Yuanyang Hani Terrace Culture and Tourism Festival

Yuanyang County of Honghe Prefecture is the hometown of Hani terraces. Yuanyang terraces have the history of more than 1,300 years, with over 3,000 steps from the foot to top of the mountain. During the festival, a series of colorful activities will be organized and held focused on Hani terrace farming culture, including sightseeing of the vast thousand-year terrace; experiencing terrace farming culture—catching fish in terrace, ploughing, watching singing and dancing in farmland; watching sunrise and ethnic worship activities; and tasting delicacies on Hani Street Banquet.

Hani Terrace Culture Tourist Festival will raise its curtain on February 28 in Yuanyang County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. During the festival, visitors will have the opportunity to appreciate the large-scale farming performance "Yuanyang Terrace Field", in the creation of which the famous dancer Yang Liping acts as the artistic consultant.

"2009 Yuanyang Hani Terrace Culture Tourist Festival", the third after the 2005 and 2007 Tourist Festival, aims at presenting the colorful Hani custom and long farming history and culture to the world with the help of Hani terrace field - an overwhelming world-class tourist brand.

During the two-day festival, visitors home and abroad can not only appreciate the beauty of vast terrace field, taste various kinds of ethnic food, but also appreciate the large-scale farming performance, "Yuanyang Terrace Field", created by the cooperation of famous dancer Yang Liping.

Yuanyang Hani terrace culture has a long history, and according to historical records it could date back to over 1,300 years ago. Developed and cultivated for such a long time, it has become a healthy and sustainable agricultural ecosystem featured by four layers "terrace - villages - irrigation system - forest". It is a typical example of harmonious coexistence between human beings and the nature.

In 2007, Hani terrace became the first national wetland park in Yunnan Province, and at the end of the year it was included among the 35 world cultural heritage nominees released by China lately. Presently, it is the only cultural heritage in the list that comes from Yunnan Province.