Yuanyang
Overview
Yuanyang is a city (actually two cities, Nansha and Xianjie) in the South of China, close to the Vietnamese border. The main reason to visit the region is to admire the impressive rice terraces the Hani people built centuries ago. It is actually one of the best places in the world to see rice terraces, as you have mountains literally filled with them and the views are amazing.
Besides the terraces, the area also offers good trekking options, nice tiny villages, colorful markets and true rural life, seeing all its Hani inhabitants dressed with their traditional costumes. It is still not touristified due to its remoteness, so go there before it gets spoiled and you’ll get one of the most unforgettable views and experiences of your life!
Besides the terraces, the area also offers good trekking options, nice tiny villages, colorful markets and true rural life, seeing all its Hani inhabitants dressed with their traditional costumes. It is still not touristified due to its remoteness, so go there before it gets spoiled and you’ll get one of the most unforgettable views and experiences of your life!
Sightseeing
-Rice Terraces: There are thousands of them. Literally. You will see them from the moment you reach Xianjie from the bus window. The best time to visit them is from around October until April, as they are flooded with water and they are spectacular.
There are 4 main viewpoints to admire the views: Duoyishu, Bada, Laohuzui and Qingkou. These viewpoints are wooden platforms offering the best views of the terraces, but the entrance ticket costs 100 RMB. If you are on a low budget, you don’t need to buy the ticket as there are other viewpoints which are free of charge offering spectacular views as well.
The most famous views of the terraces are said to be at the sunrise (from Duoyishu) and at the sunset (from Bada). Well, this is if the weather is perfect. This doesn’t mean sunny. To have the most beautiful views of the terraces you need a sunny day but with clouds, as the sun will reflect in the clouds, and these ones in the water of the terraces giving them beautiful colors. If you don’t have these conditions, there is no need to wake up at 7 in the morning because actually you will have better views at any other point of the day depending on the light. But if you have perfect conditions and you have bought the ticket, go there at least 2 hours before sunrise or sunset, as there are plenty of Chinese tourists with their super cameras and tripods taking over the whole place.
If you decide not to buy the ticket, you can go to any of the many free viewpoints, like for example the one at the main square of Pugao Laozhai village. For the other ones, check with your guesthouse, they will point them on a map.
-Villages: There are a lot of villages surrounding the rice terraces. The main ones, such as Duoyishu, Laozhai or Xianjie, have good accommodation options, while the rest are really small and beautiful villages to have a walk by and see the daily life of the Hani people.
Go on a hike in the middle of the terraces and you will come across small villages inhabited by Hani people, black pigs, dogs, water buffalos and chickens. It is a really reccomendable experience, as there are really a very few places in China where you can have such a close view of untouched rural life.
To get to the villages, either walk for the ones in the terraces or take a minivan to the ones along the main road. Ask your guesthouse to draw you a map of the hiking trails.
If you are not into hiking and you are staying in Pugao Laozhai (right next to Duoyishu), just take a walk around town to see the women dressed in their traditional costumes, pigs on the street and so on. Really worth it!
-Trekking: For trekking options among the terraces, you can take any path leading down and follow the signs, but make sure to get a map or to be accompanied by a guide, as the area is huge and you may not find all the pathways. It is really a reccomendable thing to do, especially hiking around the Bada area, in the middle of the rice terraces and passing by small villages on the way and having amazinf views of the terraces from all perspectives.
-Markets: There is a market almost every day in one of the villages in the rice terraces area. Check with your guesthouse and either take a minivan or share a car with other travelers to get there. You will see a lively and colorful rural market at its best, selling everything from livestock to clothes and food. You will see plenty of Hani women shopping in their traditional costumes and carrying a basket in their backs to stock the good they buy, which can be veggies or even live ducks or chickens!
Don’t miss it!
There are 4 main viewpoints to admire the views: Duoyishu, Bada, Laohuzui and Qingkou. These viewpoints are wooden platforms offering the best views of the terraces, but the entrance ticket costs 100 RMB. If you are on a low budget, you don’t need to buy the ticket as there are other viewpoints which are free of charge offering spectacular views as well.
The most famous views of the terraces are said to be at the sunrise (from Duoyishu) and at the sunset (from Bada). Well, this is if the weather is perfect. This doesn’t mean sunny. To have the most beautiful views of the terraces you need a sunny day but with clouds, as the sun will reflect in the clouds, and these ones in the water of the terraces giving them beautiful colors. If you don’t have these conditions, there is no need to wake up at 7 in the morning because actually you will have better views at any other point of the day depending on the light. But if you have perfect conditions and you have bought the ticket, go there at least 2 hours before sunrise or sunset, as there are plenty of Chinese tourists with their super cameras and tripods taking over the whole place.
