[esoeij] Images of Yuanyang ()

[esoeij]

I visited Yuanyang from 25-28 February 2013. My itinerary was quite straightforward:

Day 1 - Arrive at Kunming Airport at 7am. On the road whole day and reach my final destination in Duoyishu at 8pm.
Day 2 - Duoyishu/Sheng Chun/Bada/Laohuzui/Hani Village
Day 3 - Duoyishu/Xinjie/Bada
Day 4 - Depart Duoyishu at 730am. On the road whole day and reach Kunming Airport at 6pm. Finally reach home in Singapore next morning at almost 3am.

Sharing some photos from my trip. C&Cs welcome!

#1 - Daybreak, Duoyishu

#2 - Sunrise, Duoyishu

 

[esoeij]

#3 - Sunrise, Duoyishu (from Pugaolaozhai)

#4 - Sunrise, Duoyishu

 

[CS7890]

Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing. Hope to visit this place some day.

 

[esoeij]

Thanks! Here are a couple of links that you might find useful:

Getting around Kunming

Yuanyang Rice Terraces

 

[esoeij]

#5 - Sunrise, Duoyishu

#6 - Sunset, Laohuzui

 

[esoeij]

#7 - Somewhere near Bada

The sun was really strong during the day with little cloud cover. The clouds you can see here are actually below me, as Yuanyang is about 1800m above sea level. I look isolated in this photo but in reality there are so many photographers prowling the area!





#8 - Laohuzui Viewing Terrace

This scene is typical at all the major viewing stations (e.g. Duoyishu, Bada, Laohuzui, probably Longshuba which I did not have time to visit). About 90% of Yuanyang's visitors are domestic tourists. Before I came, I thought I would be 'off the beaten track'. It was not to be. There were hordes of photographers with tons of gear and tripods during sunrise and sunset shoots. You need to 'chope' a spot with your tripod AT LEAST 2 hours before sunrise/sunset to get a good vantage point. I have never seen so many D4/D800/D600/1D/5D in one place before! But not all are experienced photographers. In fact, so many were shooting with flash, some with reverse hoods unused, some were asking others to help with settings. Even got one ask how come the photos all blur (lens was set to MF) and admitted dunno how to use his camera (5D with 70-200mm lens).

Another observation I have is that the major viewing stations are facing the rising/setting sun DIRECTLY. So GND filters are quite important, especially when there is little cloud cover. I hardly got any shots at Bada and just a few usable ones Laohuzui because there were no clouds and the direct sunlight was really strong. And even if you did get your exposure right, you will not see the famous colours/hues that Yuanyang is so famous for without the right cloud conditions. I heard the best times to visit are actually December/January.

 

[esoeij]

#9 - Somewhere near Duoyishu

This viewing station had local children and some womenfolk peddling boiled eggs or offers to pose for photos in exchange for tips. I made the mistake of actually buying an egg after being badgered as the rest homed in on me. At one point I was surrounded by about 8 kids. Some of them can be really persistent to the point of being annoying.





#10 - Gan Ji (street market), Sheng Village

Many of the mainland tourists carry two DSLRS each, often with a 24-70/70-200mm combo. If they carry just 1 DSLR, it's usually paired with a 70-200mm F2.8. This lens seemed to be standard issue as I saw so many with it. More seemed to use Canon than Nikon. Very few non-DSLRs. The Chinese do not seem to have caught onto the mirrorless market yet. Anyway, the funny thing was some of them were cracking jokes about the Japanese (in view of the tensions over the islands) and I was thinking how ironic it was considering how much they were contributing to the Japanese economy!

 

[Daoyin]

Thanks for sharing your photos and experience. Hope you enjoyed yourself.

 

[pinholecam]

Thanks for sharing the photos and narrative.

 

[esoeij]

Thanks for sharing your photos and experience. Hope you enjoyed yourself.

Thanks! It was a tiring journey but I had a good trip overall. I traveled alone but made several friends along the way. What I didn't expect was the number of shooters at Yuanyang, local tourists by the busloads. It's a bit of a pain having to turn up over 2 hours ahead to secure a good spot, especially for sunrise! At Duoyishu I was up by 5am, out by 530am, in place by 6am at the viewing terrace. The day breaks around 7am but the sun doesn't appear over the hills until 8am. And once in place, cannot budge so the point of view is the same.

 

[esoeij]

Thanks for sharing the photos and narrative.

You are most welcome. Happy to share like others before me. Thanks for viewing!

