Villages vitalized by terraces to heaven

Longsheng's spectacular Longji landscapes usher in environmental and cultural tourism boom, Yang Feiyue reports.

Various-sized oxen made of bamboo strips with colorful cloth for the head and tail danced to the accompaniment of gongs and drums. Farmers dressed in distinctive Dong outfits holding plows and whips followed closely in their wake.

The performance took place as part of recent spring celebrations in Guangnan village, Longsheng autonomous county of various ethnic groups in Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which is home to many ethnic minorities.

For centuries, the dancing spring oxen have not only been viewed as divine by the villagers, but have also embodied their hopes for better lives in the new year.