If you decide not to buy the ticket, you can go to any of the many free viewpoints, like for example the one at the main square of Pugao Laozhai village. For the other ones, check with your guesthouse, they will point them on a map.
-Villages: There are a lot of villages surrounding the rice terraces. The main ones, such as Duoyishu, Laozhai or Xianjie, have good accommodation options, while the rest are really small and beautiful villages to have a walk by and see the daily life of the Hani people.
Go on a hike in the middle of the terraces and you will come across small villages inhabited by Hani people, black pigs, dogs, water buffalos and chickens. It is a really reccomendable experience, as there are really a very few places in China where you can have such a close view of untouched rural life.
To get to the villages, either walk for the ones in the terraces or take a minivan to the ones along the main road. Ask your guesthouse to draw you a map of the hiking trails.
If you are not into hiking and you are staying in Pugao Laozhai (right next to Duoyishu), just take a walk around town to see the women dressed in their traditional costumes, pigs on the street and so on. Really worth it!
-Trekking: For trekking options among the terraces, you can take any path leading down and follow the signs, but make sure to get a map or to be accompanied by a guide, as the area is huge and you may not find all the pathways. It is really a reccomendable thing to do, especially hiking around the Bada area, in the middle of the rice terraces and passing by small villages on the way and having amazinf views of the terraces from all perspectives.
-Markets: There is a market almost every day in one of the villages in the rice terraces area. Check with your guesthouse and either take a minivan or share a car with other travelers to get there. You will see a lively and colorful rural market at its best, selling everything from livestock to clothes and food. You will see plenty of Hani women shopping in their traditional costumes and carrying a basket in their backs to stock the good they buy, which can be veggies or even live ducks or chickens!
Don’t miss it!
Accomodation
We stayed at Timeless hostel in the village of Pugao Laozhai. The location is wonderful, right next to the Duoyishu rice terraces and with even a rooftop from where to admire them. The hostel is clean and nice but there’s a big problem: Richard. The owner of the hostel, despite being helpful and a nice guy, cannot manage the whole hostel by himself. He’s the only one speaking English there and most of the time he’s out. When we checked in he was not there, then he appeared running and stressed and gave us the key with no further explanations as he was running away somewhere. Later he told us he woke up at 4 in the morning, went trekking with some guests and was exhausted. Ok, so hire someone to take care of the reception while you’re away, it was a really bad first impression.
Later on he helped us, went with us to a market and also trekking, but it cannot be like this, leaving the hostel for almost all day when there are people there needing information or whatever.
Not reccomendable.
Later on he helped us, went with us to a market and also trekking, but it cannot be like this, leaving the hostel for almost all day when there are people there needing information or whatever.
Not reccomendable.
Food & Drink
You can have food at the hostel of your choice (Western or Chinese) or at some of the restaurants scattered around the villages. In Pugao Laozhai there’s a good one on the road just before getting down to the village. Really good and cheap food. If you visit a market, there will be an area devoted to eating, mainly noodles and tofu and meat on a barbecue.
Transportation
To get to Yuangyang from Jinghong you have to take a bus at 12pm for 177 RMB that takes 8 hours to reach Nansha. Stay overnight there at some of the many hotels by the bus station (we stayed at 518 for 68RMB) and next morning take a shared minivan to Xianjie (15 RMB). It takes 1 hour to reach Xianjie, where you have to change to another minbus to the selected village where you’re staying. We chose Duoyishu (probably the best option) and it takes another hour from Xianjie there (15 RMB).
To get around the 4 main viewpoints you can take minibuses, there are plenty of them running from 5am till 8pm. If you want to visit a market you can either take a minibus or share a car with other travelers.
To get out from Yuanyang, we went to Dali following this procedure: minibus to Xianjie at 10am (1 hour, 15 RMB), minibus to Nansha at 11am (1 hour, 15 RMB), bus to Jinshui at 12:13 (2:30 hours, 66RMB) and finally train to Dali at 18:57 (166 RMB, 12 hours).
To get around the 4 main viewpoints you can take minibuses, there are plenty of them running from 5am till 8pm. If you want to visit a market you can either take a minibus or share a car with other travelers.
To get out from Yuanyang, we went to Dali following this procedure: minibus to Xianjie at 10am (1 hour, 15 RMB), minibus to Nansha at 11am (1 hour, 15 RMB), bus to Jinshui at 12:13 (2:30 hours, 66RMB) and finally train to Dali at 18:57 (166 RMB, 12 hours).
Safety
No issues at all, just watch
out when hiking because the ground can be slippery. Other than that, if you
visit the area during wintertime bring warm clothes. During the day is
warm, even hot, but as soon as the Sun sets is freezing cold and windy, so be
prepared to put on hat, gloves and a good jacket for both sunrise and sunset.
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