Yunnan Color and Light Photography Tour

Departure: 2013-02-13

Duration: 7 days

Mode: Self-drive

Per person cost: 2000RMB

I. Yuanyang Rice Terraces

II. Luoping Flower Sea

III. Dongchuan Red Land

Yunnan is a major tourist province with rich tourism resources, such as snow-capped mountains, glaciers, meadows, valleys, lakes, wetlands, forests, stone forests, earth forests, volcanic geothermal areas, wildlife, multi-ethnic cultural landscapes, religious temples, and more.

This article mainly showcases the beauty of color and light in Yunnan.

I. Yuanyang Rice Terraces

The Yuanyang Rice Terraces, located in the southern part of the Ailao Mountains in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province, are a masterpiece left by the Hani people over generations. The Yuanyang Rice Terraces are the core area of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces. The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are a magnificent agricultural civilization created by the Hani people and other ethnic groups through collective cultivation, taking advantage of the unique geography and climate. They are vast and spectacular.

The terraced fields cultivated by the Yuanyang Hani people vary with the mountain terrain. Where slopes are gentle and land is large, they cultivate large fields; where slopes are steep and land is small, they cultivate small fields, even on ditch edges, ridge corners, and rock crevices. Thus, the terraced fields range from several mu in size to as small as a dustpan, often covering thousands or even tens of thousands of mu on a single slope.

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are located in southern Yunnan, spread across four counties: Yuanyang, Honghe, Jinping, and Luchun in Honghe Prefecture, with a total area of about one million mu. Within Yuanyang County alone, there are 170,000 mu of terraced fields. The Yuanyang Rice Terraces are a landscape painting of mountains and rivers that the Hani people have continuously "carved" for over 1,300 years. On June 22, 2013 (the year of the Snake), the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces were successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 37th World Heritage Conference, becoming China's 45th World Heritage site and elevating China to the second-largest World Heritage country, after Italy.

This is an excellent place to experience light and shadow.

II. Luoping Flower Sea

The Luoping Flower Sea generally refers to the spectacular rapeseed flower fields in Luoping County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province. The annual Yunnan Luoping Rapeseed Flower Tourism Festival allows you to feel the harmony between humans and nature and enjoy picturesque scenery.

The core scenic area is located at the Jinji Peak Cluster northeast of the county seat. Climbing Jinji Peak, you can see an endless expanse of rapeseed flower fields, with solitary peaks rising in the distance, adding undulation and impact to the view.

Luoping Luosi Field (Screw-shaped Fields) is located in Niujie, about ten kilometers northwest of Luoping County town, Qujing, Yunnan. Hence, it is also known as the "Niujie" rapeseed flower fields. The terraced fields here are circular, looking like spiral patterns on a screw from a distance.

III. Dongchuan Red Land

The "Dongchuan Red Land" is located northeast of Kunming city, under the jurisdiction of Dongchuan District, Kunming, in Hongtudi Town (Red Land Town). It is about 250 kilometers by car from Kunming to the main scenic area, with attractions at altitudes between 1,800 and 2,600 meters. This area, covering nearly a hundred li, is the most concentrated, typical, and distinctive red land on the Yunnan Red Soil Plateau. Against the blue sky, white clouds, and ever-changing light, it forms a spectacular landscape of red land.

Yunnan is located in a warm and humid environment, where iron in the soil gradually oxidizes and deposits, creating dazzling colors.

From September to December each year, some of the red land is plowed and waiting to be planted, while other parts are already planted with green highland barley, wheat, or other crops. From a distance, it looks like color blocks painted by heaven, with brilliant and varied colors, set against the blue sky, white clouds, and unpredictable beams of light, forming the spectacular scene of the red land. Its reputation as a palette is well-deserved.

Lugu Lake is located at the border of Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province, jointly administered by the two provinces.

The Lugu Lake tourist area is surrounded by high mountains, with snow cover for more than three months a year. It has abundant forest resources, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, fresh air, and charming scenery. Lugu Lake is regarded as the "Mother Lake" by the local Mosuo people and is also praised as a "Penglai Fairyland."