rice china
Village houses and water filled rice terraces in Longsheng, Guangxi Province, China.

“For thousands of years, when farmers in mountainous regions have expanded their farms to grow crops on the steep slopes, they have carved massive steps into the terrain, forming terraces of many small platforms. Following the contours of the mountains, the edges of the terraces create sinuous patterns in the landscape, presenting picturesque images. Gathered here are photos from China, Switzerland, Vietnam, Peru, the Philippines, and Japan.” SOURCE: The Atlantic

This gallery of 27 terraced rice fields is absolutely fabulous.  I find these to be some of the  more beautiful cultural landscapes; I’m drawn to the great extent of agricultural  modifications of the environment, coupled with the rugged physical landscape.

GeoEd Tags: images, agriculture, landscape, China.

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