Ancient rice terraces

There are landscapes that soothe the soul, and rice terraces are one of them. Perhaps the place where they reach their full splendor is in Yunnan Province, in southern China. This region, filled with beautiful landscapes and fascinating, little-known ethnic minorities, is one of Asia's best-kept secrets.

Depending on the time of year, the terraces—those irregularly built steps crafted through generations of labor—take on very different characteristics. I visited in winter, a season in which they flood with water, their reflections mirroring the ever-changing colors of the sky.

For hundreds of years, people have worked tirelessly to carve small patches of land from the mountains, creating spaces to cultivate rice. The once steep and rugged mountains have been tamed. Irrigation water flows through bamboo pipes that wind like necklaces down the mountain slopes.

Since 2013, the Yuanyang terraces have been part of UNESCO's World Heritage List.