Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Rice Terraces

The Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields are located 100 kilometers northwest of Guilin city. It takes about 2.5 to the range of hills by bus. Longji is known for the amazing rice terraces that cover every hill in this area. The terraces are about 700 years old, and covering an area of over 66 square kilometers (16,300 acres) and at its highest point is 1100 meters high (3600 feet) with sloping grades between 26 degrees and 35 degrees. The steepest slope is 50 degrees. The amazing thing is that they are not just a tourist attraction- they are still being used for growing rice by the villagers who live there.

Why are they called Dragon’s Backbone?
Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields received their name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of the dragon. Visitors standing on the top of the mountain can see the dragon's backbone twisting off into the distance.

Why Longji Rice Terraces are special?
Longji is one of the world’s most beautiful rice terraces. Although there are terraces everywhere in the mountain areas of South China, it is extremely rare to see a terrace as big as the Longji Rice Terraces. There are layers on layers of terraces, high and low. The outline is very smooth. Its scale is enormous. It is called "The champion of the terrace world". The terraces have an almost mystical quality to the visitors. As they go up and down the hill, each view that opens up is more beautiful than the one before. The mixture of nature’s beauty, the splash of color from the local women, and scattered villages make Longji a destination not to be missed.

When is the best time to visit the Longji Rice Terraces?
The Longji Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces look different depending on the time of the year. Every season is the best season to visit them. In spring, the terraces are filling up with water, and each field looks like a mirror reflecting the verdant green and the mountains are in the spring mist. This is why they call it the mirror-season. In the summer, the terraces look like small forests as the bright green rice plants begin to grow to maturity. In the autumn, the mountains are in golden as the ripe rice plants wait to be harvested. In the cold winter, the whole terrace will turn to silver making the mountain look like a giant sleeping white dragon (the snow season is short in Longji from Jan. to Feb.).

It really offers some of the most fantastic scenery in Guilin or indeed China.

Longji is a paradise of photographers. Good pictures can be taken in every season from the first sunshine through the cloud layer to the last sunshine will go down the mountain.

Minorities in Longji Rice Terraces

Zhuang and Yao people live in this Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces scenic spot, and mainly are Zhuang people. The colorful life of Zhuang and Yao are always here waiting for you. You can see how the Zhuang women washing their long hair by the river at the foot of the mountain, how they are working in the fields in all of their colorful costumes, and how the women doing their beautiful embroidery. Besides, you can also enjoy the simple living rooms in the zhuang villages, pure Longji(the dragon's backbone) tea and Longji' wine.

Longji is a feast for the eyes. From the mixture of nature's beauty, to splash of color from the local women, and scattered minority houses make it a destination not to be missed.