Rice field. Rice growing technology. How and where does rice grow? Rice fields in the mountains
Song of the development of virgin lands in the mountains
According to the legend of the Northwestern region, about 4 centuries ago, representatives of small ethnic groups such as Mong, Zao, La Chi... migrated to these lands and began to settle them, but in four large valleys of the Northwestern region: Muong Thanh ( Dien Bien), Muong Lo (Yen Bai), Muong Than (Lai Chau), Muong Tak (Son La) indigenous peoples already lived: Thai, La Ha. Thus, the newcomers had to choose to live in the mountain strips of Khau Pha (Mu Cang Chai - Yen Bai), Hoang Lien Son (Sha Pa - Lao Cai) and Tai Con Linh (Hoang Shu Phi - Ha Giang) - an area with an altitude of 1000 - 1600 meters above sea level, to build settlements, to found villages.
To sustain their livelihood, these ethnic groups chose forms of agriculture such as growing maize and rice on earthen mountains with large slopes. At first, terraced fields were formed only at the foot of the mountains so that residents could use the water for irrigation. Subsequently, when the population increased, they gradually began to cultivate the mountains to the very tops, creating terraced fields there. In this way, large areas of the magnificent terraced mountain fields that we can see today were gradually created.
Creating terraced fields on virgin lands is a filigree process. Mr. Ku A Giang, a member of the Mong ethnic group from La Pan Tan (Mu Cang Chai) Commune, said: “The experience of ancestors shows that the mountain chosen for farming should have a moderate slope, and the streams as a water source should be capable of rolling, and you also need to have some gravel and stone. Terraced fields are built in the spring, usually from January to March, and from April to May they carry the water needed for farming.”
According to Mr. Ly Van Thach (Thung Nguyen Commune, Hoang Shu Phi), the most difficult stage in the process of developing virgin lands and creating terraced fields is rolling the field and creating field banks, because they are responsible for conserving water and leveling the water for all fields . Mr. Thach explained: “Our Zao ethnic group uses hoes to clear the ground, creating banks for the fields, then tramples the soil with their feet, and then presses it tightly with a hoe. The difference between high and low fields is usually from 0. 5 to 2 m. When water runs into the fields, the banks absorb the water, connecting with each other and hardening.”
The process of development of the mountainous area continued from year to year, from generation to generation, creating terraced fields as monumental artistic paintings on the mountain slopes.
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The landscape of the terraced fields in Nam Thi commune is one of the most beautiful in the entire system of terraced fields in the Hoang Su Phi (Ha Giang) area. Photo: Nguyen Thang
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The history of the formation of terraced fields organically connected with the history and culture of the Mong, Zao, La Chi, Nung... ethnic groups living in areas such as Mu Cang Chai, Hoang Shu Phi and Sa Pa. In the spiritual life of these ethnic groups, there are ideas that all things in the world have their own soul, therefore terraced fields, working tools and rice are deified, there is a God of the Field, a God of Rice, a God of Thunder, a God of Water...
The imprint of polytheism is clearly expressed through the worship of working tools, the worship of the Field God and the Water God, which takes place among the Mong ethnic group on New Year(December to lunar calendar). Mr. Zhang Ah Chy from Khao Fa (Mu Kang Chai) Commune spoke about this custom: “All year long, hoes and plows have been helping us produce rice and corn, so they need a break for the New Year. So our ethnic group has a custom decorate hoes and plows with colored paper, and then bring them to the altar to thank them and remember their ancestors."
And in the Zao Do community of Hoang Shu Phi County there is a kind of festival - a ritual of sacrificing rice to the soul. Members of the Zao Do ethnic group believe that rice in terraced fields has a soul, just like a person. Shaman Chieu Choi Hin of Ho Thau Commune, who presided over this year's rice soul sacrifice ritual, said: "After harvesting the rice from the terraced fields, quite a lot of rice is scattered when transporting home. The Zao ethnic group performs this ritual by invoking the soul of rice and asking him to return home so that the next season will bring a bountiful harvest."
