Yuanyang County of Yunnan Province is well-known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing, splendid cultures of various ethnic groups, and colorful ethnic festivals; therefore it is called the “hometown of Hani terraces” and the “hometown of the sea of clouds”. The county houses seven ethnic groups including Hani, Yi, Dai, Miao, Yao, Zhuang and Han, forming a gallery of colorful folk cultures in the remote area. The terraces with an area of over 360,000 mu or 24 000 hectares, reclaimed by the hardworking people from various ethnic groups there, deserve to be called a wonder in the world.
In order to develop the brand of the terrace culture and accelerate the successful bid for Hani Terraces in Honghe State to be included in the World Heritage List, Yuanyang County shall hold the Hani Terrace Culture and Tourism Festival in five consecutive years. Rich ethnic cultural activities such as the distinctive Banquet at the Street of the Hani group, folk rituals to offer sacrifices and folk songs and dances shall be held during the festival. On February 28th, 2009, the festival shall be held in Xinjie Town, Yuanyang County. At that time, the large performance Terrace Impression (Ti Tian Yin Xiang) combining original singing and dancing of diverse ethnic groups will be so impressive that you cannot miss it.
Sightseeing:
The terraces should definitely be your focus. In fact, terraces are all over the place here. No matter where you are heading for, you will see the magnificent sceneries of terraces around you. Photographers often go to the following places: Bada, the best place for taking pictures of sunset; Duoyishu, a perfect choice for taking pictures of sunglow; Longshuba, a large area of terraces, good for taking pictures of sunset; Mengpin, the best place for taking pictures of terraces from overhead. There are also many other places, for example, Huangmaoling and Huangcaoling. Pick up your own place when arriving at Yuanyang.
Ethnic groups:
There are many ethnic groups including Hani, Yao, Miao, Dai, Zhuang and Yi in Yuanyang. It is marked with distinctive ethnic cultures and customs. In the streets of the county, you will see many ethnic minorities wearing clothes with the characteristics of their own groups. It is very special. But the best place to appreciate the ethnic cultures and customs are the streets in the rural area. Laomeng is the most famous village, where the residents mainly come from the groups of Miao, Yi, Yao and Hani. On fair days, the villager will dress up and go to fair on the street. There are numerous goods for sell, such as the livestock, means of production, ethnic crafts made by hand, daily necessities, agricultural and sideline products as well as special snacks.
Festivals:
There are many festivals such as the Torch festival and the March Street. But the most distinctive one is the Banquet as the Street held in Habo Village and other places. During the festival, each household in the village shall prepare rich foods, bring them to the long table along the street, and share them with the whole village. Guests from outside the village can also join them. The banquet with the table reaching up to several hundred meters long is extremely spectacular.
