Villagers harvest rice in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026.
Listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, and a World Heritage Irrigation Structure, the Yuanyang Hani Terraces vividly demonstrate China's ecological wisdom of "harmonious coexistence between humans and nature." Today, the millennia-old mountain farming in the terraced fields is taking on a new look.
The terraces are nestled in the Ailao Mountains along the southern bank of the Red River in Yunnan. For centuries, fragmented plots, steep slopes and narrow paths had forced farmers to carry rice sacks on their backs or with horses. Today, drones can transport grain directly from paddy edges to village rooftops, reducing transport costs and shortening the transport time from 40 minutes to less than 10 minutes.
New planting technologies are also easing farmers' workloads. A degradable paper-film embedded seeding and fixed-point planting technology developed by the School of Agriculture of Yunnan University has been applied in Niujiaozhai Town of Yuanyang County, allowing farmers to complete a full day's transplanting work in two to three hours. Local agricultural authorities have also improved rice varieties and introduced rice-fish-duck farming to raise household incomes.
While new technologies support farming, the ancient terraces still rely on the participation of local people, who maintain and repair ditches to keep water supplies stable and prevent terraces from being abandoned.
To protect the terraces, it is critical to let farmers share the fruits of economic development. Cooperatives here have boosted sales of local red rice via e-commerce and distributed profit dividends to farmers. Azheke Village, nestled in the heart of the terraces, has embraced a unique approach to tourism development. Villagers have contributed resources such as terraces, houses and traditional ways of life, creating a model of collective participation and shared prosperity.
The improved livelihoods have drawn young rural migrants back home. In Duoyishu Village alone, over 80 homestays are now in operation, with more than 100 returning youths working in tourism, catering and transport sectors.
In Yuanyang, the annual rice harvest now means far more than a good crop. It embodies a dynamic balance between ancient heritage protection and modern development, ensuring that the millennia-old terraces stay cultivated, local communities stay prosperous, and the unique farming legacy endures for generations. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
Villagers harvest rice in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026.(Xinhua/Hu Chao)
People enjoy the scenery of terraced fields in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A villager holds newly-harvested rice in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A villager pours threshed rice into a sack in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A villager dries rice in Zhulu Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A villager carries threshed rice in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
An agricultural technician checks rice seedlings in Niujiaozhai Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026.(Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A villager cleans a ditch in Quanfuzhuang Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 19, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
Villagers catch fish in terraced fields after harvest in Zhulu Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 20, 2026.(Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A drone photo taken on Sept. 20, 2026 shows villagers delivering rice sacks with a drone in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 20, 2026 shows a view of Azheke Village in Yuanyang County of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A drone photo taken on Sept. 19, 2026 shows people visiting a bookstore in Tuguozhai Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A drone photo taken on Sept. 20, 2026 shows the terraced fields at sunset in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
This photo taken on Sept. 21, 2026 shows the starry sky above the terraced fields in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A village cadre (front) distributes fish fry to villagers in Duoyishu Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A village cadre (L) communicates with a staff member at a local homestay in Duoyishu Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026.(Xinhua/Hu Chao)
A local cooperative director (C) distributes profit dividends of red rice sales to farmers in Zhulu Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)
Villagers unload rice sacks delivered by a drone in Aichun Village of Yuanyang County in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2026.(Xinhua/Hu Chao)
