Traveling in Guizhou (2) - Jiabang Rice Terraces

Jiabang Rice Terraces are located in the southeast of Jiabang Township, Congjiang County, Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture. The total area of the terraces is nearly 10,000 acres. It does not refer to just one place. It is mainly composed of three Miao villages, Dangniu, Jiaye and Jiache, and a group of terraces stretching for more than ten kilometers. Because they all belong to Jiabang Township, they are collectively called Jiabang Terraces. We drove mainly through three villages: Dangnui Village, Jiaye Village and Jiache Village. Among them, Jiache Village has the highest location and is also the largest Miao village nearby. There are more than 200 families living here. It is the best place for tourists to stay. This place used to be very isolated, and roads were not very far away. In 2012, "A Bite of China" spent ten minutes introducing the Miao people here to follow traditional farming methods, harvesting rice in terraced fields, Catching rice fish and raising ducks made Jiabang Rice Terraces an instant hit, and more and more tourists came here. At this time, we happened to catch up with the harvest season, which was also a good time to eat rice field fish, and we were lucky enough to have a feast.

We arrived at Jiache Village at noon. It was still sunny and sunny at the time. We thought we would go back to the hotel to put down our things and have a meal before going out to take pictures. However, we did not expect that the rain that started at this time never stopped until we left. At around three o'clock in the afternoon, I went out to take some photos while the rain had lightened up a bit. I thought I could take photos of either the sunrise or the sea of clouds early the next morning, but everything came to nothing because of the continuous rain. I was a little regretful at first, but after seeing my photography skills under the clouds and mist, I didn’t feel so regretful anymore, not to mention that the scenery I saw under the continuous rain was not bad.

Miao village scenery

In 2013, a new rural asphalt road was opened here. The highway divided Jiache Village into two, and this road became the most prosperous main street in Jiache Village. Most of the roads are lined with inns or restaurants. I walked around the village, and every house had a rack to dry crops. I often saw villagers walking with rice on their backs. It seemed like every family was engaged in farming. It was hard for me to imagine that people still make a living from farming now. Place... The per capita disposable income of rural residents in Congjiang County in the first quarter was 2,150 yuan. If we assume that Jiache Village is the average level of Congjiang County, that is a disposable income of 700 yuan a month. Compared with the southeast coast, this income is really Too little. But think about it, if you have never walked out of the mountains and never seen the colorful world outside, a few hundred yuan a month would be enough. Anyway, food and drink come from the fields, and a few clothes are enough to cope with spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Speaking of isolation, there are not many inns here, and even fewer can be booked online. There are a few restaurants with unique decorations and good packaging and promotions that are probably run by outsiders. Locals rarely use this kind of thinking. It is good to have information on Ctrip. I hesitated for a while and decided to find a cheaper hotel and book in advance. I thought there wouldn't be many people coming to such a remote place, but I didn't expect that the guests who arrived late that day could no longer find an inn to stay at. Although this place is very poor, the prices of hotels and restaurants here are at the top of the list for food and accommodation. The better rooms with decoration and characteristics start at 500 to 600. Many expensive and good rooms have been sold out early. The average-looking ones cost 300 to 400, and the less tidy ones cost 100 to 200. The food is not cheap either. Rice field fish in sour soup costs 70 per pound. Isn’t this fish freshly caught from the terraced fields? Why is it so expensive? Green vegetables, shredded potatoes, tomatoes and eggs all cost more than 20 yuan. In short, vegetarian dishes cost less than 30 yuan, and meat dishes cost more than 30 yuan. When ordering, I thought that a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes would cost nearly 30 yuan, which was a bit painful. …..I also don’t understand, this place is so poor, why is food and accommodation so expensive? Is it because logistics is inconvenient that the cost is high, or is it because we are taking advantage of the holidays to make a lot of money? Should I also open an inn? How can I become rich suddenly?

I read on the website of the Congjiang government that during the National Day period, Congjiang County received 207,000 tourists and achieved a comprehensive tourism income of 161 million yuan. For a place where agricultural income accounts for nearly half of GDP, this is really not a small amount of income . You must know that the GDP of the entire Congjiang County in the first half of 2020 was only 2.7 billion. In the past, this remoteness and isolation led to backwardness. I wonder if the same reason will bring additional benefits to this place today.

This season seems to coincide with the local rice harvest. The village is full of such racks, and the villagers are preparing to hang the rice.

Scenic terraces

Eat in Miao Village

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes cost 28... The free-range chicken hot pot at that restaurant in the evening cost 120 a pot, which is too expensive When I was paying the bill, I met four people next to me who ate more than 400, and then the four of them had a serving He looked in disbelief and asked the store to give him a few bananas for comfort.

The famous rice flower fish is very small, four of them weigh almost one pound. how to say? The fish is very fresh, but there are really many thorns...the meat is soft and the thorns are fine. As for the thorns, swallow them or spit them out for fear of getting stuck in your throat. It is really not an ordinary trouble. After eating one, I feel exhausted both physically and mentally. I can no longer feel the joy of eating fish... This kind of small fish is usually deep-fried. It is too hard to spit out the spines. Is this how the rice field fish eats?

I went out to look for breakfast in the morning and came across a noodle shop on the roadside that had breakfast, so I joined a group of primary school students buying noodle dishes. That day was the 4th, and the school in the village was already in session. They were going to school after eating. The fog is always dense, and occasionally it thins out to see the terraced fields in the distance and the mountains beyond. The sound of the school's announcement spread throughout the village. At that moment, I instantly returned to reality from a world far away from the hustle and bustle. The scenery around me was different, but adults always had to work and children always had to go to school. These things have not changed anywhere. At that moment I also felt the power of hope. I still have classes during the holidays. They will all grow up and become successful.