Ping'an village
Famous viewpoints.
jiang-wen-jie — CC BY-SA 3.0 · chensiyuan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Qiu Mao — CC BY 3.0 · King of Hearts — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Qiu Mao — CC BY 3.0 · Qiu Mao — CC BY 3.0 · Immanuel Giel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0
Spectacular rice terraces carved into the mountainsides of Longsheng County, about 100 km from Guilin, whose name means «Dragon's Backbone», as the terrace lines look like a dragon's scales and the ridges like its spine; most were built about 650 years ago. The terraces climb from the riverbanks to the mountaintops between 600 and 800 m above sea level and change colour with the seasons: water mirrors in spring, bright green in summer, harvest gold in autumn and white frost in winter. The area is home to the Zhuang and Yao peoples in traditional wooden villages clinging to the slopes, the best known being Ping'an, with its «Seven Stars with the Moon» and «Nine Dragons and Five Tigers» viewpoints, and Dazhai, with its vast terraces and cable car. The area ticket is about CNY 100 and covers the three terrace areas, and the Dazhai cable car is about CNY 60–70 one way, per visitor guides. The drive from Guilin takes about two hours and the walks involve many steps; May and June are best for the water, September and October for the golden harvest.
Famous viewpoints.
Water-filled terraces.
Harvest season.
Longsheng County, about 100 km north of Guilin
May and June, when the terraces are filled with water, and September and October for the golden harvest; the ticket is about CNY 100, per visitor guides.