Hunan's emerald terraces offer cool summer escape

In early August, the terraced fields of Shanbei village in Xupu county, Huaihua of Hunan province, stretched their emerald-green layers under the summer heat, presenting a captivating pastoral landscape.

The Shanbei Terraced Fields are among the highest-altitude terraces in China. Spanning from more than 300 meters above sea level to mountains exceeding 1,400 meters, they cover a vast contiguous area of more than 13,333 hectares, a rarity in the country.