People held various events to celebrate harvest at Shanbei Terraced Fields near the Xuefeng Mountain Cableway in Xupu County.
On October 10, Shanbei Terraced Fields Farming Culture Competition was held in full swing at an altitude of over 1,000 meters. Tourists took the cableway, passed through the sea of clouds, and joined the locals in threshing rice, experiencing the joy of traditional farming culture and the cultural and tourism charm of Huaihua, a blessed land.
The 7,600-meter-long Xuefeng Mountain Cableway has become a sky corridor connecting modernity and tradition. Cable cars shuttle through the clouds, sending competitors and tourists to the mountain top. The 1,158 - meter vertical height difference serves as a natural wide-angle lens, offering a panoramic view of a vast golden terraced field. The cableway has reduced hours’ drive to a 23-minute sightseeing journey, greatly enhancing the tourism experience of tourists.
At around 10 a.m., “Every Grain into the Granary” Threshing Race kicked off in the paddy field beside the Starry Cloud Guesthouse. Contestants in the amateur group and the farmer group quickly got into the battle, holding rice ears and vigorously threshing them beside the traditional threshing bucket.
“Sitting on the world’s longest cableway to see the most beautiful terraced fields and being able to participate in such an interesting agricultural competition firsthand, this experience is unique,” a tourist who had just come out of the field said excitedly, wiping the sweat from his face. “This cableway brings not only convenience but also an extraordinary experience.”
Shanbei Terraced Fields. (Photo by Luo Shengyu)
Uphill cable car in the morning light. (Photo by Li Xiaojun)
The afternoon events were even more exciting. The Mud Run area became a sea of joy. Contestants ran deep and shallow in the muddy paddy fields, and the splashing mud drew continuous laughter from the scene.
The tug-of-war of carrying pole was intense and exciting. The contestants on both sides firmly held the two ends of the carrying pole and exerted force with their wrists, showing a contest of strength and skill. And the contestants in the “Struggling on the Rough Road” nimbly climbed on the steep field ridges with their figures shuttling among the golden terraced fields.
The liveliest event was the fish catching competition. Men, women, and children jumped into the paddy fields and groped with their hands in the turbid mud. Whenever someone held up a captured fish high, it immediately drew a cheer. A lucky tourist caught the “embroidered fish” symbolizing good luck and won a big prize.
Outside the competition venue, the Huayao culture attracted many visitors. In the intangible cultural heritage experience area of Huayao cross-stitch, many tourists, under the guidance of Huayao girls, felt the charm of this national intangible cultural heritage through hands-on experience. In the agricultural and special product exhibition and sales area, specialties such as Shanbei rice, Shanbei rice wine, and kiwifruit were very popular, and the on-site sales were booming. The wonderful Huayao song and dance performances injected profound cultural heritage into the sports competition event.
"The operation of the cableway boosts the sales of local products," a villager told the reporter with a smile. Today, he not only participated in the competition but also sold a lot of agricultural products.
As the sun set, the award-giving ceremony was held amidst laughter and cheers. The winners held prizes with strong local characteristics such as lion-headed geese, Shanbei rice, and cableway tickets in their hands, and their faces were filled with pride and joy.
(Translated by Yang Hong)
Every grain into the granary. (Photo by Tang Xiaoqun)