The palette
Patchwork fields.
瑞丽江的河水 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 瑞丽江的河水 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 瑞丽江的河水 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 瑞丽江的河水 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 瑞丽江的河水 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chensiyuan — CC BY-SA 4.0
Rolling farm hills that look like a giant painter's palette, their soil deep red from the iron it holds, turned red in the hot, rainy climate, patched with green, gold and white fields of wheat, barley, potatoes and rapeseed, which is why it is often likened to a painter's palette. The colours change with the seasons: brightest from May to June, when red soil sits beside golden and green fields, and from September to December, when white rapeseed blossom and barley cover it. Photographers head to Damakan for sunrise and the Luoxiagou valley for sunset, and wander between villages on winding roads among the fields. The area is free and open at all times, some farms ask CNY 10 to 20 and the Luoxiagou platform 40; the drive from Kunming takes about three hours, so it is best to stay a night to see sunrise and sunset, per visitor guides.
Patchwork fields.
Over the hills.
In the valley.
Hongtudi town, Dongchuan, about three hours by road north-east of Kunming, Yunnan
Choices are few in the villages, so bring food; Kunming has many restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign.