When visiting Guilin China, it would be worth the two-hour trip to Longsheng County where you will discover the magnificent Longji Rice Terraces, which translates to “Dragon’s Backbone”.  In many parts of China, land for farming is scarce so the China people developed a way to take advantage of land that would otherwise be wasted.  These rice terraces are literally built into hillsides with winding designs that look similar to beautiful strips of ribbon.

These terraces start at the top of the hillside and spiral all the way to the bottom, using available land and water from the mountains.  Rice terraces have proven to be so successful that today, more than 40 miles of beautifully terraced fields are found in the Longsheng County alone.  The Longji Terraces were started during the Yuan Dynasty but not finished until the Qing Dynasty.

The Longji Terraces are comprised of numerous terraced fields, many that are often visited.  While all the terraced fields are beautiful and simply mesmerizing, one in particular that is seldom viewed is called the Jinkeng Rice Terrace.  This magnificent creation is only 30 minutes from Longsheng and well worth the trip to see.  However, even if you only make it to the primary fields, you will be impressed with the incredible network of terraces.

Getting to the Longji Terraces is easy by taking a bus from Guilin to the bus station in Longsheng.  From there, you would board a mini-bus to the Longji Terraces.  The trip is very inexpensive and reaching your destination takes little time.  Although many things should be seen by people going to Guilin, the rice terraces are without doubt an experience not to be missed.

No matter the time of day, the vision is stunning.  However, if you have the opportunity to visit the Longji Terraces in the afternoon when the sun is low in the sky, a certain golden glow moves over the fields of rice, creating one of nature’s finest shows.

Li River Cruise