Each year from November to April, the Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan, southwest China, enter their water season. Flooded paddies lie like thousands of silver mirrors across the hills, and when sunlight strikes the tiered waves, the scene shimmers like a vast, living palette.

The terraces change colour with the weather and plants: they read blue on clear days, turn grey under overcast skies, and glow gold at dawn and dusk. Flocks of birds skim the ridges, and visitors come from far and wide to walk the embankments. Many core viewing spots shaded by trees have become popular must-visit photo stops.

This year, the terraces were added to the 2025 World Irrigation Engineering Heritage list. Forests, villages, terraces, and waterways form a fingerprint on the land that tells a simple story of people and nature in harmony.