Ziquejie Terraces

The Ziquejie terraces cover some five hundred hectares of hillside in central Hunan, worked for around two thousand years, and their distinguishing feature is hydrological: the mountain's structure of sandstone over shale stores rainwater and releases it steadily through the slope, so the terraces are watered by seepage without canals, reservoirs or pumps, an arrangement recognised as a globally important agricultural heritage system. The terraces flood in spring for planting, when they reflect the sky, turn green through summer and gold before the autumn harvest. Villages of the Miao, Yao and Han sit among them, and mist frequently fills the valleys at dawn.

What you actually see

• The self-watering terraces - fields irrigated by groundwater seepage alone.
• The flooded season - terraces reflecting sky before planting in spring.
• The gold harvest - ripening rice in late September and October.
• The hill villages - settlements among the terraces.

When to go

April to June for flooding and planting, September to October for the gold; mist at dawn is most likely in spring and autumn. Winter is bare and cold. The terraces are working farmland year-round.

Honest expectations

The area is remote with limited transport and basic guesthouses. Photographic conditions depend on water, light and mist coinciding. Entry is charged and internal transport limited.

Nearby

Loudi lies east; Changsha is northeast.