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Published: March 13th 2010
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A feast for the eyes and for the stomach, Longji (Dragon's Backbone) rice terraces are both absolutely stunning and absolutely essential in a country that needs at least 135 million metric tonnes of rice a year. Rice is the most important crop in China and the country is the world's largest rice producer. China grows two main varieties of rice and that grown in the south, at Dragon's Backbone rice terraces, is of indica variety. The Chinese have eaten rice since ancient times, and it is the main staple food for over 65% of the population.
At this time of year the rice terraces are in flower and therefore while you don't see as many rows covered in water and glistening in the sun, you do see miles of gorgeous colour-filled terraces, as the rice flowers nod in the breeze. Miles of terraces coil around from the base of Longji Mountain to its summit and local people can be seen working on the terraces, protecting themselves from the sun by wearing traditional conical Chinese straw hats.
The local people here are Yao, and they live in family units dotted alongside the hills. Primarily wooden houses are built into the
mountains and held up on the outer side by stilts. Yeo families often marry one another and its is acknowledged that they all look extremely similar. Each village has just one surname, and although homes are pretty big they have up to ten immediate family members living in them (although the whole village is related) and the family has just one floor of the three story building. The base is traditionally used for pigs and other livestock, and the roof houses poultry, with the family living on the floor in between. However, the government has seen the potential for tourism in this area and has got involved, and now houses are beginning to be rebuilt with restaurants on the bottom floor, family rooms on the second and hotels at the top. I am glad I came to Longji before the traditional way of life here is lost forever and the villages become just another hotspot for flag and microphone wielding Chinese tour groups.
The Yao people have some unusual customs; women have an elevated position in society and the man must stay at home looking after the children and working the land, while basically the woman has a good
life. Also, the women only ever cut their hair once in their life, and some members of the village I visited had hair over 2 metres long! The way they tie their hair symbolises their position in society, a covered head means a girl is unmarried as no one must see her hair before her husband does, a tall wrapped hairstyle says a woman is married with children, and a short wrapped style indicates that she is married but doesn't have children. They use the water from washing rice as a shampoo which they accredit to the fact that however old a Yao woman gets, her hair stays strong and never turns grey. It is impolite in Yao culture to refuse tea and visitors can only use one chopstick (eating with two is hard enough) as to use more than one symbolises that you want to stay in the village and get married to a local person. The women make and wear very heavy metal earrings so as they get older their ears stretch and they have large earlobes.
While in the village I tried a local rice wine (a bit like sherry) and a snack made with glutinous
rice flour and rolled in black pepper which was actually quite nice. Some of the women did a little show and unwrapped their hair, it was surprisingly shiny for such long hair, maybe I will start using rice water as shampoo too!
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