Value

The Hani Terrace boasts a history of more than 1,300 years, but still functions well today. The four-elemental (forests, villages, terraces and rivers) structure is one of the quintessential ways of living for traditional agricultural civilizations, which is valued around the world. It is also a good research sample to promote the living conditions of modern human beings.

The complete developmental history and well-preserved ethnic culture embodied in the Hani Terrace is also a good case for international ethnological research.

The protection of our ecosystem, economic water utilization, production methods, agrarian skills, religious customs and village conventions in the process of exploring and cultivating the terrace are all of strict scientific significance.

The selection of the village site, overall arrangement and unique construction flavor reveal unparalleled esthetics and have a special significance to village layout and construction. The Hani Terrace, still providing the basic needs to local people today, demonstrates the extraordinary continuity of the cultural heritage.

 History

According to the earliest written records, the Hani Terrace began to emerge in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Early in the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), the ancestors of Hani and Yi ethnic groups began living in mountainous areas along the southern banks of the Honghe River and exploring small terraces. Until the Tang Dynasty (618-907), as the population increased, the area and scale of terraces also extended to the hills, which were about 700 to 1,000 meters above sea level. At the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, as a result of the chaos caused by war, Hani ethnic minority ancestors moved from the nortern banks to the southern banks of the Honghe River to build terraces on the surrounding mountains that were generally 1,300-1,800 meters above sea level. This is the basic outline of modern terraces.

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