Impressive.. is the only word for these. The Dragon Backbone Terraces, as it is called in Chinese. In Portugal we also have this kind of terraced cultivated fields on the slopes of hills, but here in Longsheng it's so much more in every sense: not a single space is left to cultivate, the terraces stack in tens of them, and are flooded in a controlled way to grow rice. I think I even saw some fishes in the flooded terraces, a relatively common practice in China, they got to make the best of whatever terrain they have :-)
This village is in a part of the famous Longsheng Terraces, the mountains cut in terraces for growing rice. This lady is a Yao woman, a people sharing this area of northern Guangxi with other so called national minorities. They do try to keep their folclore and tradition, and the surge in tourism has helped it allright. Being the most reachable by road (this path is possibly being laid in asphalt as I write) the village is focusing on tourism, and perhaps 2 out of 3 houses will serve as inns this summer. However, tradition (or the law?) requests that all buildings are made in wood, thus giving it all a warm, cosy feeling. I stayed in her new inn, the water running just below my window, the smell of pine wood, and she and her sister were very welcoming.
Take a bike ride around Yangshuo and meet China's countryside. The scenery is impressive. The prosperity brought by tourism is a little evident, but the roads are still mud paths with occasional colourful graves, and everyone is very happy to see you. Yangshuo city in itself is just a tourist mecca, full of pubs, hotels, marketplaces, living off tourism. Young people from all over come to teach and learn English, have fun, meet other young people. (Kind of reminds me of Antigua, Guatemala, but without the cultural tradition). A great place to party and getting laid, no place to appreciate China. And a world away from the simplicity and beauty of the countryside just around it.
"Nothing more beautiful below Sky and above Earth than the mountains and rivers of Guilin".. so goes the saying. Indeed not far from true, this place is Beautiful.
What am I doing here? These are some students for a movie academy or so in Guangzhou. We had a little interview for their work on foreigners coming into China, right in the middle of the street. I explained that I was interested in working in China, but in fact could not quite detail why... who knows, maybe most foreigners in China dont't know either!
