Stairway to Heaven - Hani Terrace
Updated: 2007-07-31 08:37
Thus, some ethnologists think that in relation to the climate, geology and ecology, no other society has ever presented a better choice than the Hani and their terrace.
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 selection of the village site and the overall arrangement and unique construction of the terrace create an unparalleled aesthetic and have a special significance to village layout. The Hani Terrace, still providing the basic needs to local people today, demonstrates the extraordinary continuity of their cultural heritage.
'Magic mountain sculptors'
According to the earliest written records, the Hani Terrace began to emerge in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). 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 ancestors moved from the northern 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.
The Hani have henceforth been passing on their traditional ways of life year after year, and generation after generation. In the Ming Dynasty, the Han brought advanced technology, which helped build the large-scale terrace landscape in the mountains about 700-1,800 meters above sea level.
One emperor in the Ming Dynasty once called the Hani 'Magic Mountain Sculptors', a name that is still in use today.
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