Golden terraced fields form enchanting scenes in Changning

In the just-concluded national day holiday, farmer in southwest Yunnan’s Changning County were even busier, especially for those who grow rice in the Abeizhai terraced fields. Later autumn sees the Abeizhai area present its best of rural sight to visitors, with the terraced fields gilded by golden rice at maturity. 

The Abeizhai terraced fields are located in the Lancang River valley, providing a paradise-like home to adults and children alike: while the parents are harvesting the golden rice and fruits, the kids are catching fish or insects in the autumn fields. 

Harvest is closely related to agriculture, which is now common legacy for the industrialized world. But for those living in rural areas across the globe, the harvest season is simply unforgettable. Pongal is a multi-day harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community.

In history, the Changning area was favored by Xu Xiake, a Chinese travel writer and geographer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) known best for his famous geographical treatise. Poet Yang Shen, a Sichuan native in the Chinese Ming dynasty, poured his passion in Changning on harvest days, mistaking this promised land as his hometown when drunk.

Source: Yunnan Daily; trans-editing by Wang Shixue