Peng Zhenhua: Terraced Fields Become Scenery, Rich Strokes Depict the Seasons

The nearly 300 mu of Tangjia Terraced Fields in Dong'an County, Hunan Province, although not as spectacular as the Longsheng Terraced Fields in Guangxi, nor as charming as the Jiabang Terraced Fields in Guizhou, and not as beautiful as the Yuanyang Terraced Fields in Yunnan, still possess a harmonious beauty of village and nature, giving a feeling of 'a paradise on earth, a land of peace and tranquility.' If we say that the Yuanyang, Longsheng, and Jiabang terraces are 'ladies of high society,' then the Tangjia Terraced Fields in Dong'an, Hunan, are 'a modest maiden.'

Tangjia Terraced Fields are located in the Tangjia Work Area on Mount Shunhuang. The local people are simple and honest. Because it is deep in the mountains with steep roads and each terraced field is narrow and long, it is not suitable for mechanized management. The people here still use primitive labor methods: beating rice with a wooden bucket and winnowing grain with a windmill.

It is said that these mountain terraces form a pattern of 'Seven Stars Surrounding the Moon.' From the opposite mountaintop, one can faintly see seven round fields like seven stars. In particular, the two round fields at the top are like two pearls, giving the impression of 'Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl.'

In spring, the fields are filled with water, like strings of silver chains hanging on the mountain;

In summer, the rice seedlings turn green, like rows of green waves dancing;

In autumn, the golden ears of rice sway, as if nodding to visitors from afar.

At the end of September, I visited Tangjia Terraced Fields again. I felt that the terraces have strong layering and rhythm. When the autumn wind blows, the rows of rice fields can be seen as a painting, and the sounds they produce can be heard as music.

Standing amid the terraced fields feels like being in a vividly colored painting.

Author: Peng Zhenhua, Jinmen Net