世界最有名的梯田景观——中国•云南元阳梯田The World’s most well-known Terraced Fields in Yuan Yang, Yunnan province, China中国云南省红河哈尼族彝族自治州元阳县有近万个山头，其海拔高的为2150米，最低河谷处为144米，如此巨大的差异，形成了相应的立体气候，其特点是雨量充沛，地湿多雾，一年有180天的时间云雾填平了河谷，形成了集青山、居所、梯田、云海为一体的景色。
飘浮在云海中的千百个参差错落的山头上，居住着彝族、哈尼族、苗族、瑶族等少数民族。
这些少数民族自古就有良好的生态意识，他们认为森林是高山水源的生命，水是梯田的生命，梯田是他们的生命。
因为有这样的认识，所以他们十分注重保护森林，并将森林、居所、梯田有机组合在一起。
几千年来，他们依山而居，顺山开垦了成千上万层梯田。
这些梯田，大的达几亩，小的只有澡盆般大小，长的达几百米，短的只有几米，累计面积36万亩。
这些梯田把山与山连接在一起，一眼望去，山与田水相映，犹如一片立体海洋，气势磅礴，雄伟壮观，是世界最有名的梯田景观。
此景观被海内外的人称为“中国最美的山岭雕塑”。
Yuan Yang county, Hong He Ha Ni and Yi autonomous prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, scattering thousands of mountains, has a tremendous elevation difference with an average altitude of 2150 meters and the lowest valley of 144 meters. Therefore, the climates are vertical here. It enjoys abundant rain and it is often misty and the humidity is high here. There are 180 days of a year when the valleys are concealed by the mist. Green mountains, dwellings, terraced fields and clouds pose a integrated landscape here. Ethnic minorities like Yi, Ha Ni, Miao, Yao etc. are living in the mountains concealed by the sea of clouds. Traditionally, they pass down the eco-protection awareness for generations, because they believe the forests is the water source of mountains and the water gives life to the terraced fields and eventually the terraced fields are their life sustainer. It is because of this belief that they take protecting the forest as a priority in their life and unite the forests, dwellings and terraced fields organically. For thousand years, they rely on the mountains and cultivated thousands of terraced fields on them. These terraced fields differ in scales: the bigger ones with hundreds of meters in length and hectares in proportion and the smaller ones with the size of a bathtub and few meters long. The total proportion is 24000 hectares. As far as your sight can go, the terraced fields connect the mountains up, the waters in the fields reflect the mountains’shadows and they looks like a grand vertical ocean, so it is called the most beautiful terraced fields in the world and “the most beautiful sculpture of mountains in China ” by bothChinese and foreigners.元阳梯田美景自古有之，但很少有人知道，也很少有人知道它的美丽。
伴随着旅游开发，中外游人一拥而入，给这里带来了人气，带来了信息，带来了文明，带来了经济收入，推动了旅游业的发展，也奠定了元阳梯田在世界的地位。
2010年6月14日，联合国粮农组织将云南红河哈尼族彝族自治州的元阳、红河、绿春、金平县相连的82万亩梯田列为“全球重要农文化遗产”。
2013年6月22日，元阳梯田被联合国教科文组织列入《世纪遗产名录》。
观看元阳梯田的最佳时间是每年2月，其他的月份景观质量要差一些。
2008年，云南世博旅游集团投资开发元阳梯田后，把元阳梯田打造成了一年四季可观美景的景区。
Although the beautiful terraced fields have existed since the ancient time, few outsiders know them and see the scenery by themselves. With the development of tourism, tourists from all over the world flood in, bringing vitality, information and economic growth to Yuan Yang and set its status in the world’s tourism. On June 14th, 2010, 54666 hectares of conjoint terraced fields in Yuan Yang, Hong He, Lu Chun and Jin Ping of Hong He Ha Ni and Yi autonomous prefecture are listed in “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage” by FAO. On June 22nd, 2013, Yuan Yang Terraced Fields are included on the World Heritage List by UNESCO.世界最真实的香格里拉所在地——中国•云南香格里拉县The most possible location of Shangri-La: Shangri-La county, Yunnan, China1933年，英国小说作家詹姆斯•希尔顿写了一本《消失的地平线》，书中描述了一个神奇美丽的世外桃源，那里风景如画，寺庙宏伟，居民漂亮、年轻、长寿，不同信仰的人们团结友爱，如同兄弟，大家过着幸福、甜蜜、安康富裕的生活，人与自然和谐相处，引起了大批读者对世外桃源——香格里拉的无限向往。
In 1933, British writer James Hilton described a gorgeous wonderland in his novel Lost Horizon, where the scenery is picturesque, the temples are grand and the residents there are lovely, young and with longevity. People with different creeds are friendly to each other like brothers and live a happy, sweet, peaceful and affluent life. They coexist with mother nature harmoniously. Numerous readers start to dream about going to Shangri-La after this book.印度、尼泊尔、不丹等国家出于发展本国旅游业的需要，均声称香格里拉在本国境内，从而吸引了大批旅游者前往。
但是，经过无数探险家半个多世纪考察研究，他们发现并证实了真正的香格里拉并不在上述国家境内，而在中国云南省迪庆藏族自治州以中甸为中心的广大地区。
现在，迪庆藏族自治州的中甸县经国务院批准，已正式更名为香格里拉县。
Out of the want to develop tourism, India, Nepal and Bhutan all claim Shangri-La is in their territory so that they can appeal more tourists. However, after nearly a half century’s exploration and researching, explorers confirm that the real Shangri-La is not in these countries but locates at the vast land centered in Zhong Dian county, Di Qing Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, China. Now, after the State Council’s permission, Zhong Dian has changed its name to Shangri-La county.说香格里拉在云南迪庆有如下依据：①意为“心中日月”的香格里拉是中甸藏语的方言，其他地区的民族没有这种方言；②书中描写的金字塔外形就是迪庆梅里雪山的卡瓦格博峰；③书中描写的香格里拉喇嘛寺原形就是中甸的松赞林寺；④书中描写的长约80千米，宽约30～40千米，高差达3000米以上的香格里拉峡谷就正是中甸的碧让峡谷；⑤书中描写的多民族和谐相处正是迪庆藏、汉、白、回、苗、傈僳、纳西等十多个民族千百年来团结相处的写照。