During the Chinese New Year holiday, we spent four days in Yuanyang with two shutterbug friends in search of that perfect rice terrace shot. After driving six hours due south from Kunming, we arrived at the Yuanyang county seat of Nansha (南沙), taking the high road into the mountains another 28 kilometers before reaching Xinjie (新街, image below), the nearest town to the rice terraces and the place people are usually referring to when discussing Yuanyang.

It was when we went out to visit the terraces that recent changes became evident. The upper road that leads out of Xinjie toward the rice terraces had been relaid as a brick road and was much smoother than before. The fork where the road splits off to the Duoyishu/Bada scenic spots or the Laohuzui scenic spot were finally marked, but there was also now a ticket booth for Duoyishu and Bada. Commercialization of the rice terraces has begun in earnest.

Aside from road improvements and ticket booths, the composition of the people shooting the terraces was dramatically different from a few years ago. Whereas Yuanyang previously attracted primarily Europeans, Japanese and Hong Kongers, domestic tourists outfitted with thousands of dollars of equipment were ubiquitous. The majority of mainland tourists to Yuanyang nowadays hail from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Kunming.

Sunrise and sunset are the best times to shoot the terraces – during our time in Yuanyang we shot three sunrises and three sunsets. Here are some brief introductions to some of the top spots for taking photographs in Yuanyang:

Laohuzui has two viewing platforms, one high up near the access road that has recently been enclosed by a 200 meter fence. There is also a lower platform that can be reached after walking down a set of switchbacks. You may want to skip the lower platform if you have bad knees or smoke three packs of Honghe cigarettes a day, as the climb back up is fairly strenuous.

There is no shortage of young Hani women offering to help carry camera bags, tripods or backpacks back up the hill for five yuan. On the surface some may seem a bit jaded by the growing number of wealthy tourists, but in general they are all happy to converse if you make the effort.

The upper platform can quickly become a noisy traffic jam before sunset, when tour buses, private cars and trucks clog the narrow road outside the upper viewing platform. Regardless of which platform you choose, it is advisable to show up at least an hour before sunset to get a good spot.

Entry to Laohuzui is 30 yuan or 15 yuan for children, the elderly or disabled and is paid at an on-site ticket booth.

In addition to photographers, there were plenty of local Hani of all ages selling hard-boiled eggs for one yuan each, plus some older Hani women cooking potatoes and stinky tofu on small barbecues.

If you are looking for more variety than the two viewing platforms can offer, you may want to consider heading into the fields. The footpath connecting the viewing platforms heads downhill into the terraces – this is how most photographers get into the terraces.

An alternative way to get into the terraces is to walk about 200 meters south on the road near the upper viewing station. On your left there will be a handful of small footpaths leading from the road into the terraces, offering a different perspective on this expansive valley without having to shoot into the direct path of the sun's light.

Entry to Duoyishu is paid at the aforementioned fork in the road – 60 yuan gets you access to Duoyishu, Bada, Quanfuzhuang and several other spots along the same road.

Bada has two viewing platforms that offer views at similar heights but different lateral perspectives. Additionally, there are a few footpaths near the second platform leading up into some of the higher terraces, or down below, where new vantage points into the valley open up.

In addition to the countless soft curves and hard bends that can be found in the terraces below Bada, there are also plenty of small huts which make for interesting objects with which to anchor one's shots. Due to the height of the mountain behind Bada, the sun's rays don't hit the terraces below until an hour after Duoyishu.

Should you be tired from waking up to catch the sunrise, there is a small restaurant at Bada offering instant coffee.

Should you tire of the crowds at the three aforementioned sites, Quanfuzhuang is highly recommended. In addition to fewer people, there is also easier access to the terraces.

Quanfuzhuang image: John Seelinger

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