I was not prepared for how much I would love the Longji Rice Terraces! Why don’t people talk about them more? They are the Machu Picchu of Asia! I’m just so glad that my sister, who taught English in China in 2015, made sure that we made a stop in Longji.
We had Peter (the best tour guide ever!) pick us up at the airport in Guilin and then we drove a couple hours to Longji. We hiked around the rice terraces all afternoon which was wonderful after a 19 hour train ride!
I was so inspired by the hard work and dedication, not to mention TEAMWORK, that went into building these terraces. Many villagers still live there and farm the land today. We got to meet one sweet woman that invited us into her home and gave us a little tour (pictured above). She was so proud of her humble little home and she made sure that we saw the view out her bedroom window! We also met some ladies from the Longji Minority Tribes (also pictured above) that only cut their hair TWICE in their life. They believe it is good luck! They also keep the hair from the previous cuts, wrap it into their current hair, and tie it all up on their head. It was amazing to watch them demonstrate it for us.
That night we stayed in a cabin-like hotel with a beautiful view of the rice terraces. The air was so clean and crisp and it felt wonderful compared to the stuffy Beijing air. I wish we could have stayed in Longji a few more days because I still feel like there was so much more to see and learn. I hope to go back there with Matt someday soon!
P.S If you are interested in going to Longji and Yangshuo, I would definitely recommend having Peter as your guide. He was very affordable and so friendly! I’ve had a lot of tour guides in my days and he was by FAR the best. I would love to give you his contact information- just leave me a comment below!
