Sculpted Mountains

One of the most beautiful seasonal events in Yunnan is the arrival of the winter fog that blankets the valleys and lower slopes of the Ailao Mountains, between the Red River and the border with Vietnam. The verdant mountains rise several hundred metres higher than the fog, mottled with villages all the way up the slopes, separated by little clumps of forest and great swaths of terraced fields (titian). These terraces cut into every contour of the slopes, at angles up to 70 degrees and are the most ancient and the most impressive in the entire region.

Moreover, most are irrigated and filled with water all year round. They are mostly used only to grow rice and so in the dry months of winter they are empty of crops. Filled with water they make glistening stairways up and down the slopes, catching the colours of the clouds at sunrise all the way down to the fog line. Then as the sun rises over the peaks the fog begins its slow ascent over the terraces, engulfing the villages and groves be-fore dissipating in the mid-morning warmth. Now the Iines of the terrace banks, marked out by the water in their beds, lie in a plethora of swirling patterns, like angels' thumb prints on the slopes. Every winter Chinese photographers, amateur and professional, descend on Yuanyang County in a contest to capture this essential es provincial image-flooded terraces in the fog.

Terrace farming is by no means unique to the Ailao Se Mountains, but its long history here-in some areas the same terraces have been producing rice for over a thou sand consecutive years-attests to the ecological wisdom of the ancient Dai, Hani and Yi who built them.Else  where in the province terrace farming depends mainly on the rain for its water. But in Ailaoshan the water fromhigh mountain springs and creeks is channeled in ditchesthat are directed to run throughout the farming area.Divider stones and bamboo tubes divert part of the water from the main irrigation channel to individual ter races, from these dropping through notches in the terrace walls to feed those below and so on, all the way to the bottom of the slope.

The Ailao Mountains rise on the right bank of the Red River (Yuanjiang) as it flows from its origin in Dali Prefecture southeast to Hekou and on to Hanoi and the Gulf of Tonkin. Thrust up by the geologic disruptions that caused the formation of the Himalayas, they stand over 3000 metres in the upper part of the range, in north-east Zhenyuan County. To the southeast they are not quite so high, but often steep, sharply etched against the skyline and flanked by other ranges cut by rivers run¬ning parallel to the Yuanjiang. Perhaps nowhere else in the province is the lay of the Iand, in all its possible shapes and contours, so clearly discernible. Nowhere else has terrace farming been so intensively and successfully engineered.

Besides its scenic attraction, Ailaoshan is home to a number of colourful minorities, especially in the areas close to the Vietnam border. Mostly Dai inhabit the river valleys and lower slopes, while the Hani, and to a lesser extent the Yi, dominate the highlands. Pockets of Miao, Yao, Zhuang and others occupy lands in between. Traditional costumes are most women's choice for everyday wear. Even in the cities the teenage girls prefer to dress in ethnic style. Beauty is still conceived within the tribal aesthetic parametres.

The customs and traditions of the past are still very popular here, both in day-to-day domestic life and in the observance of annual celebrations. This must be at least partly due to the time-tested success of their traditional farming methods. Terrace farming cannot be mechanised, so the organisation of labour has remained constant. Improvements in fertiliser use have even in-creased the annual yield, more than matching the popu¬lation growth. The old system works better than ever. Consequently, the culture built around it stays strong.

Ethnic pride in Ailaoshan thus has its roots in the continuing efficiency of the people's traditional material culture. It also has positive effects on their general character, adding a healthy trait of self-confidence to their sociability, easy manner and good humour.