Cascading Rice Terraces and Scenic Mountain Backdrops

I never knew what to expect when going to the autonomous region in China of Guangxi.  All I knew is that before I came to China, this was one spot that was on my list to visit and it did not disappoint.  Not only is it home to some of the prettiest scenery, but it is also home to two minority groups in China- Zhuang and Yao people.

Yangshuo was our first stop and where we spent our nights.  This small town of 50,000 people is one of the prettiest and scenic towns in China.  It is nestled between jutting karst mountains all around and getting around here is quite easy on a bicycle.  We spent the day going around the countryside and took a bamboo raft on one of the rivers for an hour after our morning bike ride and were able to enjoy the pure beauty of the karst mountains all around us.  It is really amazing that there is that much natural beauty in this small place.

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One of the most spectacular light shows in the world is also found here.  It gets up to 10 million visitors a year and is an outdoor extravaganza.  It uses 600 performers that ride around on boats and tell the story about the history of the area (I believe).  It sits on the convergence of two rivers and the mountains lit up in the background make up a beautiful display of colors and scenery. Most of the light show is done on the water which makes it more extraordinary and the choreographing with so many different performers is legendary. The only struggle I had was getting good pictures, as selfie sticks and people standing in front of me were in abundance.  Oh well maybe next time.

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Located up in the mountains are two minority people of China- Zhuang and Yao people.  Many of them still live their lives very simply and often times do not hang out in more populated areas.  The Zhuang women are distinctly recognized by their folded scarves they put on their head and Yao women by their long hair and big hooped earrings.  When they let it down, it sometimes can reach almost the ground.

Zhuang Woman selling snacks

Yao woman

Yao woman

The reason for going to this province was simple:  I longed for many years to see the rice terraces in the mountains.  The most popular of the villages was Pingan Village which boasts some of the most beautiful rice terraces in the world.  The villages nestled away in the mountains maintain these terraces as it is part of their livelihood along with the growing tourism market.  Hiking a back way up the mountain provided a glimpse into these peoples small villages and watching how hard they were working on building new structures and farming the fields, made me appreciate how easy I have it in life as they do not take anything for granted here.  The pictures below will show you the stunning beauty of the landscape and my hope that it does not become to overrun in the next few years with resorts and condos that may drastically change these peoples simple lifestyle.  Perhaps it could be good, or perhaps it could be bad.  Progress is what society is built on, and from the looks of it, progress is what may be happening around here.

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Monkeys, Avatar Mountains, and Longest Glass Bridge in the World

The Mountains (used as an inspiration for Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar)

Zhangjiajie in Hunnan Province was on my bucket list long before I even thought about working in Shanghai.  This is the only place in the world where you may be able to find Quartz Sandstone Pillars (as many as 3000 of them), that jut up to the sky.  Some of them are more than 600 feet tall and are simply one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world.  This served as an inspiration for the movie Avatar which was one of the biggest box office successes in Hollywood history.  I went during low season because of the mobs of people that go during peak season so I was constantly struggling with photos away from the sun, but managed to get some very good ones in the different scenic points we went to throughout the day. 

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The Monkeys

As everyone knows I love photographing monkeys wherever I go.  This was no different in the national park as hundreds of Rhesus Macaques make this their home.  As they are used to tourists coming in, they are somewhat tame compared to other primate species you may encounter.  The only downside is, that you better watch your food and your belongings as the tame look of these animals can be deceiving.  They often love to take food and drinks from people and if you are not careful, they may also take your personal belongings.

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Longest Glass Bridge in the World

Opened a few years ago, this is certainly one of the bigger tourist attractions in this area.  Unfortunately they do not allow cameras on the bridge so people must only bring their mobile phones for photos.  It is the longest and highest glass bridge in the world and was closed down a few weeks after it had opened because of the large influx of visitors.  As of now, they only allow a certain amount of people on there a day (obviously to avoid overcrowding).  The drop is almost a thousand feet and walking along it for some could be purely terrifying.

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Around Town

The town we stayed in was built for tourists into the national park but that did not take away from its stunning beauty of small streets and the small town feel which is something that is hard to find in China.  The people still go about their daily lives of walking down the street enjoying the many foods they have to offer, fishing, and putting on different shows.

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Anhui Province-  A walk with nature in the isolated mountains of China

If you were to think of nature in China, this province would be the place you would think of.  Covered by mountains and lakes, it is the embodiment of peace and relaxation just a six to eight hour drive from Shanghai.

Many of the villages in this southern area that I was in were no bigger than a few hundred to a few thousand people.  The mountains with their ever changing fall colors were magnificent to look at as you can get lost in the tranquility of the environment.  A hike for a whole day in the cold damp environment through mountain passes and almost abandoned villages has shown me another side of China.  This side of China is of a rural part away from the cities, some villages have just a few people in them as most have headed toward the cities in search of better wages.  However this is what made this area so beautiful as many of the towns were still intact yet with hardly any people in them.  The mountains that we passed through had elements of what rural china used to be like in the mid 1900’s.  The hike was hard, but seeing the natural beauty was all worth it as you can see below…

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Taking a few hours boat ride around a lake with islands just about everywhere showed me another side of China also.  As you can see below, the houses are built up on the lake side as ferry’s take people to and from each town.  Many of these people make their money off fishing as the prime fish in this location roughly translates to “Big Head Carp”.  Seeing the villages along the way was something out of a story book and only the occasional rumbling of a car out in the distance, would you know that there was a road close by.  Again, the mountains in this area were breath taking, and couple that with being right next to the water made for great views….

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