Yuanyang is a very important point of the self-driving small ring road in Yunnan. For more than 1300 years, the ancestors of the local Hani people have used their labor wisdom and blood and sweat to carve out picturesque and magnificent terraced fields in the mountains of Honghe, Yunnan. I went there once a year ago, and this self-driving trip is a revisit of the old place. When we went last time, the tiger's mouth sunset was the main event we wanted to watch (as shown in the picture above), but this time we were told that the tiger's mouth had been temporarily closed.
It is understood that the closure of Laohuzui was due to a landslide in 2018, which caused varying degrees of damage to 172 acres of terraced fields. It was closed for the safety of tourists. Because the previous impression was very good, so this time I specially recommended this place to my friends in the same industry. What we thought at the time was that although the scenic spot was closed, the scenery should still be there. Man-machine aerial photography is also good, at least it should be a good place with beautiful scenery and few people, right?
So we started from Ayishu and drove for more than 40 minutes (more than 20 kilometers, all on mountain roads). When we arrived at Laohuzui, we found that the gate of the viewing platform was closed, but there were some local villagers sitting beside it. I stopped the car from a distance and asked if I wanted to see the terraced fields? They said that the Laohuzui viewing platform is not open, but they can take us to see the terraced fields of Laohuzui.
They said that they can take us to a temporary viewing platform for a fee of 30 yuan per person, but after all, it is not an official designated price, so it can be negotiated. After negotiation, the three of us gave a total of 30 yuan, and they led us to a More than 100 meters away from the front of the original viewing platform, there is a small road down the mountain. There are several villagers sitting at the intersection, and those who go in have to pay money to go in.
At the intersection, they said, you can just walk along this path, and the viewing platform is not far ahead. This is a narrow and uneven mountain road. In some places, you need to use your hands and feet to pass. There are no protective facilities on the roadside. It is possible to slide down the hill.
After walking about 200 meters, we came to a very small platform. There was no road in front of it. This platform was only about four or five square meters, and only a few people could stand on it. There was a cliff behind and a cliff below, and there was no barrier in front. Everyone is careful.
When we came, there were already a few tourists here. Like us, they all gave money and were brought down by the villagers. One of the older brothers said that he had been here before, and he never forgot the beautiful scenery here. He heard that it was closed. Yes, but I don't give up, I want to come and have a look.
Although the conditions here are very simple, but once you come here, you will be safe, so everyone took pictures seriously. This is indeed a good place to watch the sunset. It is said that the reason why Yuanyang Terraced Fields were sought after by the world was mainly due to the sunset at Tiger’s Mouth. Widespread dissemination of photographs.
A few years later, I finally revisited the old place, but the scenery I saw was very different. We expected that the scene with few beauties in the middle scene did not appear. There were few people, but the scenery was unspeakably magnificent.
Because the scenic spot is closed now, many terraced fields are not irrigated, not to mention the terraced fields on the mountain, even in the core area below the mountain, there are also a large number of terraced fields that are dry, so it looks far less spectacular than expected.
At the foot of the mountain, we saw a construction site under construction. I don’t know if it’s a new viewing platform, but we can’t see the prototype yet, and we don’t know when it will be completed.
Of course, if you want to take pictures of some terraced fields here, there must be some materials, but there is a big gap with the imaginary Jingmeiren. After all, there are many places in Yuanyang where you can watch the sunset, but they are quite far away. Here, it means giving up other places. The day before we saw a large number of heads in Bada Scenic Area. It is a pity that we failed to capture the ideal sunset of the terraced fields. The next day we came to Laohuzui and saw such a landscape. Still a pity. So everyone, don't come to Tiger's Mouth for the time being, unless the official announcement of reopening, otherwise it's really not worth coming here. As for the situation where the local fellows charge to lead the way, don’t be fooled. In fact, if you continue to drive about one kilometer from the old viewing platform, there is a very good viewing spot, but it is not very wide. Parking should be careful not to affect traffic. The vehicle is moving.