More than 3, 000 years ago, the ruler of Ancient China, Yu, breaking off two branches from a tree next to him, used them to get either a piece of meat or rice grains from a cauldron over a fire - legends differ, but the essence remains: three thousand years ago in China ate rice, and ate it with chopsticks. Apparently, rice cultivation on the picturesque slopes of Chinese tracts was learned even in more ancient times.
In the world there are many countries where the culture of rice cultivation is widespread - from Russia to South America and even Europe. But it was in the countries of the Far East and South and Southeast Asia - China, Japan, Vietnam, and also in India and Indonesia that rice was first cultivated on a large scale, since it was he who was an integral part of the nutrition of the population of these countries.
China's rice poetry
The homeland of rice is China. At all times and to this day, it is China that occupies the first lines of agricultural ratings for the cultivation, processing, consumption and export of rice. Therefore, it is logical to assume that it is in China that the largest rice plantations in the world are located. And this assumption is really true.
The largest and most famous rice plantations in China are located in such picturesque provinces as Yunnan and Guangxi. In Yunnan, there are "Honghe-Hani rice terraces, " which were included in the UNESCO list in 2013, becoming China's 45th World Heritage Site.
It was man-made beauty, industriously cultivated for many millennia, that caused the Chinese rice terraces to be included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage. They are located at an altitude of 300 to 1, 100 meters above sea level, with a slope between 25 and 40 degrees, and sometimes even up to 50. The area they occupy is from 66 square meters. kilometers or more.
Longji Rice Terraces of Pin An Village in Guangxi Province are also known throughout the world. There are visitor attractions with poetic names that attract tourists: Dragon Ridge, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers, and Seven Stars Around the Moon. Rice harvested on the "Dragon Ridge" is considered one of the best not only in China, but also in the world. This is facilitated by mountain water flowing along the slopes and hills, and fertile soil for cultivating this crop.
