Guilin · Guangxi · Place

Longji Rice Terraces

A 2,300-year-old cascade of rice terraces carved into Longji mountain, home to Zhuang and Yao villages.

Written and signed by Ivy Chen

4.6/5RatingCNY 80 entry + CNY 50 shuttleTicketYear-round, dailyOpening hours

What it actually is

Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Rice Terraces sprawl across 66 square kilometres of the Yuecheng range in Longsheng County, a 2,300-year-old mosaic of paddies cut into mountain ridges by Zhuang and Hong Yao (Red Yao, a Yao sub-group) farmers. The cascade climbs 380 to 1,180 metres across three viewing areas.

Editor's take

Ivy ChenWritten and signed by

The verdict

Worth the effort if you go in the right season, stay a night, and stick to two villages; a rushed, mistimed day-trip in poor weather won't show you why it's famous.

What's great

Time it for the flooded season in late April or a misty morning, and the mirror-flat paddies reflecting the sky are the whole reason to come.

You don't need all three villages — locals say Jinkeng Dazhai plus Ping'an are enough, with Huangluo as a lunch stop.

Stay overnight in a village guesthouse; the terraces at dawn and dusk, before and after the day-trippers, are a different place.

Worth knowing

The winding mountain road up makes a lot of people carsick, and once you're there the viewpoint signage is poor — easy to waste time lost.

It's a steep, high climb with big day-to-night temperature swings; bring a warm layer for a sunrise wait and proper shoes.

It's heavily seasonal — outside the flooded or golden-harvest windows, and under grey skies, it's far less spectacular.

Grounded in 62+ traveller reviews. Distilled by our editors from traveller reviews on Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

Essentials

Opening hoursYear-round, daily

TicketCNY 80 entry + CNY 50 shuttle

Contact+86 773-7583088

Rating4.6/5

Good to know

Drone flights prohibitedThe terraces and nearby villages fall under scenic-area airspace rules; commercial drones require prior written approval from the Longji management

Layers: 800 m elevation swing means cool mornings even in July

Rain expected May-Aug, pack a light raincoat for terrace walks

Last shuttle bus down to Longji Town departs 17:30

Try bamboo-tube rice (sticky rice roasted in fresh bamboo) at village stalls

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Mirror-flooded paddies in late April

Every late April, farmers open the mountain streams and the terraces fill one paddy at a time from the top down. By the last week of April the cascade reads as a single mirror that catches the early-morning clouds; the Seven Stars with Moon cluster is the most-photographed for good reason (best at 7:00-9:00 AM in Apr-May when flooded paddies mirror the ridges above).

Hong Yao long-hair tradition

The Red Yao (a Yao sub-group famous for long hair) women of Jinkeng Dazhai cut their hair only once in a lifetime - at 18, when the cut hair is kept in a family heirloom comb. Visitors can watch a hair-washing demo in most village homestays, using rice-water fermented in wooden barrels that the Yao say keeps hair black past 80.

800-metre vertical climb on one ridge

The terraces stretch from 380 metres at the valley floor to 1,180 metres on the highest ridge - the entire mountain is one continuous paddy wall. The classic hike links Ping'an to Jinkeng Dazhai along a paved stone path through seven Zhuang and Yao hamlets, about 4 hours with stops.

Getting there

flightFly to Guilin Liangjiang Airport, then shared taxi 2.5 hrs to Longji Town

trainHigh-speed rail to Guilin North, then direct shuttle bus to Longji Town

carSelf-drive from Guilin via G321, ~2 hrs to the scenic-area entrance

busDirect shuttle from Guilin Qintan Bus Station to Longji Town, departs 08:30

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