Shexian Dryland Stone Terraces
涉县旱作石堰梯田
Stone-embankment terraces deep in the Taihang Mountains, built stone by stone by villagers over centuries and stretching across the hilltops. Listed as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
The dryland stone terraces of Shexian center on the Wangjinzhuang area of Jingdian Township, where water and farmland are scarce. For generations, villagers quarried stone from the hills, built walls and filled in soil to create dense stone terraces, whose total wall length is said to reach thousands of kilometers. They grow millet, corn and Sichuan pepper, and rely on donkeys for plowing and transport. In 2022, the Dryland Stone-Weir Terrace System of Shexian, Hebei, was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Wangjinzhuang has a viewing platform and an exhibition hall, where you can walk among the terraces and stay in farmhouse courtyards. It is about 30 km from Shexian County town, with many mountain roads, so driving is recommended.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Former HQ of the 129th Division
- Wahuang Palace
- Dongtaihang Scenic Area
- Jingniang Lake
- Northern Xiangtangshan Grottoes
- Qibugou Scenic Area
- Guwudang Mountain
- Southern Xiangtangshan Grottoes