An element of polytheism is also the worship of the Thunder God in the village of Shuoi Thau in Ban Luoc commune, which is located in the mountainous region of Tai Kon Linh, among representatives of the Zao, Mong, La Chi, Nung ethnic groups. Shuoi Thau village head Mr. Dang Hong Kanh said that 300 years ago, when the Zao ethnic group cultivated terraced rice fields in the area, there were several years of crop failure due to drought. When the peasants built temples to worship the Thunder God, the weather was good for farming with sufficient rain. Following that tradition, today, in a new cultural environment, the people of Hoang Shu Phi also pay attention to this sacred temple, where they pray for the arrival of rain.
Terraced fields that bring prosperity
Mr. Zhang Ah Tong, Chairman of the Mu Kang Chai District People's Committee, who was born and raised on the slope of Khau Pha Mountain, proudly spoke about the attraction of the area: “Our fathers created terraced rice fields. The Mong ethnic group from generation to generation, unceasingly cultivated more and more steps of terraced fields. Since 2007, when the terraced rice fields in Mu Cang Chai were recognized as a national landmark by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, they have become a common property and must be preserved. Terraced fields not only provide the opportunity to produce rice and corn, but are also the face and soul of our Mong ethnic group."
According to Mr. Zhang A Tong, in last years Representatives of the Mong and Thai ethnic groups of Mu Kang Chai County use scientific advances to more efficiently cultivate terraced fields, so the rice yield averaged 53 tons/ha. In 2014 alone, the total food production in Mu Kang Chai County reached nearly 27 thousand tons, helping to ensure food security in the area.
 Mong women in Mu Cang Chai district work in a field to prepare a site for planting young rice. Photo: Hoang Ha
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Terraced fields located in 3 communes: Che Cu Nha, La Pan Tan and Ze Xu Finh attract tourists to admire the beauty of these places during the rainy and rice ripening seasons. Every year, Mu Cang Chai County organizes the Terraced Fields Festival, attracting tourists during harvest time. The Terraced Fields Festival is essentially a festival to honor the residents who have worked hard and diligently to successfully create terraced fields in this mountainous area that bring prosperity to the residents,” said Mr. Zhang Ah Tong proudly.
In Hoang Shu Phi, the history of the formation of terraced fields goes back 3-4 centuries. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has officially recognized 760 hectares of a total area of 3,000 hectares of terraced fields in the Hoang Shu Phi area, belonging to the communes of Ban Luoc, San Sa Ho, Ban Phung, Ho Thau, Nam Thi, Thong Nguyen, as a national treasure.
| In the ranking of the most surreal landscapes in the world, conducted by The Daily Telegraph (UK), the terraced fields of the North-West region of Vietnam took 8th position out of 14. ( |
One of the main attractions of China is. Rice has been the basis of the diet of every resident of this great country for many thousands of years. Therefore, traditions are followed not only in the food ceremony. The process of growing rice itself is an art.
“Have you eaten rice today?” - not idle curiosity, but a greeting from the Chinese when they meet. It is impossible to imagine the life of an ordinary Chinese resident without this grain crop. And they sow rice not only on the plains, but also on the slopes of the mountains.
The famous ones are a true marvel of engineering. They began to be erected back in the 13th century AD. The highest quality and most delicious varieties are grown in Yunnan province. Stretches for tens of kilometers Chinese rice fields. Here, at an altitude of 200 - 2000 meters above sea level, on an area of 20 thousand square meters, there are thousands of terraces.
Everything is created by hand without the use of any modern technological advances. In fact, rice fields in Yunnan- This autonomous system cultivation of crops. Water flowing from the mountain peaks floods the holes. As a result, weeds do not grow, the soil is enriched with nitrogen and all favorable conditions are created for the ripening of rice. At the same time, rice grains are germinated in special nurseries, which are then manually planted in flooded holes.
