Early Spring in Southeast Yunnan - A World of Color (Part Eight): Tiger Mouth Terrace

The Tiger Mouth Terrace scenic area is located in Panzhihua Township, Yuanyang County. The terraces are distributed in deep valleys and are the most representative and spectacular part of the Yuanyang Hani terraces. The terraces are built along the mountain contours, rising level by level, with a grand scale and a majestic momentum, yet with a strong sense of rhythm, like a 'wordless history book' carved between the ridges. The Tiger Mouth Terrace is distributed in deep valleys, resembling a huge pistil, with terraces of various shapes, continuous and interconnected, like the tide or the sea. Upon closer inspection, there vaguely appear two galloping steeds, or like an ancient turtle lying quietly between the mountains. Field sheds are scattered among them, like little boats ready to set sail. Thousands of acres of terraces cling to the mountain ridges. The Tiger Mouth scenic area is one of the best spots to view the sunset, terraces, and sea of clouds; it is also one of the core conservation areas proposed for World Cultural Heritage; this is the most precipitous, magnificent, and spectacular terrace scenic area in Yuanyang, with the largest area; just the Tiger Mouth area alone has more than 1,700 acres of mountain terraces! The surging momentum is like a grand symphony of heaven and earth! Its characteristics include a strong sense of three-dimensionality, intense color layering, and a kaleidoscope of hues, like an oil painting; standing on the high Tiger Mouth and looking down, one can marvel at the terraces resembling a blooming white giant flower, with more than 3,000 acres of terraces in various shapes, like a pistil of serpents lying quietly, with the sunlight casting down like heavenly azure waves, like a lake or sea, with nearly a hundred field sheds dotted among them, like sailing boats, causing endless amazement! The Tiger Mouth is the highlight of a trip to Yuanyang and a great place to shoot the sunset. Even if the weather is bad, the spectacular lines of Tiger Mouth will still leave you in awe. The Tiger Mouth viewing platform is divided into: the upper viewing corridor and the lower viewing platform at the foot of the mountain; the upper viewing corridor allows one to overlook the entire Tiger Mouth from a higher position, further away from the terraces. The lower viewing platform is an ideal place to shoot the sunset. The altitude of Tiger Mouth is much lower than that of Duoyishu, so sometimes when there is a thick fog on the Duoyishu side and nothing can be seen, Tiger Mouth can be seen very clearly. (The Tiger Mouth Terrace was temporarily closed in July 2018 due to geological disasters, and it reopened on April 10, 2023.)