Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
[2] The rough, mountainous terrain and high annual rainfall led to the creation of a complex terrace system for growing rice, with some locations having over 3000 terraces between the edge of the forest and the valley floor.[2] Irrigation channels and artificial aquifers made out of sandstone distribute the water across the landscape.The cultivation of rice is an important part of the Hani culture, theology, calendar, and political system.At the tops of the mountains (above 2000 meters in elevation), the forests are conserved, to act as a catchment for the rainfall and to "recharge" the fields and terraces below.Each household farms one or two terrace plots below, usually growing red rice and breeding cattle.