The Hani terraced fields in Lijiang city has won the approval of the State Council and have recently declared 2013 World Culture Heritage. The declaration materials have been passed through for pre-examining from the World Heritage Centre and have been formally submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage centre.

Hani terraced fields began to formally declare World Culture Heritage in 2000. For over 10 years, the Honghe Autonomous Prefecture has done a lot of work in environmental remediation and renovation to develop the original traditional culture. They have since received approval from the UNESCO World Heritage Center. In 2011, the State Administration of cultural heritage in Beijing made a comprehensive evaluation for 13 projects, such as the central axis of the Beijing and Xiamen Gulangyu Islet. After the expert assessment, Hani terraced field ranked first.

On Oct 20, 2011, Prefecture governor Yang Fusheng issued the first order to promulgate and implement the new “Hani terraced field protection and management regulations for the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture". On Dec 2, the Prefecture government held the review meeting for a "Hani terrace protection management plan". Other work has been completed for the protection of the Hani terraced field.

After over ten years of hard work, the Hani terraced field has finally gained ideal protection and has been prepared for the declaration of World Culture Heritage in 2013.