Dragons Backbone Rice Terraces (Longji)
written by wil6ka
on August 7th, 2008
(1 vote)
Because I can’t really find my Lonely Planet of China I have to recall how I have traveled, taking my diary and doing the most awkward thing: remembering! When I was in Guilin I ended up in a hostel and kind of got attached to a Frenchman. The fellow had contact to a Chinese tourist-lady and asked me, if I wanted to come on a trip to some legendary rice terraces.
I remember the conditions were a bit pricey and we had to move in the dawn, hence Longji is 80 km up north from Guilin. The guide was quite a character, on the one hand very practical and with a lot of power, not so very feminine if it comes to attitude. But still she was practicing the art of flirting, which was really having an effect on the French man. She promised us quite a view and I was up to trust her, and where should I go anyway? As we arrived in Longji we made a long way up the hill. On our hike we met peasants with baskets and schoolchildren on their way to school. The villages around send their kids on one school and in this point education really has a significance, because they need up to four hours to reach the school and then they have to go back.
After the middle of the hike we already got a glimpse of what we were promised: The great rice terraces of the dragon. Nice patterns swung their way around the mountains. With some drugs this encounters could have been a psychedelic one, but Chinese Firewater was good as well.
The most amazing thing is, that these terraces were started to be built, in the 13th century and enlarged and preserved in the coming 800 years. That is what I call living history. And a history of food, just think about how much rice did grow here on a territory of almost 70 square kilometers.
We slept in a farmhouse and it was, like always, cold in the mountains. But the next day way paying it back, we were swimming in the river of the mountain. If you are around you will have to take a glimpse on this fantastic sight. China has so much to offer!
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangxi/longsheng/dragon.htm
Please login or register to use this feature.