Imagine mountains wrapped in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn bright green with growing rice. During autumn, these same mountains are gold, and in winter they are covered with white frost(霜). These are the colors of the Longji Rice Terraces(龙脊梯田).
These terraces were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people. Guangxi is home to them. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, work on the terraces took hundreds of years until it was completed in the early Qing Dynasty.
So why did these people go to so much trouble to turn the mountains into terraces?
Firstly, there are few large and flat areas in the region they built terraces to have more areas to grow rice.
Secondly，although the region has plenty of rain, the mountains are（1）steepand the soil is （2）shallow. The flat terraces catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from being washed away.
But perhaps what is most important is the way in which people have worked in harmony with( 和谐相处) nature to make these terraces and grow riee. The terraces are cleverly designed with hundreds of waterways that connect with each other. The rainwater moves down the mountains and into the terraces along the waterways. （3）These terraces also provide a perfect environment for birds and fish, they feed on insects that can harm the rice crops.
Although modern technology could help produce more crops, these terraces still mean a lot to the local people for whom traditions hold much value. Today, the Longji Rice Terraces attract thousands of visitors every year.' They visit this great wonder created by people and nature working together.
