Misty rice terraces of Hunan prove popular with visitors

On a drizzly August afternoon, visitors made their way through the emerald rice terraces of Ziquejie in Xinhua county, Loudi, Hunan province, which appeared and disappeared in the drifting mist.

As cars and buses ascended the winding mountain roads, the mist thickened over terraces carved into the slopes like giant green staircases. Each field held still water, reflecting the gray sky, while young rice ears bent under the weight of fresh raindrops.

The terraces, built along the mountain contours between 500 and 1,200 meters above sea level, were in full summer bloom. Unlike most rice fields in southern China, locals said, the crop here is harvested just once a year, ripening in October.

Covering about 133 hectares in the core area, the Ziquejie terraces are celebrated for their graceful lines, layered patterns and striking scale, regarded as a masterpiece of agricultural engineering shaped over millennia.

The terraces are believed to date back more than 2,000 years to the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties, with origins attributed to the ancestors of the local Miao and Yao ethnic groups.

Remarkably, the system relies entirely on a natural irrigation network fed by mountain springs, forest soil and bedrock fissures, without any reservoirs or man-made ponds. Water flows year-round, defying both drought and flood. As a local farmers' saying goes: "As high as the mountain rises, so does the water; as high as the water reaches, so do the fields."

In 2014, the irrigation system was recognized in the first batch of "World Heritage Irrigation Structures" by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. In 2018, the terraces were designated a "Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System" by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Today, Ziquejie is a national 4A-level scenic area, covering more than 51 square kilometers. Chen Yongzhi, deputy general manager of the local tourism investment company, said the site has attracted more than 300,000 visitors annually over the past two years, generating nearly 100 million yuan (around $15 million) in tourism revenue.

"We have introduced new tourism programs such as u-pick orchards, terrace-side cafes and light shows, alongside farming festivals, local cultural heritage performances and family-friendly study tours," Chen said.