Unlock Guilin travel guide and visit the Longji Rice Terraces that you must visit once in your life

The Longji Rice Terraces are famous because of their majestic momentum. It’s not surprising that there are terraces in mountainous areas, but it is rare to see such a large concentration of terraces like Longji Terraces. Friends who are going to Longji for the first time may encounter how many terraces there are in Longji Rice Terraces? How to get there? How can it be played? Wait for the question. Next, come with me to see how to play the Dragon's Back Terraces.

The best time to view the Longji Rice Terraces is in two periods of the year. One is in April and May when the Longji Rice Terraces are filled with water, presenting a mirror terraced landscape; the other is in the golden autumn and October, especially the National Day. During the short holiday, the rice is ripe and the golden fields are so spectacular. Because these two time periods have a certain timeliness, everyone must be optimistic about the time to travel!

Picture: Longji Rice Terraces in autumn.

Longji Rice Terraces are located in Longsheng Autonomous County, 80 kilometers away from Guilin City. It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and completed in the early Qing Dynasty. It has a history of more than 650 years. Known as the "Crown of Terraces in the World", the most classic ones are Ping'an Zhuangzhai Terraces and Jinkeng Hongyao Terraces. Among them, Changfa Village in Huangluoyao Village once won the "Guinness Group Longest Hair" and is known as the best long-haired village in the world.

Picture: Longji Rice Terraces.

The distance from Guilin to Longji Rice Terraces is about 80km

1. Special line: Take the Longji special line directly to Jinkeng, the whole journey takes about 150 minutes! Departing from Guilin Station Xiangjiang Hotel: 50 yuan/person; departing from Guilin North Station: 65 yuan/person.

2. Car: In downtown Guilin, you can transfer to Qintan Station, get off at the exit of Guilin-Longsheng Expressway, and transfer to Dazhai Jinkeng Rice Terraces. The fare is about 55 yuan/person. The cars at Dazhai Jinkeng Terraces have no seats. The road into the mountain is bumpy and the drivers often rush to stop the car, so it is not recommended to transfer.

3. Charter a car: Families with elderly people and children are more recommended to charter a car. The Longji Rice Terraces are not in the urban area of ??Guilin, and the terrain is rugged. It takes 4 hours to drive there and back. For those who are new to Guilin, it is not recommended to drive by yourself, because the road to Longji is winding and winding, with many uphill and downhill roads, and you are not familiar with the road conditions. The safety factor of self-driving is not high. At the same time, the scenic spots in Longji are relatively scattered, and self-driving is more difficult. Generally speaking, it is recommended that you charter a car or take a day trip.

Picture: Aiyou chartered car.

Tips:

There are two modes of transportation from Yangshuo to Longji, direct and chartered. In comparison, it takes about 3 hours to go from Guilin to Longji, and about 5 hours from Yangshuo to Longji, so it is more convenient to go from Guilin to Longji. Note: Cars with more than 7 seats are not allowed to enter the Longji Terraces Scenic Area.

Longji Rice Terraces is the collective name of a large scenic spot, consisting of multiple terraces, including Jinkeng Hongyao Rice Terraces, Pingan Zhuangzhai Rice Terraces, Guzhuangzhai Rice Terraces, and Xiaozhai Hongyao Rice Terraces.

Ping'an Zhuangzhai Terraces: Developed earlier, it is relatively well-known and has many tourists. The villagers are mainly Zhuang people.

Jinkeng Hongyao Rice Terraces: The rice terraces are mainly owned by the Yao people in Dazhai. They were developed later than Ping'an, and the residents are mainly Yao people.

Longji Ancient Zhuangzhai Terraces: Sparsely populated, the transportation is not so convenient, and the resident villagers are mainly Zhuang people.

Xiaozhai Hongyao Rice Terraces: The newly developed terraces are relatively niche, and the residents are mainly Yao people.

Picture: Longji Rice Terraces.

