Hani tradition flourishes

Surrounded by cascading rice terraces and verdant greenery, over 60"mushroom cottages" with brick walls and thatched roofs are regarded by experts as the best-preserved cluster of Hani ethnic group traditional architecture in Yuanyang county, Yunnan province.

For more than 160 years, the tiny village has been home to the Hani ethnic group. Its name, Azheke, meaning "a place where bamboo forests flourish" in the Hani language, perfectly reflects its lush vegetation.

Spanning an area of 1.43 square kilometers with over 60 households, the village features a rich, diverse and layered landscape, with the coexistence of forests, water systems, houses and rice terraces.