Dongchuan Red Land

The soil around Huagou and Damakan in Dongchuan is heavily oxidised iron, which gives it a deep brick red, and because the land is farmed in small strips of different crops at different stages, the hillsides break into blocks of crimson bare earth, green wheat or potato, yellow rape and white buckwheat flower, changing through the year. Ridge viewpoints look across whole valleys of it, and low sun with cloud shadow moving over the fields is what photographers come for. Villages are scattered through the fields at around 2,600 metres, with simple guesthouses catering mostly to photography groups.

What you actually see

• The red earth - iron-rich soil in bare crimson strips.
• The crop patchwork - blocks of green, gold and white between the red.
• The ridge viewpoints - overlooks across whole farmed valleys.
• The cloud shadows - light moving across the fields at low sun.

When to go

May to June and September to November for the strongest colour contrasts; the red is most vivid after rain. Winter is drab. Dawn and late afternoon are the hours photographers use.

Honest expectations

This is working farmland, not a park, and colour depends entirely on what is planted and when. Roads are rough and transport limited without a car. Guesthouses are basic.

Nearby

Kunming lies southwest; the Jinsha river is north.