotels and restaurants for visitors’ convenience. But it is less commercial than Ping’an. 

Women of Yao Ethnic Minority

Zhuang Minority People

The dwellers of Longsheng Rice Terraces are mostly Zhuang and Yao minority people. They have their own unique and interesting customs in dinning, clothes, and living styles, etc. For instance, their houses are stilt houses to repel moisture; the ladies of Yao minority like to have long hairs, and some of their hairs are over 1 meter long; their clothes are very colorful with delicate embroidery.
 

1. Mid-April to middle or late June: At the time, the rice terraces are filled with water for rice planting. You will see hundreds of “water mirrors” with reflections of the blue sky, floating clouds and mountains on the surface.
2. Late September to October: The rice in the terraces is ripen. Visitors can appreciate a sea of golden rice fluttering and dancing in the wind with distinctive layers.
3. July to middle September: The green world will bring you a sense of tranquil that is hard to find in the hustling and bustling city.
4. The festival time is also a good choice to visit Longsheng rice terraces, when visitors can have a lot of fun.

Cole Flower Festival	March to April	Tourists will be amused by the sea of cole flowers.
Spring Plowing Festival	May to June	It’s a good opportunity for photography enthusiasts to shoot beautiful pictures of the rice terraces. Also they can take part in the photo competition to win prizes.
Drying Clothes Festival	The 6th day in 6th lunar calendar	Yao minority people sun clothes on that day. Afterwards, they perform folk dances and songs in the village. Tourists can take this chance to appreciate Yao people’s traditional costume and wonderful performances.
Golden Autumn Cultural Festival	September to October	During the festival, tourists can enjoy folk performances of the Yao Minority and join the campfire party at night.

 

1-day Itinerary: Arrive at Huangluo Yao Village – private car to Jingkeng Dazhai Terraced Fields – hike to No.2 viewing platform – No.3 viewing platform – back to Dazhai Village

2-day Itinerary: Arrive at Jinkeng Dazhai Terraced Fields – No.2 viewing platform – sunset at No.3 viewing platform – stay overnight at Dazhai Village – sunrise at No.1 viewing platform – hike to Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraces

More Longji Rice Terraces Maps

 

Two ways from the Dazhai Village to Ping’an Village are by car or by hiking respectively. Since there is no direct bus from Dazhai Village to Ping’an Village, it is recommended to take a private car, which costs about RMB 80 and takes about 50 minutes. If you are energetic and want to explore more beautiful scenery of terraced fields, a hiking tour from Dazhai Village to Ping’an is highly recommended. The total journey will take about 4 - 4.5 hours.
 

1. In peak season, passenger can take direct shuttle bus to get to Ping’an or Dazhai villages in Longji Rice Terraces from Guilin Qintan Coach Station, Guilin North or West Railway Station, taking 2.5 - 3 hours and costing CNY 50 - 60. The depart time is from 8:00 to 15:00 depending on passenger flow.

2. Passengers can also take a coach from Guilin Qintan Coach Station to Longsheng County, and the depart time is 08:00, 09:10, 11:00, 12:00, 13:10, 14:00, 15:10, 16:10, 17:10 and 18:20, taking about 2 hours. Then take the shuttle bus from Longsheng to Longji Rice Terraces, duration is about an hour, and this bus depart at 07:30, 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00.
 

From Yangshuo to Longji Rice Terraces, passengers can take the direct shuttle bus from Yangshuo Coach Station to Dazhai Village. The depart time of this shuttle bus is 8:00, 10:30 and 13:30, and the cost is CNY 90. Duration is about 4-4.5 hours. In slack season, passengers need to get to Guilin first and then get to the scenic area from Guilin.

Admission Fee	CNY 80 covering Ping'an Zhuang Village and Dazhai Yao Village Rice Terraces; Children below 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) are free of charge.
Ticketing Time	08:30 - 17:30