A Mystical Landscape
Longji China 2005
These beautiful swirled terraces are more than 400 years old and are still being worked in the same manner as the first farmers who settled here. In many places in China, the rice terraces have caused the hillsides to erode and the government has prohibited further farming. But not here.
The villagers, young and old, still carry buckets yoked over their shoulders to the fields each morning. It was impressive to see these men and women, some older than I, carrying heavy loads, bending to cut the rice, bundle it into sheaves and carry it to the threshing box without any sign of exertion. Just walking up and down the hills each day is more physical work than most of us have a chance to do.
I shot this photo from the window of my hotel room. The hotel is owned by Keren Su, a well-known Getty photographer. He had called the young woman to pose in the rice field, partly for our benefit and partly for his benefit. I think it is the easiest photograph I’ve ever shot.