Terraced rice fields are tourism resource

NANNING — The paddy fields located on a mountain in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region once only produced rice for locals, but today, they are a unique tourism resource. It is said that the Longji Rice Terraces were first discovered by backpackers in the 20th century when they saw the staggered rice paddies coiled in the karst mountains at an altitude of several kilometers and proclaimed them to be a breathtaking sight.

The rice fields have evolved into a world-class tourist attraction thanks to the locals' continuous efforts over the past decade.

The terraced fields already existed during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), says Pan Baoyu, former Party secretary of Dazhai village in the Longsheng multinational autonomous county, who first protected and developed the fields.