Nanuo Rice Terraces in Yuanjiang County, Yuxi

Why is Nanuo Rice Terrace So Special?

The Yuanjiang rice terraces are mainly concentrated in Yangjie羊街 and Nanuo那诺, among which Nanuo rice terrace is the most spectacular. The industrious Nanuo Hani people created magnificent cultural masterpieces with their own hands. The scenery of Rice Terraces is different in different seasons. Spring terraces are clear in shape and bright in color; The summer terraces are green and full of life; Autumn terraces are golden, a scene of harvest; The terraces in the winter are shrouded in mist, the sunrise and sunset scenery, as well as sea of cloud are gorgeous.

Where is Nanuo Rice Terrace?

On the south bank of the Yuanjiang river, adjacent to Honghe county, there is a piece of land called Nanuo, which is known for its rice terraces, seas of clouds and Hani culture. Nanuo township covers an area of 152 square kilometers, an average elevation of 1700 meters. There is a population of less than 20000 people at Nanuo township, giving priority to with the Hani ethnic groups. It is the only place where is famous for its terraced landscape in central Yunnan. Belonging to the upstream section of Honghe Hani culture corridor, Nanuo rice terraces have the same cultural environment with Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces.

About Nanuo Township那诺乡

Nanuo township is located at the foot of the Ailao mountain in Yuanjiang county, Yunnan province. Most of the local residents are Hani people who have lived there for generations. Nanuo is about 296 kilometers away from Kunming, more than 60 kilometers from the county seat of Yuanjiang County. This is a place full of romance and poetic, the highest altitude in the territory is of 2,500 meters, and the lowest altitude of 780 meters, a height difference of 1720 meters. It is a mountainous ethnic town where ethnic minorities live together. More than 90% of the population at nanuo is Hani minority.

Due to historical reasons, relatively closed and backward, coupled with the harsh natural environment, flat land in Nanuo is very rare. The Hani people in Nanuo are industrious and kind-hearted, and have created many cultural miracles in their struggle with nature for thousand years. The splendid rice terraces and a series of colorful ethnic festivals such as "October Festival", "Yellow Rice Festival" and "Kuzhazha Festival" are its outstanding representatives.

The traffic here is not very good, with steep and narrow road, there are a lot of turns. On the way to Nanuo Township, there is a relatively large Hani village, Yangjie Village羊街村. In 2018, the construction of a new highway between Yuanjiang county and Nanuo township will be completed and the journey will be shortened by 30 kilometers.

Nearby Attractions

1. Nanuo Market那诺集市

Nanuo is famous for its Sea of Cloud of terraces and Hani culture in central Yunnan. Nanuo market is on the doubleday(双日), at that time, there are many Hani people, young and old, but more women. There are exchanges of various items, such as chicken and duck, farm goods, mountain goods, meat, vegetables, sugar cane, piglets and department stores, as well as dyed fabrics and colorful ethnic ornaments.

2. Yuanjiang River National Nature Reserve元江国家级自然保护区

With a total area of 22378.9 hectares, main protected objects in Yuanjiang River National Nature Reserve are the most typical river-valley savanna vegetation, relatively complete mountain evergreen broad-leaved forest and abundant rare wildlife resources. it belongs to the forest ecosystem nature reserve. Nature reserve consists of two sections, namely, the east bank of Yuanjiang (Jiangdong District江东片区  for short) and Zhangba District章巴片区.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the rice terraces is from November to the coming March, when the harvest is complete and Hani people are drawing off with water into terrace. And the climate is clear and warm at those months, with blue sky and white clouds. Partial paddy fields grow a kind of not well-known duckweed with deep amaranth, under the illuminate of sunshine, bright-coloured duckweed is unusually dazzing.

How to Get There

If you want to go to Nanuo Rice Terrace, you have to go to Yuanjiang County of Yuxi first. When you are there in Yuanjiang county, you will transfer there to Nanuo Township那诺乡. You can choose to take regular bus or drive from Yuanjiang county to Nanuo Township.

Kunming South Bus Station-Yuanjiang Bus Terminal

Departure Time: 9:00, 12:00, 15:20, 16:30, 18:00, 19:30

Price: 90 CNY

Distance: 231 kilometers

Consume Time: About 3 hours

Yuangjiang County-Nanuo Bus Terminal

There are few buses from Yuanjiang bus terminal to Nanuo bus terminal.

Departure Time: 7:30, 8:00, 9:00, 13:00

Price: 23 CNY

Distance: 66 kilometers

Consume Time: About 2 hours

Accommodation in Nanuo Rice Terrace

You can stay overnight in Yuanjiang County or Nanuo Township. Here are several recommended hotels(Nanuo is underdeveloped, hotels there are affordable).

1. Yuanjiang Hotel元江大酒店

Address: No.2, Hongqi Road, Lijiang Town, Yuangjiang County, Yuxi玉溪市元江县澧江镇红旗路2号

Tel: 0877-6012888

Starting Price: 185 CNY

2. U HOTEL元江优家酒店

Address: No.118, Wenhua Road, Yuanjiang County, Yuxi玉溪市元江县文化路118号

Tel: 0877-6559900

Starting Price: 60 CNY

3. Dayu Jinyuan Hotel元江大宇金源酒店

Address: Wenhua Road, Yuanjiang County, Yuxi玉溪市元江县文化路

Tel: 0877-6515555

Starting Price: 105 CNY

Useful Travel Tips

1. Nanauo Rice Terrace is high in elevation, ultraviolet ray is strong on sunny days, you'd better bring sun cream. sunglasses, sun hat and other sunscreen products.

2. With large temperature difference between daytime and night, it is easy to develop a cold, therefore, you are suggested to bring coats and some cold medicine.

3. Nanuo Rice Terrace is far away from the city, transportation is not so convenient. The road could be not so good.

4. After visiting the Nanuo Rice Terrace, you may as well taste the Zhujie ecological green tea猪街绿茶. Zhujie ecological green tea grows in the high altitude of Ailao Mountain. It has been famous for green tea since the Ming Dynasty. If time permits, you can also drive to Zhujie township, about 6 kilometers from Nanuo Township.

5. Compared with Honghe Hani Rice Terrace, Nanuo Rice Terrace is remote, not many people are familiar with it. However, like Honghe Hani Rice Terrace, the beauty of the Nanuo rice terraces is pure, they are the painstaking efforts of Hani people for hundreds of years.