Terraces on top of the world

Lyu Yasha, director of the Honghe tourist bureau, echoed Zhang's comment, saying the terraces showcase respect for nature and indicate the Hanis' reluctance to abandon their land and traditional farming techniques.

She believes that the Hani and other ethnic groups that cultivated Honghe's terraces were at the center of the area's development. "It's a quick and efficient way of raising the locals' standard of living. They should also enjoy the fruits of tourism," she said.

Food for thought

Dayutang's six restaurants were built in 2009 with the support of the prefecture government via an interest-free loan of 100,000 yuan and a one-time stipend of 30,000 yuan.

Since it opened, Li's restaurant has catered to a wide range of visitors, who carry high-quality cameras to take photos of the terraces next to the house. The food is either his own produce or is purchased from neighbors, ensuring the fare is "100 percent natural and no chemicals are used".

Local dishes, such as buckwheat cakes, take pride of place at the top of the menus. Eels and loaches are also popular dishes. They mature in the rice fields but are "not fed contraceptives (which increase body mass) in aquaculture farms", according to the villagers.

"I used to work in distant towns and cities, but I was unable to take care of my children. Now things have changed and I don't want to leave my family, so I focus on producing the best food I can," said Li.

The clean, tidy village looked vastly different in the old days, when the pigs wandered free and their droppings covered the dirt road. The power supply was unstable and the 50 houses were so outdated and filthy that visitors would not approach them, despite the delicious food on offer.

The dilapidation was so bad that the local tourist bureau organized a series of training sessions for the villagers and now the houses, all boasting traditional mushroom-shaped ceilings, are spotlessly clean. Cows and pigs are kept in specially erected sheds.