Longji Terraces Scenic Area

At the parking lot (C on the map below) near the ticket office (above), between several billboards and area maps (below), …

… we took the backpacks from the car and started to ascend to the traditional wooden village of Ping’an or (Ping’ancun). A winding road leads up past some traditional houses to the village.

The map below gives a nice view over where the village of Ping’an is, within the Longji Terraces Scenic Area.

It’s about 20 minutes to half an hour ascending before reaching the outskirts of Ping’ancun and the road immediately starts rising from the parking lot. The first rice terrace can be seen when barely having left the parking lot and …

… a bit further was a piece of land where Sin Qua (Luffa acutangula) vegetables. Tao my guide was quite informative about what was growing in the area and she told me about this Luffa acutangula, which is a cucurbitaceous vine commercially grown for its unripe fruits as a vegetable. Mature fruits are used as natural cleaning sponges. Its fruit slightly resembles a cucumber or zucchini with ridges. It is native to South Asia and has been naturalised in other regions. It is also grown as a houseplant in places with colder climates. English common English names include angled luffa, Chinese okra, dish cloth gourd, ridged gourd, sponge gourd, vegetable gourd, strainer vine, ribbed loofah, silky gourd, and silk gourd.  …

The young fruits of some Luffa cultivars are used as cooked vegetables, pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used. Like Luffa aegyptiaca, the mature fruits are harvested when dry and processed to remove all but the fruit fibre, which can then be used as a sponge or as fibre for making hats.

The views got better and better and soon the old traditional village of Ping’an was reached.

Ping’an village (Ping’ancun)

Nestled in the misty embrace of Guangxi Province’s Longji Rice Terraces—known as the Dragon’s Backbone—Ping’ancun, or “Peace Village,” beckons like a living watercolor painting come to life.

Ping’ancun’s surrounding terraces unfold like a dragon’s undulating spine, inviting hikers into a symphony of mist-shrouded peaks and mirror-like rice fields that shift from emerald to gold with the seasons.

Village Charms

Wander cobblestone paths lined with 600-year-old wooden stilt houses of the Zhuang and Yao peoples, where red lanterns sway gently and the air hums with tales of ancient rice farmers who sculpted these shimmering terraces from rugged mountainsides. Over 650 years young, this hidden gem unfolds across steep slopes, its name evoking the serene harmony locals have nurtured amid karst peaks and swirling fog.

Cobblestone Labyrinths

These slender paths, slick with moss and etched by centuries of footsteps, snake between stilted homes at elevations from 300 to 1100 meters, hugging contours where flat ground dares not linger—chickens scatter underfoot, and red lanterns dangle like fireflies from low eaves, guiding twilight strollers past doorways alive with chatter.

Wooden Wonders

Eighty-odd three-story diaojiaolou wooden houses, nail-free marvels over 100 years old, rise on sturdy pillars from the slope: …

… bottom levels shelter livestock amid cool shade, while upper floors—railed in hemp—cradle families in fragrant fir and pine, their dark timbers weathered to a patina that glows amber at dusk, stacked in quaint clusters like nature’s own bookshelf.

Zhuang Soul

Zhuang inhabitants, guardians of 600-year traditions, embody humble industriousness—women in simpler ethnic garb with intricate silver headdresses tend hearths or embroider by lantern light, elders perch on stoops cracking sunflower seeds amid folk tunes, children chase simple joys, all suffused in a vibe of unhurried serenity where tourism hums softly without shattering the rural idyll.

Seasonal Spectacles

Spring drapes the terraces in vibrant emerald waves as water mirrors the sky; summer’s lush greens yield to autumn’s golden harvest glow, when locals fill bamboo tubes with steaming rice for a smoky feast. Winter dusts the scene in quiet frost, perfect for contemplative hikes to viewpoints like “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers,” revealing panoramic ribbons of farmland that stretch like dragon scales to the horizon.

Cultural Delights

Savor Zhuang specialties—bamboo-tube rice, fresh mountain trout, and potent rice wine—in family guesthouses perched above the fields, while eavesdropping on folk songs or embroidery sessions that preserve ethnic traditions.

Hotel

After arriving at the hotel which was beautifully located at the edge of the village, which allowed for great views over the rice terraces from the room as well as from the outside balcony of the restaurant area, the Wandelgek checked in and went up to his room to shower and change into some dry clothes. Weather was still very hot, although more bareble because if the altitude.

Restaurant

The restaurant was spacy, and just like the whole interior quite wooden …

The views from the restaurant balcony were amazing in all weather conditions as well as each time of the day …

Half cloudy afternoon …

Before sunrise …

Bright and Sunny early morning …

This would be a great place for breakfast tomorrow morning before starting my walk …

And that with this view …

The restaurant served all sorts of delicious dishes, but The Wandelgek had decided to be carefull in what to eat, because he was still recovering from the food poisening. Thus some eggs …

… and yoghurt with fruit and serials seemed safest …

For the afternoon, The Wandelgek had some walks planned with his guide Tao to some beautiful viewing points above the village, but for that read my next upcoming blogpost.

How to get there

From Guilin, a scenic two-hour bus ride to Longsheng County delivers you here; stay overnight to catch dawn’s first light kissing the terraces, turning your visit into an unforgettable dance with nature’s poetry …