Terraced rice fields of Yunnan, China

Terraced rice fields of Yunnan, China

First Three Days.

It was with some trepidation that Dahlia agreed to go to China so that Les could photograph the rice terraces near Yuanyang in Yunnan province.  Having low medical immunity due to her kidney transplant she was concerned that she might end up in a Chinese hospital. Dahlia did not really like that idea and the thought of getting up well before dawn to view rice fields did not overly excite.

Saturday.
We left for China and stayed overnight in Singapore at the airport hotel which was really easy and comfortable.

Sunday.
Flew to Kunming and were met by our guide who took us to the Park hotel.  This was a five star hotel and very comfortable. Across the road was a big park where people were celebrating the end of the Spring Festival and were dressed in all their finery and enjoying the fine weather by walking, dancing, singing and playing Go.

Monday.
We left Kunming in a minibus with a guide, and driver and enough bottled water to last the whole trip. We drove south on the motorway towards Jiangshui and near Tonghai our guide saw a group of Yi minority people disappearing into a commercial property celebrating the Spring Festival with fire crackers and dragon dances. We jumped out of the car and joined the procession, Les being in his element taking many images.
We stayed the night in Jiangshui in the ancient home of the Zhu family which is being restored by the Government.  It was a truly sumptuous and traditional abode with stylised gardens and they made us feel very welcome.

Tuesday.
Jiangshui was a small city with the remnants of an old wall and gate. It boasted a tofu factory and the oldest well of the region.  The Tofu factory was a very small establishment being open during the morning and was manned by the owner, his wife and two female workers, whose fingers were extremely nimble and produced thousands of tofu per hour. I don’t know if we would eat from there but it had a great atmosphere, being dingy with light streaming from a few light bulbs and steam all around. Down the street was an ancient well, where the locals collected water not only for themselves but also filled trucks with water using the traditional method of two buckets suspended from a pole.
A little further down the road was the Double Dragon Bridge. It was a beautiful morning with a pastel yellow-blue sky and so still, that the bridge was reflected in the lake. On one side a man was fishing peacefully, and we decided to stop by the lake and have morning tea.

 

Trip to Terraced rice fields of Yunnan, China. February,pt2.

A week at Yuanyang.

Wednesday to Tuesday.
We drove to Xinjie the old town of Yuanyang which is located on top of a mountain ridge, and checked in at the Yunti hotel, having our meals at the local restaurants.  This was our base for the next 6 days to view the rice terraces at both sunrise and sunset. Xinjie is a pretty town, quite small with an interesting but small market. Our daily schedule was to depart Xinjie around 3:40am to be at Duoyishi by 4:30am returning to Xinjie around 9am and again leaving around 4: pm to be at the various rice fields by 4:30pm for a 7pm sunset. Any later for either sunrise or sunset would not guarantee a good photographic position. These terraces are on a major scale and are far more spectacular than those of Bali.

The best time is in mid-February when there are still mists but also clear skies during the day. At Duoyishi there are hundreds of photographers, but no Europeans. The best positions are part way down on the right overlooking the village of Duoyishi. Good places for sunset are Bada (along the ridge to the right from main platform) Bada at the Malizhai lookout, Laohuzui at Tiger mouth (best at the lower viewing platform) and Longshuba (up the hill).

Trip to Terraced rice fields of Yunnan, China. February,pt2.

Last Days.

Friday.
We heard that there was to be a long table celebration at Meng Ping a small traditional Yi village near Tiger Mouth.  Meng Ping holds communal eating ritual once per year.  Food is prepared in a communal kitchen while the villagers and any Yi people who don’t reside in the village set out tables along the street.  When the food is ready a number of appointed villagers race down the street filling the bowls.  On the menu were eggs, pork fat, red beans and some green vegetables.  It all looked particularly unappetising.  It must have been bad for our guide and driver who were looking forward to the meal, in the end declined to eat the food.

Saturday.
During the morning went to the markets at Panzhihua. This big traditional market selling all types of goods, from clothing, to pigs to plastics. People from all over the region attend in traditional costumes. It was the most interesting of the markets we attended.

Wednesday-Thursday.
We drove to Honghe. The road was being repaired and we had to wait for the rocks which had been flung on it to be removed.  We finally arrived at Honghe and stayed in a very, nice newly built hotel (Tongxin) which was located next to the National Congress building.  So it goes without saying that the accommodation and food were of five star standard, notwithstanding the hotels three stars rating. The cost of the room shown on the front lobby was $US30. Don’t let that fool you, the rooms were large and 5 stars, and the a la carte food was out of this world, and some of the best Chinese I’ve eaten. Here the guide announced that the aunt of his friend, a Hani lady who knew the area very well was going to act as an extra guide and would take us through the Honghe area – a day’s round-trip.  The rice terraces were on a massive scale and there were gorgeous landscapes and small traditional villages. We only spent one day here on an exploratory visit, but it was very interesting and perhaps the opportunity will arise to visit this remote region in more depth.

Friday.
It was the end of our trip and on the way back to Kunming our guide approached us and expressed surprise that we did not get ill. One of the few Europeans he saw who were so lucky. We drank only bottled water and hot tea. Only freshly cooked food which our guide oversaw. No salads or unpeeled fruit, no garnishing, no cold meats or sweets. And yet the food we ate was very good and plentiful. We told our guide five dishes were too many, three dishes and a soup were adequate for dinner.

Back to Kunming and then to Sydney
A wonderful trip with no hassles and lots of exciting moments.