As far as the terraces themselves are concerned, Ping'an Terraces and Jinkeng Terraces are two major terraces with good scenery and convenient transportation. Therefore, the following will focus on these two terraces: Ping'an Terraces was developed the earliest and is more famous. All facilities in the village are relatively complete and mature. The drop-off point of the shuttle bus from Guilin is also closest to it, so it is the first time for most tourists to visit. Day trip options. The Jinkeng Rice Terraces was developed relatively late, and the transportation is slightly less convenient. However, the scenery is more spectacular and there are fewer tourists. The accommodation conditions have also been improved a lot. In recent years, it has also been favored by many self-guided tours and photography enthusiasts.

Pictures: Jinkeng Terraces, Pingan Terraces, Guzhuangzhai Terraces, and Xiaozhai Hongyao Terraces.

Ping'an Terraces - the more famous terraces. There are 15,862 terraces of different sizes in Ping'an Terraces. The largest terrace is only 0.62 acres, and the smallest terrace can only be planted with 3 seedlings. There are two types of terraces: "a frog jumps over three fields" and "a coir raincoat covers the field". explain. Nowadays, there are tourist crafts, local specialties and restaurants selling tourist crafts, local products and restaurants along the streets of Ping'an Village and Guzhuang Village where the Ping'an Terraces are located. The route up the mountain has also been paved with stone ladders. This area is mainly the activity area of ??the Zhuang people, so it is also the carrier of Zhuang culture.

Highlights: There are two unique landscapes in the Ping An Rice Terraces: the Five Tigers of Nine Dragons and the Five Stars with the Moon. The highest point is the Five Tigers of Nine Dragons.

Picture: Ping An Rice Terraces with seven stars accompanying the moon.

Jinkeng Rice Terraces - an upstart sparsely populated photography destination. The Jinkeng Rice Terraces are located in Dazhai Village. They are named after the gold they produce. They are surrounded by mountains and resemble natural sinkholes.

Because it was developed later, the commercial atmosphere is not very strong, and the folk customs are also very simple. The terrace scenery is more magnificent, larger in scale, and wider in area. It is a relatively well-protected and primitive terrace scenery. A ropeway has been built in this terraced field to facilitate tourists going up and down the mountain. Jinkeng Rice Terraces is located in Dazhai and Tiantou Village and is the cradle of Hongyao culture.

There are three viewing spots in Jinkeng Dazhai Hongyao Rice Terraces, namely Xishan Shaole, Dajie Thousand Layers Ladder and Golden Buddha Summit.

Picture: The top of the Golden Buddha in Jinkeng Terraces.

Tips:

Jinkeng-Ping An: Except for those who are particularly motion sick, it is generally recommended that everyone go there by car. Because the walking route is quite complicated and takes a long time, families with the elderly and children should try to avoid walking. Getting there by car: Take the (Dazhai-Longji) bus at the Dazhai parking lot for 10 yuan and get off at Erlongqiao in 30 minutes. Change to the (Longsheng-Ping'an) bus for 10 yuan and get to the Ping'an parking lot in 20 minutes. , walk up the terraces.

One-day tour

If you only go for one day, it is recommended to visit only one terraced field, go up and down the mountain, and have a meal at the nearby Hongyao family after going down the mountain. Lunch.

Considering the scenery and convenient transportation, I personally recommend going to Jinkeng Rice Terraces.

Considering the way of sightseeing, it is recommended to take the cable car up the mountain and walk down the mountain.

Two-day tour

If you stay at Longji Rice Terraces on the first day, you can return early the next day.

