Samaba Ten Thousand Mu Terraced Fields Scenic Area

Samaba Terraced Fields

Samaba Terraced Fields is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

“Beyond the mountains, there are more mountains; beyond the sky, there is a greater sky. One does not know the grandeur of terraces until visiting Samaba.” This is not literary exaggeration or casual talk, but a historical fact that has existed for over a thousand years. The earliest Chinese records of Hani terraces only date back to the Ming Dynasty. According to the "Five Tusi Registers" compiled in 1934, during the Hongwu era (1382–1398), the Hani chieftain Wu Bangpo led people to cut through mountains and open terraces. He was unanimously elected as leader and achieved remarkable success. He was appointed by the imperial court as the region’s first Tusi official, with hereditary rights, and terraced fields continued to be developed during both the Ming and Qing dynasties. This is one of the most splendid and valuable records of the Hani terraced field culture in national history.

Samaba Terraced Fields is located in the central-southern part of Honghe County, eastern Baohua Township, 2 kilometers from the township government seat and 37 kilometers from Yisa County. With a total area of over 14,000 mu and more than 4,300 layers of terraces, it sits at elevations between 600 meters and 1,880 meters, making it the earliest recorded Hani terraced field in Chinese historical texts. It is surrounded by over 4,000 mu of forest and benefits three townships, 21 natural villages, and a population of over 30,000. The main crop is hybrid rice, with high per-mu yields reaching up to 620 kilograms, making it one of the county’s key grain-producing areas. The highest point of Samaba Terraced Fields is Luokong Dajianshan, at an elevation of 2,436 meters, offering a great vantage spot to view the terraces. Our current location, called “Lukuibadi” in the Hani language, sits at 1,600 meters above sea level, where the vast expanse of terraced fields can be fully appreciated.

Between 1368 and 1399, Wu Bangpo (Tusi of Gata Zuoneng) encouraged the local people to dig water channels and build terraces, in what is now Chao Village in Baohua Township. The Samaba Ten Thousand Mu Terraced Fields are the jewel and representative of the Honghe Hani Terraces, renowned for their vast area and majestic presence. With over 4,000 layers of terraces connected continuously across thousands of acres, they have earned nationwide fame. Having endured a thousand years of change, the philosophy behind the Hani terraces remains unchanged and continues to serve as the material foundation for Hani people’s livelihoods, still possessing eternal vitality. Its most prominent features are “its majestic scale, contiguous expanse of ten thousand mu, and overwhelming grandeur.”

It is the only viewing area in China where you can take in ten thousand mu of terraced fields from a single vantage point. The magnificence and wonder of Samaba Terraced Fields fully demonstrate the profound harmony between humans and nature, embodying the unity of heaven and earth. It showcases the agricultural ecosystem formed by the four elements — forest, village, terraces, and water system — as well as the harmonious coexistence of various ethnic groups.

Samaba Terraced Fields best exemplify the profound harmony between humans and nature, highlighting the core of terrace culture. It is the pearl and outstanding representative of China’s terrace culture and a model of agricultural civilization — that is, the virtuous agricultural ecosystem formed by the four-tiered structure of forest, village, terraces, and water system. The terraced fields are surrounded by verdant mountains, with forests covering the slopes, some being ancient primeval woods and others recently planted economic forests by locals. Statistics show there are over 4,000 mu of forested land, accounting for one-fifth of the total forest area in Baohua Township.

The terraces are majestic, stretching magnificently with ever-changing scenery. The ten thousand mu of terraces are concentrated and continuous, with over 3,000 layers linked end to end, terraced from 700 meters to 1,800 meters above sea level. Carved along the mountain slopes and shaped by the terrain, they form a dense, crisscrossing pattern like a spiderweb. Some plots are as large as three or four mu, while others are no bigger than a water buffalo. On steep slopes, the terraces resemble heavenly ladders, beautiful as dragon spines.

With the changing of the seasons, the terraced fields display different charms: lush green in spring, golden rice-covered hills in autumn, and in winter, each plot becomes a mirror embedded in the valley, resembling colorful ribbons ascending into the sky. Watching the sunrise over the sea of clouds in the early morning is like stepping into a fairyland. Any visitor present will be captivated and moved by this breathtaking masterpiece sculpted by the mountains — thrilling and awe-inspiring. According to research, within the southern Yunnan region where Hani terraces are found — including Yuxi, Simao, and Honghe — the only place that offers a single viewpoint to take in ten thousand mu of terraces and capture the mountain, water, fields, forests, and villages in one frame is Baohua’s “Lubakuodi.” Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say: To witness the full wonder of the terrace world, come to Lubakuodi, Honghe County.

Address: G77 County Road, Honghe County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province