The Yunhe rice terraces in Lishui, Zhejiang province, part of China's Shan-Shui Initiative, have received the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' award for best practices and innovative approaches on Oct 11.

This recognition will be featured in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the FAO.

Scenery of Yunhe rice terraces in Yunhe county of Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Dating back to the early Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Yunhe rice terraces span 23.54 square kilometers across valleys, hills, mountains, and frigid high-altitude zones.

As the largest terraced cluster in East China, Yunhe rice terraces integrate landscapes, forests, fields, and grasslands, renowned for their "thousand layers of terraces, thousand-meter elevation difference, and thousand-year history".

The terraces not only offer spectacular rural scenery but are also a crucial ecological barrier, regulating water cycles and sustaining biodiversity.

In 2021, a major wetland restoration project began within the Yunhe Terraced Fields National Wetland Park, rehabilitating 4,500 mu (300 hectares) of degraded terraced wetlands through comprehensive measures, enhancing water conservation and ecosystem stability.

Scenery of Yunhe rice terraces in Yunhe county of Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

The Yunhe rice terraces have earned multiple national honors, including designation as a China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site and a National Wetland Park.

It was also featured as a showcase example at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), highlighting China's approach to achieving harmony between people and nature.