When Tradition Spreads Its Wings

The Longji Rice Terraces provided a spectacular mountain backdrop for this colourful encounter with local culture in Guangxi. I photographed a group of performers dressed in richly decorated traditional costumes, standing together above the green terraces while the mist softened the surrounding mountains. The women extended their wide, pleated skirts like wings, creating a vivid composition of red, blue, yellow and white against the muted landscape. Their elaborate silver-coloured headdresses and embroidered garments immediately drew my attention, but it was the energy of the group that made the scene memorable. Everyone appeared completely at ease, smiling naturally and turning a formal pose into something warm and spontaneous. The Longji region is home to communities including the Zhuang and Yao, whose traditions remain an important part of the area’s cultural identity. I did not want this photograph to become merely a catalogue of costumes. I wanted to preserve the joy, movement and sense of connection visible in that brief moment. Behind the performers, centuries of agricultural work had shaped the mountains into the famous Dragon’s Backbone terraces. In front of my camera, tradition unfolded just as dramatically. I came to photograph the landscape. The landscape brought its own cast—and they clearly knew how to fill the frame.