Since it is a two-day trip, you must not miss watching the sunset at Longji Rice Terraces. Of course, if you have the energy, you can also get up early the next day to watch the sunrise~

DAY1: Guilin urban area - Jinkeng terraces - Jinfoding - Xishan Shaole - Thousand-layer ladder - Ping'an terraces

DAY2: Ping'an terraces with seven stars and the moon - Nine Dragons and Five Tigers - Guilin urban area

One-day tour options: Cable car-Golden Buddha Summit-Hongyao Family-Waterfall. In the morning, we set off from Guilin to Longji. When we arrive at Jinkeng Dazhai, we can first experience the scenery at the foot of the terraced fields. Then we take a cable car to overlook the thousand-story terraced fields at a 360° angle. We then arrive at Jinfoding to take photos and play, and then walk down the mountain to the foot of the mountain. "Hongyao people" experience making bamboo tube rice by hand, tasting the oil tea made by grandma, and finally return to Guilin city to visit Longji Mahai Village Chalukou Waterfall ~

Picture: Longji one-day tour.

Tips:

Tips for Jinkeng Cableway: The Jinkeng Terraces Sightseeing Cableway is a single-circuit four-person suspended cableway. The cableway takes about 20 minutes to go up the mountain and costs 60 yuan one way. 110 yuan round trip, operating hours: 9:00-17:00. If you walk up the mountain to reach the top of the Golden Buddha, it will take about 1.5 hours.

Of course, if you have enough time and budget, and are looking for high-quality travel, it is more recommended to go with the Lijiang Yangshuo Dragon's Back. A 3-day or 4-day tour is a good choice.

Many people go to the Longji Rice Terraces just to take pictures of the spectacular and beautiful scenery. Here we will focus on recommending the 5 best photography spots of Jinkeng Rice Terraces and Pingan Rice Terraces. They are Thousand Layer Terraces, Xishan Shaole, Golden Buddha Summit, Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon, and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers.

The best photography spots of Jinkeng Rice Terraces:

1. Thousand-story Rice Terraces (closest to the village, with wide view, concentrated terraces and sunset)

2. Xishan Shaole (the highest point, watch the sunrise, the most artistic conception)

3. Golden Buddha Summit (watch the sunset, the panoramic view of the terraces, the most spectacular and farthest), you can see the "eagle spreading its wings" and The "golden thread hanging gourd" and the sunset landscape are also the best places to take pictures.

Picture: The top of the Golden Buddha.

The best photo spots of Ping'an Rice Terraces:

1. Terraces with seven stars and the moon: 7 hills, 7 hills are stacked in the center of the Qi Kuai field, far away It looks like 7 twinkling stars guarding the curved moon field on Dragon's Back.

2. Nine Dragons and Five Tigers: "Nine Dragons" refers to the nine small mountain ridges where the main vein of the Dragon's Ridge branches off, and "Five Tigers" refers to the five slightly raised hills here, which are small but distinctive. It takes about 40 minutes to walk from the Five Tigers of Kowloon to the Seven Stars and the Moon. The lines of the Seven Stars and the Moon are more distinct and rounded than those of the Five Tigers of Kowloon.

Picture: The Five Tigers of Kowloon

The best time to photograph the Longji Rice Terraces: during the irrigation period, the green period, the golden harvest season, and when the snow is white.

The half-month period from late May to mid-June is the best time for photography; mid-July (from Little Summer to Great Summer) is a good time for the second photography of Jinkeng Terraces; Mid-Autumn Festival The five days before and after the festival are the third best time to take photos; winter snow scenes are also a good time to take photos of terraced fields.

Picture: Longji Rice Terraces during the green period.

Longji Terraces Photography Tips:

1. The irrigation season is the season with more rain in Longji, so camera equipment should be prepared to be rain-proof and moisture-proof.

2. Photographing the cloud and mist landscape of terraced fields.

Clouds and fog often work best when the heavy rain has just stopped, and it is easiest to shoot atmospheric films in the ups and downs of climate changes. There will also be mist in the morning, so you need to get up early and go to the observation deck to get a good shooting position.

3. The use of polarizers. Polarizers can improve the contrast of the scenery when taking photos of terraced fields under scattered light and clouds.

4. When choosing film, films with strong contrast and high definition are the first choice.

Picture: Longji terraces during spring irrigation season.

