Dongchuan Red Land Travel: See the colorful kaleidoscope under the sky

The Dongchuan Red Land in Yunnan is considered by experts to be the most impressive red land in the world outside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and its scene is even more spectacular than the Brazilian Red Land.

The land in the northeastern corner of Yunnan seems to be infected by history, showing a sincere red. Simple people have lived on this land for generations, working day and night, planting crops on every hillside. It is this kind of casual work that decorates this sincere land with rich and vivid colors.

Beautiful Red Land

Our impression of the kaleidoscope seems to be a long time ago, but the memory in our hearts constantly reminds us of the touch brought by the colors. On this magical red land in the northeastern corner of Yunnan, the unpredictable colors bring back the feeling of déjà vu.

Around mid-May every year, it is the wheat harvest season. On the high and low slopes with a radius of 20 kilometers, the gently undulating lines of the earth have brilliant and vast colors, set off by the blue sky, white clouds and the ever-changing light on the plateau, forming a unique landscape on the red earth. The scenery you see will be different every minute: one minute the sun is shining brightly, and the whole scene is magnificent; the next minute a cloud arrives unexpectedly, blocking part of the light, causing the red earth to intersect with light and shadow, creating a beautiful scene. A different scene emerges. Rainbows after rain are also one of the frequent sights on the red earth. The plateau climate has frequent showers. After the rain, when the sky clears, you will find an exciting rainbow hanging high in the clear blue sky. If you encounter a day with thick clouds, from time to time a rare beam of light will shuttle down from between the gaps in the clouds and mist. That powerful beam of light will illuminate a certain piece of land, and the bright colors will become a very shocking part of the picture. focus of force.

The perfect combination of nature and manpower

By around mid-November, part of the red land was plowed and ready for planting, while other parts of the red land were already planted. Green barley, wheat and other crops. From a distance, it looks like a natural carpet, gently covering the earth. At this time, the red land is showing a gorgeous autumn scene. Rapeseed, potatoes, and buckwheat are being harvested one after another. The golden mature crops, the dark red red soil waiting to be cultivated, and the green winter crops form a dazzling painting. . At this time, the autumn clouds will also be particularly outstanding, which can add points to your work.

When shooting on red soil, Damakan, Jinxiuyuan and Qicaipo are all very good shooting locations. They have a wide field of vision and beautiful scenery. You can shoot the colors, lines and clouds of red soil. In addition, due to the higher terrain of Jinxiu Garden and Qicai Slope, they are also good choices for shooting sunrise and sunset, while Damakan is more suitable for shooting sunrise.

Geography and Landforms

Dongchuan Red Land refers to the area of ??about 20 kilometers around Huashitou Society, Huagou Village, Xintian Township, Dongchuan District. It is located in the Wumeng Mountains, with an altitude of 2,000~ 3000 meters high, it is a plateau mountainous landform with criss-crossing mountains and endless red clay hills. Due to the distinct seasonal climate, villagers will plant various crops in different seasons, such as wheat flowers, buckwheat flowers, potato flowers, rape flowers, radish flowers, etc. Therefore, the images captured in each season are rich in color. Under the changing weather of the plateau, the rolling and colorful hillsides of different sizes show a magnificent landscape of harmony between man and nature.

Bright colors

Best shooting time

In mid-May, we mainly shoot the summer colors of red earth. At this time, there are relatively more rainy weather, so when encountering There are also relatively many opportunities to reach sea clouds and thick clouds, and you can take photos of scenes with changing light and shadow. Moreover, the colors in this season are also very fresh and rich, and the entire red earth shows very beautiful lines. In mid-November, the surrounding environment turns into thick autumn colors, and the clouds in the sky are also different from those in summer. The red earth at this time gives us another feeling of warmth.

Color palette

Photography strategy

The red earth is rich in visual elements and the terrain is uneven. How to avoid clutter in the picture when composing the picture? Because the red land is located in a mountainous area with an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, the scenery is relatively undulating. In addition, the red land is divided into colorful areas by various crops, forming many lines and color blocks, as well as farmers' houses, small patches of woods, and surrounding rolling mountains. These rich visual elements often make your picture too overwhelming. Full and messy.

At this time, in addition to choosing a shooting point that can avoid cluttered composition, the choice of lens is also very important.

1. Use a wide angle to shoot large scenes. The rich colors and undulating terrain can create a rich and shocking picture. If you encounter abnormal weather such as overcast clouds or clear skies after a rain when shooting, the resulting film will be even more visually stunning.

2. Shooting with medium focus or even telephoto can avoid the situation of scattered images. Because the medium telephoto lens can effectively compress the image and highlight the visual center of the image. For example, curved, wavy, flat and other surface lines are good choices. If a house, person, or animal appears in the picture, it will increase the vitality of the picture. Remember not to have too many lines, otherwise it will destroy the coordination of the entire picture, lose focus, and your photo will lose its soul.

3-day photography tour classic route

D1: Go directly to Dongchuan Red Land from Kunming. You can first go to Luoxia Valley to take pictures of the magnificent and beautiful red land and stay overnight in the red land.

D2: Get up early and go to Damakan to take pictures of the sunrise, and then go to Qicai Slope to take pictures. Because the light, shadow, and clouds are constantly changing, you can take photos of different scenery between Damakan and Qicaipo throughout the day, and spend the night on the red soil.

D3: Get up early to take pictures of the sunrise at Guoditang, then take pictures of the red earth scenery on the way back, and then go down the mountain to end the journey.

Dongchuan Red Earth

These folk customs cannot be missed

The main ethnic minorities in Dongchuan include Yi, Hui, Buyi and Miao, etc. These ethnic groups spontaneously hold annual Organize people to celebrate their own traditional festivals. The most solemn traditional festivals of ethnic minorities include the "Torch Festival" on June 24th in the lunar calendar of the Yi people, the "Eid al-Fitr" in the Hui people's lunar calendar, "June 6th" in the lunar calendar of the Buyi people (also known as the "Harvest Festival"), and the May lunar calendar in the Miao people's calendar. "Treading on the Flower Mountain" and other festivals.

Ripe crops in the field

You have to taste these delicacies

"Ganba" is a must-eat, that is, bacon such as pig, cow, sheep, etc. And rice noodles. There are many small restaurants near the scenic area where you can eat and the prices are cheap.

You can choose to stay here

There are many private hotels in Dongchuan District and Red Earth Scenic Area. It is recommended to stay in Red Earth Scenic Area, which is very convenient for shooting. We recommend Kaiquan’s “Red Earth Photography House” in Huashitou Village, located in the middle of the red earth attractions. There is also the "Red Land Tourism Reception Point" in Laohuagou. The prices of "Chen Shun Fu Family Furniture Hotel" located on the scenic road "Songmaopeng" (also known as Shengtang Scenic Area or Luoxiagou Scenic Area) are 20-40 yuan per bed.

Magical land

You can also take photos of the surrounding beautiful scenery

Jiaozi Snow Mountain