Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces

Introducing Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces
Dragon’s Backbone in Chinese is Longji and the rice terraces are located in Longsheng County, about 100 km (2 hours drive) from Guilin city. The rice terraces covers over 16,000 acres, with their creation beginning during the Yuan Dynasty, the terraced fields were mostly built during the Ming Dynasty about 500 years ago. The most popular are Ping An Rice Terrace and Jinkeng (Dazhai) Rice Terrace.

Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Longji Titian 龙脊梯田
• Best Time to Visit: May, June, September and October
• Recommended Visiting Hours: About 1 to 2 days
• Things to Do: Photography, Nature, Hiking
• Opening Hours: All day
• Entrance Fee: ¥80
• Address: Longji Town, Longsheng County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

What to expect at Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces
Longji literally means “Dragon’s Backbone” due to the fact that the rice terraces look just like a dragon’s scales, while the mountain’s summit resembles the backbone. Visitors standing on the top of the mountain can see the dragon’s backbone twisting off into the distance. Terracing the fields like this not only decreases the chances of erosion, it also helps hold water in place as rice requires a lot of water to grow. The terraced fields are built along the slope winding from the riverside up to the mountain top, the highest part being 880 meters in elevation while the lowest part is 380 meters. The coiling line that starts from the mountain foot up to the mountain top divides the mountain into layers of water glittering in the sun in spring, layers of green rice shoots in summer, layers of golden rice in fall, and layers of silvery frost in winter.

How to get to Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces
• Take a bus from Guilin Qintan Bus Station to Longsheng Couty (2 hours). Then take a shuttle bus to Ping’an or Dazhai.

Additional travel advice on Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces
• Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Please prepare an umbrella or a raincoat in case it rains.
• Long-sleeved clothes or warm jackets are necessary as the temperature at the rice terraces is lower than that at downtown Guilin.