BEIJING, CHINA -  20 August 2025 - The year 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of China's accession to the World Heritage Convention, a milestone that highlights the country's commitment to preserving its cultural and natural treasures. Among these jewels, the Hani Terraced Fields in Yuanyang County of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, stand as a breathtaking testament to the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.

Nestled on mountain slopes with the gradient ranging from 15 to 75 degrees, the terraces cascade in stunning layers and can include as many as 3,000 steps.

Over a thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Hani people migrated from the north to a valley in southern China. Despite the challenging natural environment, they made the most of the mountains and waters. The Hani people cultivated over 1 million mu (approximately 66,666.67 hectares) of rice terraces, some situated at elevations exceeding 2,000 meters, according to Ma Chongwei, a professor of Yunnan University.

No matter how high the mountain, water finds its way. The Hani people constructed thousands of channels to divert streams. These channels wind through villages and terraced fields before merging with rivers in the valleys.

Channel maintainers oversee the water channels, keeping them clean and ensuring proper flow. For over a thousand years, the Hani people have used water allocation tools to distribute water into a network of irrigation channels and ditches, showcasing their farming wisdom.

Throughout the long agrarian era, the Hani people transformed mountains and rivers, sharing this landscape with the Yi, Dai and other Chinese ethnic groups living downhill.

Deeply integrated into the ethnic culture, the terraces have now become the eternal spiritual homeland of the Hani people.

In the terraces lies a harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, the agrarian wisdom attuned to natural rhythms and an enduring spirit of perseverance.

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