Longji Rice Terraces in Longsheng County, Guilin

Attractions Overview

Terraces are distributed between 300 meters and 1100 meters above sea level, with a maximum slope of 50 degrees. Almost all roads leading to the terraces are winding mountain roads, rising to an altitude of more than 600 meters and reaching 880 meters above sea level when reaching the terraces.

Chinese Name: 龙脊梯田
English Name: Longji Rice Terraces in Longsheng County, Guilin
Type: Guilin Scenic Area, Guilin famous spots & Guilin attractions
Best Time: All Year Around
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2-3 hours
Location: Located in Longji Mountain, Pingan Village, Longji Town, Longsheng Autonomous County, Guangxi

Why is Longji Rice Terraces So Special?

Longji Rice Terraces, literally Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, gains its name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales and the mountain range looks like the backbone of a dragon. It is reputed as one of the most beautiful rice terraces in the world. Now, the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces covers an area of 66 square kilometers (about 16,308 acres) and spans an altitude between 300 meters (about 984 feet) and 1,100 meters (about 3,608 feet). Among them, two main and representative viewing areas are the Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields and the Jinkeng Terraced Fields where Zhuang and Yao Minority people have been living respectively for hundreds of years. In addition to appreciate the rice terraces, visitors can learn some unique customs in Longsheng rice terraces scenic area.

Where is Longji Rice Terraces

It is located in Longsheng County, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Guilin and 140 kilometers (90 miles) from Yangshuo. The construction of incredible Longji Rice Terraces started in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and lasted till the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Main Attraction of Longji Rice Terraces

Ping’an Zhuang Village Terraced Fields

There are 15,862 terraces in Pinganzhuang village, some large and some small. Here, tourists can enjoy two unique landscapes of rice terraces. One is the “Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon”, which consists of seven small piles of stones deliberately left behind when people dug terraces, with a moon-shaped terrace in the middle. From a distance, it looks like “seven shining stars” accompanied by “moon”. This is an ideal place for photography. The other is “Nine dragon five Tigers”. Nine spines extend from the main veins of the dragon’s spines and look like nine dragons bent down to drink water from the Jinsha River. There are also five tiger-shaped rocks nearby. It takes about two hours to visit this area.

Pinganzhuang village terraces are the first terraces developed for tourism in Longji terraces and are now fully equipped. Food, lodging and transportation are all convenient.

Jinkeng Rice Terraces Fields (Dazhai Rice Terraces)

Jinkeng Terrace is located in Dazhai Village and surrounded by mountains. It is famous for its rich gold mineral resources. Visitors here should not miss its three famous scenic spots-Xishan music or the first viewing platform, large multi-layer terrace or the second viewing platform, golden Buddha roof or the third viewing platform. At an altitude of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), it is the best place to watch sunrise and sunset as well as the entire dragon ridge terraces. A visit takes about 4-5 hours.

Dazhai Village also has hotels and restaurants for tourists. But it is not as good as Ping An Business.

Colorful Folk Customs of Zhuang and Yao Minority People

The residents of Longsheng terrace are mainly Zhuang and Yao. They have their own unique and interesting customs in terms of diet, clothes and lifestyle. For example, their house is a stilt house for moisture protection. Yao women like to have long hair, some of which is more than 1m long. Their clothes are colorful with exquisite embroidery.

Best Time to Visit Longji Rice Terrace

1. Mid-April to middle or late June: At the time, the rice terraces are filled with water for rice planting. You will see hundreds of “water mirrors” with reflections of the blue sky, floating clouds and mountains on the surface.
2. Late September to October: The rice in the terraces is ripen. Visitors can appreciate a sea of golden rice fluttering and dancing in the wind with distinctive layers.
3. July to middle September: The green world will bring you a sense of tranquil that is hard to find in the hustling and bustling city.
4. The festival time is also a good choice to visit Longsheng rice terraces, when visitors can have a lot of fun.

Cole Flower Festival	March to April	Tourists will be amused by the sea of cole flowers.
Spring Plowing Festival	May to June	It’s a good opportunity for photography enthusiasts to shoot beautiful pictures of the rice terraces. Also they can take part in the photo competition to win prizes.
Drying Clothes Festival	The 6th day in 6th lunar calendar	Yao minority people sun clothes on that day. Afterwards, they perform folk dances and songs in the village. Tourists can take this chance to appreciate Yao people’s traditional costume and wonderful performances.
Golden Autumn Cultural Festival	September to October	During the festival, tourists can enjoy folk performances of the Yao Minority and join the campfire party at night.

How To Get There

In peak season, passenger can take direct shuttle bus to get to Ping’an or Dazhai villages in Longji Rice Terraces from Guilin Qintan Coach Station, Guilin North or West Railway Station, taking 2.5 – 3 hours and costing CNY 50 – 60. The depart time is from 8:00 to 15:00 depending on passenger flow.
Passengers can also take a coach from Guilin Qintan Coach Station to Longsheng County, and the depart time is 08:00, 09:10, 11:00, 12:00, 13:10, 14:00, 15:10, 16:10, 17:10 and 18:20, taking about 2 hours. Then take the shuttle bus from Longsheng to Longji Rice Terraces, duration is about an hour, and this bus depart at 07:30, 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00.

Useful Travel Tips

Admission Fee	CNY 80 covering Ping’an Zhuang Village and Dazhai Yao Village Rice Terraces Children below 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) are free of charge
Ticketing Time	08:30 – 17:30