In Longji, you usually choose to live in Jinkeng Rice Terraces or Ping'an Rice Terraces. However, the overall price of Ping'an Terraces will be higher than that of Jinkeng Terraces, and it is not convenient to watch the sunset at night or the sunrise the next day. Therefore, I recommend everyone to live in Jinkeng. Next, I will introduce to you the accommodation situation in Jinkeng Terraces.

Accommodation in Jinkeng: Jinkeng terraces are divided according to the general terrain. There are villages or hotels for accommodation in different terrains. Let’s break down the pros and cons of accommodation in each location.

1. Dazhai: Located at the foot of the scenic mountain, there are many hotels. Compared with the mountain, the price of food and accommodation here is lower.

2. Tiantou Village: Located halfway up the mountain in the scenic area, there are relatively many hotels. It takes about 20 minutes to climb up. It is condescending and has a wide view. It is very convenient to watch the sunrise in the morning.

3. Golden Buddha Summit: Located at the top of the Jinkeng terraces, with views from all sides, it is only 30 minutes away from Maojie on the stone road. It is the only scenic spot that can be reached by cableway.

4. Near Shaole, Xishan: The highest hotel in the Longji Terraces is located near this scenic spot. From the Panoramic Building, there are the Observation Building, Wanjing Building, Dazhai Hotel, Beautiful View Building, and Jinmei Pavilion. Tiantouzhai hotel concentration area.

Picture: Longji Rice Terraces.

In general, it is recommended that you book accommodation at the top of the terraces (Panoramic Tower, etc.) or in the middle (Tiantouzhai, etc.), the scenery is very good. Although you need to walk up there with your luggage, you can also find a few local Yao aunties who specialize in carrying luggage. Those who live in Tiantou Village can share a car with others and take a van operated by local people. The reference price of house price is 100-400 yuan/room, and the price will increase to 300-800 yuan/room during the Golden Week.

Picture: Longji Rice Terraces.

Tips:

1. Longji accommodation is generally a wooden stilt building, with a restaurant and kitchen on the first floor and accommodation on the second and third floors. Because the sound insulation effect of wooden buildings is poor, when choosing a room, try to choose a room that is high or close to the side.

2. Talk, walk, and watch TV as quietly as possible during breaks to avoid affecting the rest of others. Friends who smoke should pay more attention to fire prevention.

The Four Treasures of Longji:

1. Longji pepper: brightly colored, thick flesh with many seeds, strong spiciness, unique fragrance, very attractive.

2. Longji water wine: The wine brewed in Longji Zhuang Township is called "Longji water wine". The Double Ninth Festival in September has a mild climate, which is the best time to brew Longji water wine. Therefore, "Longji Water Wine" is also called "Chongyang Wine".

3. Longji Yunwu Tea: The tea garden has an altitude of more than 800 meters, with four distinct seasons, abundant rainfall, high organic content, short days, high temperatures, sunny days with tea everywhere in the morning and evening, and cloudy and rainy days with clouds all over the mountains. The unique growing environment without any pollution is an ideal place for the formation of high mountain cloud tea.

4. Longji Xiangnuo: It is the main ingredient for brewing Longji water wine. It can only be eaten in Longji. There is no other place.

Picture: Longji pepper.

Handmade embroidery, batik, and silverware:

Tiantou Village has handmade embroidery, batik, and silverware of the Yao people. Basically, they are sold in every house, and the workmanship is good. Hand embroidery includes headscarves, mobile phone cases, backpacks, hanging banners, etc. Among embroidery, cross-stitch is the most advanced; batik includes headgear, shawls, tablecloths, etc.; silverware is mainly hand jewelry, and the sellers are usually women, and the prices here are relatively high. Cheaper than other attractions. It is recommended that you bargain for half of the other party's asking price, and then bargain with the other party.

Picture: Dragon spine embroidery.

Conclusion