Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces

Dragon's backbone rice terraces

Ping'an is a small Zhuang village nestled on the main ridge of the Dragon's backbone rice terraces. If you can make it up the steps to the village, it's the perfect spot to chill out for a couple of nights. And I mean chill out. It's flipping freezing here at night and if it wasn't for the scenery, we'd be seriously questioning our decision to postpone Vietnam in favour of another couple of weeks in China.

A woman from the next village

The village and the rice terraces have been home to various minority cultures for hundreds of years. This woman makes the two hour trek from a nearby village to Ping'an everyday to sell her homemade goods to tourists, and for a couple of yuan she'll take off her hair.

Emma holding the woman's first ponytail

The women from this particular minority culture get their first haircuts at the age of 10, their second at the age of 18 and then every 10 years or so after that. They keep all their hair tightly wrapped on their head so that it looks suspiciously like a hat! Slightly odd but fascinating all the same.

More photos from the dragon's backbone rice terraces