Golden Pit Terraces

Golden Pit Terraces

The Golden Pit Terraces are renowned as one of the world’s most spectacular tourist landscapes. With their awe-inspiring scale, misty mountain summits, unique Yao villages, and vibrant cultural flavors, they create a magnificent scene. These terraces are not just a dream destination for photographers but also a global marvel for travelers. Spanning over 10 square kilometers, the Golden Pit Terraces originated during the Yuan Dynasty, enduring centuries of history before gaining attention in recent years and gradually becoming a popular tourist attraction.

Introduction

Nestled among the rugged mountains in the northeastern part of Heping Township, Longsheng County, Guilin, Guangxi, lies a place called Golden Pit. Covering an area of over 10 square kilometers, it encompasses more than 20 villages with a population of 5,000. Each person has roughly one mu of paddy field on average, and the area is primarily inhabited by the Hong Yao, a branch of China’s southwestern ethnic minority—the Yao people. The ancestors of the Golden Pit Hong Yao migrated from the Dongting Lake and Wu Xi regions of Hunan, bringing with them advanced rice cultivation techniques. The earliest piece of land cultivated and harvested by these ancestors is located in front of the school in Dazhai Village—it is regarded as the founding field of Golden Pit.

The Hong Yao people do not have their own written language, so their history and culture have traditionally been passed down orally through folk songs. The Hong Yao are hardworking, courageous, honest, and hospitable. The women, in particular, are known for their craftsmanship, excelling in embroidery, cross-stitching, batik dyeing, and silk production. They are fond of wearing red clothing, which is how the Hong Yao got their name. The Golden Pit Terraces are celebrated as one of the world’s most extraordinary tourist landscapes, featuring a majestic scale, mist-covered mountain peaks, unique Yao villages, and diverse local customs that together paint a stunning picture. These terraces are not only a dream location for photographers but also a global marvel for travelers. Spanning over 10 square kilometers, the Golden Pit Terraces were first excavated during the Yuan Dynasty, weathering centuries of change before being discovered by the outside world in recent years and gradually becoming a major tourist hotspot.

In mid-May 1994, a production team jointly formed by Guilin TV Station and the Social Education Department of CCTV entered Xiaozhai Primary School in Golden Pit to film a documentary about the Hope Project, titled "Dragon's Backbone."

In April and June 2013, CCTV’s Chinese International Channel program "Traveling in China" visited Longji, Guilin, twice to film two episodes for the "Beautiful China · Wetland Journey" series: "Water Nurtures the Dragon's Backbone" (aired August 16, 2013) and "Terraced Households" (aired September 9, 2013).

Feng Wen-zhen, the granddaughter of General Feng Yuxiang and a Chinese-American, has visited Golden Pit eight times. Now a travel photographer in the U.S., her goal in photographing Golden Pit is to publish a series of images in National Geographic magazine. Prior to 1995, there were almost no tourists visiting Golden Pit. After 1996, visitor numbers began to rise gradually. In 1999 alone, Tian Tou Zhai village hosted six to seven hundred visitors, including foreigners and photographers from Hong Kong and Macau. By 2000, the number of tourists in Tian Tou Zhai had surpassed one thousand.

Three Key Features

Well-preserved natural landscape and environment

Geographically, Golden Pit is nestled within the Yuecheng Mountain Range, surrounded by high peaks and still without road access, maintaining a largely self-sufficient economy. The highest peak in Longsheng, Fuping Bao (1,916 meters above sea level), lies right behind Xiaozhai. Above 1,500 meters on Fuping Bao, dense primeval forests remain intact. The area is abundant in streams and water sources, with evergreen vegetation covering the mountains year-round. The villages consist entirely of stilted houses, arranged in harmony with the landscape, exuding simplicity and elegance, giving visitors a strong sense of returning to nature.

