Yunnan: Rice Terraces, River Gorges and Ancient Tea Landscapes

In southern Yunnan, the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces descend in tiers from the Ailao Mountains to the banks of the Hong River. The cultural landscape covers 16,603 hectares. In mountainous northwestern Yunnan, by contrast, river gorges, forests and snow-capped mountains define the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. The region therefore brings together diverse landscapes and travel interests without blending them into a single sense of place.

Landscapes of Rice Terraces, Rivers and Forests

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are a distinctive destination for anyone interested in a cultural landscape shaped by people. Their tiered fields stretch from the Ailao Mountains to the Hong River. Covering 16,603 hectares gives the landscape a scale of its own; at the same time, the clear connection between mountains, terraces and riverbanks defines its character.

The Three Parallel Rivers Protected Areas lie in mountainous northwestern Yunnan and encompass the upper reaches of the Yangtze (Jinsha), Mekong and Salween rivers. Their landscapes include deeply carved river gorges, lush forests, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, as well as alpine karst, Danxia landforms, lakes and meadows. The protected areas are considered possibly one of the most biodiverse temperate regions in the world. Visitors who do not want to limit their experience of nature to a single landscape type will find great variety within this network of protected areas.

The Xishuangbanna Biosphere Reserve lies at the southwestern tip of Yunnan. In the upper Mekong Basin, it borders Laos to the east and Myanmar to the west. The reserve contains China’s largest and most comprehensive tropical forest. It comprises five geographically separate sub-reserves that protect tropical forest ecosystems and rare wildlife. This landscape is therefore distinctly different from the high mountains and river gorges of the northwest.

The Cangshan and Erhai Scenic Area in western Yunnan also offers its own geographical setting: it covers 960 square kilometres. The Shilin UNESCO Global Geopark is part of the Yunnan Karst Plateau and includes the Major Stone Forest. Changhu Lake, in turn, is a natural karst lake where traditional festivals are held and which is suitable for picnics.

Ancient Tea Forests, Fossils and Architecture

The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests on Jingmai Mountain lies in Huimin Township in Pu’er City. The Blang and Dai developed it over more than a thousand years through traditional practices dating back to the 10th century. The landscape comprises a tea-producing area with ancient tea groves, tea plantations, forests and traditional villages. For travellers interested in tea production and the relationship between cultivated land and village structures, this place offers a different focus from the Honghe rice terraces.

The Chengjiang Fossil Site is located in Yunnan, China, and lies entirely within a Chinese National Geopark. Its rocks and fossils preserve an exceptionally well-preserved record that documents the rapid diversification of life in the early Cambrian, 530 million years ago. This makes Chengjiang a distinctive destination for anyone interested in Earth’s history and early life forms.

Lijiang Old Town retains a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity. The Old Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Its architecture combines elements of different cultures that came together over centuries. Unlike the natural and cultural landscapes, the focus here is on the historic townscape.

On Foot, by Bicycle and by Cable Car

At the Dali-Cangshan UNESCO Global Geopark, visitors can hike along the Jade Belt Road. On the Erhai Ecological Corridor, they can walk or cycle. Visitors can hike along the Jade Belt Road; on the Erhai Ecological Corridor, they can walk or cycle. The Cangshan-Ximatan cable car, which serves sightseers, runs from the Tianlongbabu Film Studio via Qilongnüchi to the summit area of Cangshan near Ximatan.

When planning, it helps to consider these activities as different options rather than combining them into a single outing. Changhu Lake also offers a different reason to visit, with its traditional festivals and suitability for picnics, than a hike or bike ride. When choosing your destination, you can therefore consider whether you would rather explore a landscape on foot, walk or cycle along a corridor, or visit a lake and experience its festival traditions.

Choose Yunnan by Travel Interest

If you are looking for a hotel in Yunnan, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on: rice terraces and ancient tea forests offer cultural landscapes; the Three Parallel Rivers and Xishuangbanna offer very different forest and mountain environments; Chengjiang and Lijiang are destinations for fossils and historic architecture, respectively.

Discover more destinations: Kunming, Dehong, Zhaotong, Haikou, Lijiang, Dali, Honghe, Xishuangbanna, Qujing, Baoshan, Dêqên, Nujiang, Pu’er, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Lincang, Wenshan.

For the broader travel overview: China.