Yuanyang was one place on my trip that I figured I would never come back to, only because it had been so difficult getting there. I stayed three days, even though most say you can do it in two or even one if you hurry.
I’m glad I stayed the final day. I had talked to people who had done Yuanyang in a day or two and felt they were just being shepherded from viewpoint to viewpoint but left without a sense of the place. The manager at the second hotel recommended a path from her village that allowed me to walk through the terraces rather than viewing them from above. A totally different feel. Unlike Laohuzui, the pictures do tell the whole story. I didn’t encounter any other tourists, but a few villagers and a number of ducks.
Ducks before dawn
My China Year 
It is truly another world. I love variety of the terrain.
Looks beautiful and peaceful. We are only up to 500 BCE in our current study of China but we are enjoying it.
I’ve downloaded several episodes of the China History Podcast. Looking forward to listening to it.
Ours isn’t a podcast; it’s video lectures from “The Great Courses” series.
You really captured some beautiful light at the “magic hour”, Steve. Nice job!
Nice pix. I am glad you got your micro 4/3 camera.
Mom and I are listening to a video history of China, so we can know what you are up to. Some day there will be a chapter on when Steve visited China, sort of like when Napoleon visited the Sphinx.
Enjoy ChinaHistoryPodcast.com. That is something different.