Breathtaking scenery, like a painting

The Golden Pit Terraces are neatly arranged, with richly varied lines—primarily curved, which convey a sense of dynamic beauty. Especially the long and wavy lines evoke the image of ribbons drifting down from the sky. The terraces also feature iconic shapes: some small hills are encircled by layers of terraces resembling pagodas, enhancing the pastoral aesthetics; some terraces look like an eagle spreading its wings when viewed together; others resemble the “Seven Stars Around the Moon,” while some are classic trapezoidal forms or feature floral borders. The terraces offer a strong sense of layering—due to the steep terrain, they are mostly ribbon-like with numerous vertical and horizontal levels. Moreover, the terraces possess a musical beauty reflected in their rhythm and harmony.

Simple, harmonious folk customs

Today, when you visit the Yao villages, you’ll often see villagers voluntarily building roads and bridges without expecting payment. Elders are deeply respected; during weddings or funerals, all widowed or elderly villagers—regardless of relation—are invited to the feast without being asked to bring gifts. When encountering elders on the path, younger people yield the right of way. Traditional labor-sharing practices such as mutual help in construction (known as "backing work" or "exchange labor") are still common. For example, if a family lacks manpower for building a house, neighbors will come to assist. Similarly, when someone needs help, others will readily offer support—no money is exchanged, just a simple meal. Other commendable customs, such as borrowing and lending with trust and not taking things without permission, are also well preserved.

Here, you can witness traditional ethnic dances and beautifully preserved costumes, listen to melodious folk songs, and immerse yourself in authentic cultural experiences. Highlights include the Longji Bronze Drum Dance, Shaman Dance, and Pole-Beating Dance, along with rustic dwellings, fragrant Longji tea and chili peppers, and the refreshing “Oriental Magic Water”—Longji rice wine.

The sixth day of the sixth lunar month is the biggest festival for the Hong Yao, also known as the Clothes-Drying Festival, Zongzi Festival, or Mid-Year Festival. On this day, friends, relatives, and fellow villagers are invited to celebrate, making for a lively and festive gathering. Every household makes zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and the village slaughters a pig to offer to the temple deity, while each family sacrifices a duck to the field deity. The offering spot for the field deity is fixed—a stone is placed there as the shrine, used annually. Offerings include ducks, wine, zongzi, incense, and paper, carried in a basket by the host wearing a straw hat. On the way to the offering site, no one is greeted. After the ceremony, a bamboo pole with paper streamers is erected at the deity’s spot. The offerings are then taken home, and a straw marker is hung on the door to signify that no one should enter. The host quickly cooks the duck, and the whole family gathers to eat it together in one sitting—no outsiders are allowed, not even married daughters returning home, as it symbolizes keeping prosperity within. The Yao people say offering to the field deity is a prayer for a bountiful harvest. This tradition was discontinued after the liberation.

Travel Seasons

1. May 25 – June 11 (just after transplanting, terraces filled with water, poetic views)

2. Mid-July (cool mountain climate, early rice growth, lush green fields)

3. Around Mid-Autumn Festival (ripe rice fields, golden landscapes)

Golden Pit Terraces Orientation Map

Golden Pit Terraces Orientation Map (2 images)

4. Winter snowfall (snow occurs only once or twice a year, snow-covered terraces are striking but rare and unpredictable)

Ways to Visit

Cable Car

Visitors can take the Longji Golden Pit Cable Car, which takes just 20 minutes to offer panoramic views of the terraces and surrounding scenery. The Golden Pit Terraces Sightseeing Cable Car is a single-loop, four-person gondola system, stretching 1,380 meters with a vertical drop of 310 meters and featuring 113 cabins.

Longji Gorge Rafting

The Longji Gorge Rafting is located within the Longji Rice Terraces scenic area, 77 kilometers from downtown Guilin. The rafting section spans 4 kilometers with a drop of 300 meters, taking approximately 1.5 hours for the entire course. Rafting sessions are available at three time slots: 10:00 AM, 1:30 PM, and 4:00 PM, with two people sharing one raft.

Source: Longsheng Tourism Network