 

[esoeij]

Accomodation
I stayed at Jacky's Guesthouse in Duoyishu. Highly recommended! I heard positive reviews about the International Youth Hostel in Duoyishu too. But it doesn't seem to be listed in Tripadvisor.

Local Transport
For a local driver (he lives in Duoyishu) with what I think are very reasonable rates, you can try contacting "Xiao Hui". His number is +86 136-4963-6640. His van can seat up to 7 persons. Full day rate is 300 yuan regardless of how many persons. Alternatively, many of the backpackers just hitch rides on passing vans and 3-wheelers, paying anything from 1 to 10 yuan per trip.

 

[esoeij]

#11 - Somewhere near Duoyishu

After posing merrily for me, proceeded to pester me for tips. My first day in Yuanyang so did not know prior to taking the shot. It wasn't much money, just 1 yuan (S$0.20) or more, but I had very little small change with me. It's one of the downsides of the fast-growing tourism industry here. The tourists come, ply them with easy money and candy, so now it's become the norm. I'm guilty too, though I gave up a number of opportunities when the kids (or even parents) became too brazen or pushy.





#12 - Sheng Village

One of the few kids who still have not been corrupted by tourists.

 

[esoeij]

#13 - Gan Ji, Sheng Village

A bustling day in Sheng Village. The villagers hold this Gan Ji thingy which is their local street market twice every 5 days. This old lady looked very serious throughout the period I was observing her but she suddenly broke into a smile for a brief moment.





#14 - Gan Ji, Sheng Village

 

[esoeij]

#15 - Gan Ji, Sheng Village

The old lady and this old man were mending and sewing rather worn and old shoes and bags. Stuff that many people here (myself included) would not hesitate to just throw away. A local traveler I met told me times were so hard in the old days under Mao, and the villagers were so poor and life was so hard. They were already comparatively much better off now after Deng.





#16 - Marketing, Sheng Village

This duck is not a pet, it's dinner! Pigs, chickens and ducks are sold live at the market and brought home before being slaughtered. For pigs, there is also a wet market selling pork so you don't have to buy the whole live pig (prices start from around just S$50 if you wanted one!).

 

[Avonez]

Thanks! It was a tiring journey but I had a good trip overall. I traveled alone but made several friends along the way. What I didn't expect was the number of shooters at Yuanyang, local tourists by the busloads. It's a bit of a pain having to turn up over 2 hours ahead to secure a good spot, especially for sunrise! At Duoyishu I was up by 5am, out by 530am, in place by 6am at the viewing terrace. The day breaks around 7am but the sun doesn't appear over the hills until 8am. And once in place, cannot budge so the point of view is the same.

Beautiful pictures. I too like travelling alone in China for photo trips, having done solo trips, among others to Long Ji Rice Terrace and recently Yading. Regarding the multi-tiered viewpoints, are there any difference to stationing at the highest or lowest levels? Are the padi fields far away such that you won't be blocked by the lower level photographers? In Long Ji, the padi fields run right up to the viewpoints and sometimes you do get blocked like this below.

 

[esoeij]

Regarding the multi-tiered viewpoints, are there any difference to stationing at the highest or lowest levels? Are the padi fields far away such that you won't be blocked by the lower level photographers? In Long Ji, the padi fields run right up to the viewpoints and sometimes you do get blocked like this below.

It depends. At Duoyishu, the best vantage point is on the highest level. However, you will catch the lower levels in the bottom part of the frame IF you are using a UWA lens. If you go to the lowest level, the bottom quarter of your frame will instead be blocked by trees and shrubs. The only way it seems to get around it is to use a longer FL, like >24mm. More people were shooting with 70-200mm F2.8s than UWA or WA lenses. At Laohuzui and Bada, the best spots are in the lower levels. I would suggest that you go recce the places during the day to check out the best angles beforehand.

I've never heard of Longji or Yading, not that I'm a China expert by any measure. Will check it out the next time I get the opportunity to head to China.

 

[hkingx]

TS, really thanks for sharing those nice photo up there.
may i know u went there alone without tour?

 

[esoeij]

TS, really thanks for sharing those nice photo up there.
may i know u went there alone without tour?

Yes. For foreigners (about 10% of the tourists), I saw more independent travelers and backpackers rather than organized tours. I spoke to a group from France who came in their hired vehicle but even then I don't think they were on a organized tour. Besides the French, I met some Americans, a couple of Israelis, an Englishman and some Hong Kongers.

 

[pkong1008]

Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing with your commentaries which are very helpful.