Longfeng Terraces

Longfeng Terraces

The Longfeng Terraces are located in the northwest of Zhangjiajie City, within the jurisdiction of Luoshui Township in Yongding District, and lie back-to-back with Tianquanshan National Forest Park. Over hundreds of millions of years ago, under the strong orogenic movement of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau colliding with the Wuling Mountain Range, the prototype of the Longfeng Terraces and the Longfeng Mountain Range were formed. These terraces are vast in scale and have a long history. Legend has it that they were cultivated over 700 years ago by tens of thousands of troops led by Qin Hou, the leader of the Tujia ethnic farmers’ uprising at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, making them comparable to the Longji Terraces in Guangxi’s Longsheng.

The best times to visit Longfeng Village to admire the terraces are during spring plowing and autumn harvest seasons. From the Ba’er Rock Pass of Tianquanshan, you can get a panoramic view of the whole village, which is the best spot for sightseeing. Longfeng Village remains a rather primitive settlement with a rough dirt road less than four meters wide. If you wish to stay overnight to enjoy sunrise and sunset, you can lodge in local farm stays or pitch your own tent for camping. There are actually quite a few spots suitable for camping on the mountain—dozens of natural grassy clearings of various sizes with clean, abundant, and easily accessible water sources for you to choose from.

In the valley below Longfeng Mountain lies the seat of Luoshui Township Government, a distinctive cultural town in Yongding District. Every year on the lunar calendar date of “June 6th” (Qin Hou’s Drying Festival), a performance of the Tujia ethnic group’s Maogusu dance—a folk art known as the “living fossil” of Chinese theater—is held in a nearby village called Nanliangzhai, next to the township government, to commemorate the leader of the farmers’ uprising, Qin Hou. You can join the June 6th activities at any time.

Scenic Area Address: Longfeng Village, Luoshui Township, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province

Transportation: Hire a car within Zhangjiajie City to reach the scenic area