I photographed a woman in colourful traditional attire standing above the green curves of China’s Longji Rice Terraces.
This Longji Rice Terraces portrait – On the Back of a Green Dragon – brought together two sides of Guangxi that immediately caught my attention: a spectacular mountain landscape and the colourful traditions of the people connected with it. I photographed a woman wearing an embroidered green costume, layered silver-coloured jewellery and an elaborate headdress, with the terraced hills unfolding behind her.
The Longji terraces are also known as the Dragon’s Backbone because their curved lines resemble scales running across the mountain slopes. From this viewpoint, the name required very little imagination. The entire valley seemed to form the body of a huge green creature resting beneath the clouds.
The woven basket on the woman’s back added another layer to the scene. It suggested the relationship between everyday life, agriculture and the steep landscape shaped by generations of work. At the same time, her confident pose and colourful clothing transformed a practical object into part of a striking cultural portrait.
I wanted to preserve both the person and the place without allowing one to become merely a background for the other. Her green dress echoed the colour of the terraces so perfectly that, for a moment, she appeared to be part of the landscape itself.
The dragon supplied the scenery. Tradition knew exactly where to stand.
- Date
- 2026-01-01