Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.
On a clear morning, the Yunhe rice terraces emerge from the mist like green staircases climbing toward the clouds. Water shimmers in thousands of stepped paddies, their stone walls traced along the contours of the mountains of Yunhe county in Eastern China's Zhejiang province.
Once abandoned, these 1,000-year-old terraces have undergone a decade-long ecological restoration campaign, transforming the postindustrial landscape into a global model of sustainable rural development, now attracting nearly two million visitors annually.
The lush environment and clean air are what brought Wang Long, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner from Henan province, to the mountain village of Kenggen.
"The environment here is first-class," said Wang, who had spent 15 years working in TCM clinics in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, before packing his bags for this remote corner of Zhejiang. "The water is the best I've ever seen — sweet, no rust. It's quiet. And there is commercial potential. For me, it's perfect," he said.
Wang runs a small clinic in a stonewalled house in Kenggen, offering free trials to guests staying at nearby homestays. If they like it, they pay for follow-up sessions. In his first two months, he earned nearly 15,000 yuan ($2,200). His rent is negligible. "I sell my skill," he said.
Kenggen, a village of 800-year-old folk homes scattered across the terraces, was not always so inviting.
Two decades ago, this area was known not for its scenery but for mushroom farming.
As cheaper competition from central and western China flooded the market, young villagers fled to cities to find work, and the ancient terraces fell into neglect.
Today, these terraces are a global showcase — honored at COP15 in 2022 as a model of Chinese "landscape engineering", and again in 2025 with the Food and Agriculture Organization's recognition for effective practices and innovation in helping transform agrifood systems.
The story of Wang's arrival and Kenggen's revival is the latest testament to the Chinese policy mantra "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" — a core principle shaping the country's modernization drive.
At the county government compound in Yunhe, a giant stone is inscribed with those exact words.
"Only when protection is done well can sustainable development be possible," said Cao Haiping, deputy director of the county's development and reform bureau. "Local governments should guide the process so that those who protect the environment can benefit. That creates a virtuous cycle."
From mushrooms to money
In the early 2000s, mushroom farming was the economic backbone of Chongtou township, home to the terraces. At its peak around 2007, the local fresh mushroom market was the largest in southwestern Zhejiang, handling more than 100 metric tons a day. But the industry collapsed as production moved to cheaper, flatter regions in central and western China, leaving nearly two-thirds of the terraces to lie abandoned.
"Twenty years ago, Yunhe's terraces were extremely poor," said Du Ye, deputy director of the county's agriculture and rural affairs bureau. "People lived off farming. No one thought tourists would ever come. But as the environment improved and roads widened, farmers gradually saw opportunities. Some opened farm stays and homestays on their own."
The government encouraged the move with subsidies for new beds and guest rooms, along with a star-rating system, Du added. Today, some 200 boutique homestays dot the terraces, each earning on average over 200,000 yuan a year. Some owners are outsiders drawn by the scenery.
Around 2010, local authorities began restoring the terraces' core areas to boost tourism. In 2021, Yunhe invested 27 million yuan to revive the surrounding wetlands. So far, 300 hectares — roughly 400 soccer pitches — have been restored.
Zhang Xia, director of the county's natural resources and planning bureau, said the work was painstaking. "The terraces have a 1,000-meter altitude span and 1,000 layers. Machinery cannot enter," she said."We used traditional techniques to repair the ridges, cleared blocked canals, and restored the water system. The old and new terraces are seamless."
Liao Jingsheng, an official at the same bureau, said 6,693 cubic meters of ridges have been repaired, 16,600 meters of field paths have been restored, 19,800 meters of irrigation canals have been fixed, and 13 soil erosion sites have been treated.
"We promoted integrated farming — rice with fish, rice with snails, and medicinal herb rotation over 300 mu (20 hectares)," Liao said."That means double the income from the same field."
Birds and people return
Inside a small room at the county's ecological forestry development center, Lan Chengrong, a wildlife protection staffer, gently lifted a cloth covering a cage. Inside was a young blackbird, rescued after flying into a resident's home. "We've rescued over 20 birds this year," Lan said.
"Many fly into houses or schools because they can't see the glass," he said. For Lan, the growing number of such rescues is an unexpected sign of success: healthier ecosystems mean more birds, even in town.
Lan's colleague, Yuan Haijun, the center's deputy director, said a 2024 survey recorded 140 plant species and 11 animal species across the wetland park. Among them was the Cabot's tragopan, a national first-class protected bird. The species was photographed for the first time in 2022, after decades without a sighting.
"The Cabot's tragopan has extremely high habitat requirements," Yuan said. "Its reappearance proves that our ecological restoration has succeeded — the environment now meets the needs of rare species."
As the birds returned, so did the young people.
Liu Yuwei, Party secretary of Kenggen village, has overseen the transformation of disused animal pens into cafes, tea houses and even a silver craft exhibition hall. "We've rented more than 20 old pigsties and cattle sheds from villagers," Liu said in the village's restored tea house — once a wealthy family's residence, later a primary school. "We renovated them and sublet them to outside operators. The villagers get rent, jobs, and they can sell their farm produce to tourists."
One of those renovated spaces is a coffee shop where visitors sip lattes where pigs once slept. Another is a traditional tea house where locals serve homegrown tea. "Everyone who comes here stops to take photos," he said.
Liu added that the village collective has also rented over 20 old folk homes and is gradually converting them. "Some villagers open their own homestays. Others work in the new cafes. Their annual income from these sources has grown significantly," he said.
Green hills, golden harvest
On a viewing platform at the Nine-Bend Cloud Ring, the terraces' core scenic area, a night of rain had left the paddies glistening under morning mist. Liu Chenxiao of the Yunhe Terraces marketing center gave an interview as tourists jostled for selfies behind him, their laughter filling the cool air.
"Our visitors used to be mostly from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai," Liu said. "Now we're seeing more people from across the country, and even international backpackers who make a special trip to Yunhe. They come to immerse themselves in farming life, experience the culture of the She — a major ethnic group in this region — and 'breathe oxygen' in the mountains."
The scenic area now offers interactive experiences such as catching rice field fish and collecting duck eggs, designed to let visitors get closer to the terraces' rural charm.
The county has also developed specialty agricultural brands. Du Ye, the agriculture bureau official, cited the terraces "three whites" — white chili pepper, white cucumber and white eggplant — grown at high altitude. A local e-commerce brand, Baihejian, sells chili sauce made from local peppers, popular as far away as Sichuan province. Another brand, Terraces 18 Flavors, features 18 local dishes served in village homestays.
"All the ingredients are fresh and local," Du said.
Price of nature
For Cao Haiping, the FAO award underscores the global resonance of China's ecological conservation philosophy. "We have formed a virtuous cycle — ecological protection benefits those who protect it," he said. "That is the core lesson for other developing countries. Protection must come first. Second, local governments must guide the process so that participants benefit. Only then can you achieve ecological value conversion."
Back in Kenggen, Wang has no doubt he made the right move. He is already planning to expand. "I've treated nearly 100 people in two months," he said.
His clinic, with its simple wooden furniture and herbal scent, overlooks a stone alley where tourists wander past renovated cow sheds turned into cafes.
"The mountains are still here," he said. "And now, people come to see them."
Chen Ye contributed to this story.
lilei@chinadaily.com.cn
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