View the rice terraces in China travelers come from all countries. A spectacle that delights at any time. From November to April you can see fields flooded with water. The sky and sun, clouds and moon are reflected on the water surface.
In spring, a rice field in Yunnan turns into a green carpet. In the fall, the fields turn into vibrant fall colors. The mesmerizing appearance of a patchwork carpet is so fantastic that one cannot immediately believe in the reality of its existence. The landscape seems to be painted with the brush of a skilled artist.
Local residents took care of tourists, creating comfortable conditions so that everyone could fully enjoy the stunning picture and capture it with their camera. Here you can find observation decks, where amazing view of China's rice terraces. True, entry to them is not free, but the symbolic amount of 50 yuan (equivalent to 250 rubles) is really a small price to pay for an amazing experience.
Longji (Dragon Ridge) - rice terraces of the Chinese province of Guangxi in the Longsheng Mountains
Located 27 km south of Longsheng Town, the vast Dragon Ridge Rice Terraces, layer after layer covers the hills and mountains. These are some of the most famous terraces in all of China, famous far beyond China's borders for their fabulous landscapes.
The Longsheng old people have a saying: “Where there is land, there will be a rice terrace.” In the Chinese province of Guangxi, a two-hour drive from the city of Guilin, the problem of sowing and growing rice on steep slopes has long been solved. At the end of the 13th century, the Yuan Dynasty began implementing a large-scale task of sowing rice in the Longsheng Mountains.
It took four centuries to create the rice fields known as Longji. During this time, many generations worked hard on the terraces to provide their families with a year's supply of rice. But in addition, they created an area of amazing beauty. It’s not for nothing that the Chinese call this little miracle a “delightful terrace.”
This area looks different at different times of the year. The water accumulated over the winter spills onto the fields in the form of rain in the spring. In summer, the winds that blow the rice shoots turn the fields into green rice paddies. In autumn, a ripe field of crops acquires a noble golden color, and in winter the entire slope is covered with snow.
Forced to settle en masse in this hilly area during the Yuan dynasty, people were faced with crop shortages due to the region's growing population, which could not produce a large enough harvest. Therefore, people came up with unusual techniques for better use of arable land.
The pinnacle of human ingenuity is natural rainwater, which is the only source of water in mountainous areas. Water is stored in reservoirs and in the spring rice fields filled with water. The staggered terraces ensure that all the water is used without leaving any residue.
Members of the Zhuan ethnic group call the terraces "Dragon's Spine". From an 800-meter height, the naked eye can see that the fields look like the scales of a dormant dragon with a writhing ridge.
Rice fields, the highest point of which is located at an altitude of 1100 meters, cover an area of 60 sq. km.
Visitors are always welcome here, and many local residents even open small inns for travelers. Visiting China's rice fields, you can learn a lot about the culture and characteristics of the local population. It is better to visit the terraces in spring or summer to discover them in at its best. Arriving in the fall, you will see tall rice, the terraces will look like undulating hills.
For centuries rice terraces were in the possession of families, passed down from father to son from generation to generation. When the communists came to power, the rules changed: at the birth of a person, he is allocated a certain plot of land, and after death, the local committee alienates it for its use and later transfers it to someone else.
Although each family is capable of growing crops only for their own needs, rice is grown here not only for food. After all, in life there is always room for small joys. And every year, part of the harvest, the so-called glutinous rice, is used to produce rice wine.
Now that we are in the twenty-first century, the role of rice fields is, of course, not as important as before. More and more young people are going to Longsheng or even further to work. And, despite the fact that the terraces are still sown with rice, they no longer serve as the main source of income for the local population.
Rice grown here cannot be sold at a competitive price, since the area of the terraces simply does not allow for large volumes of grain. However, these Chinese rice fields are increasingly included in tourist maps and villagers annually earn more from tourism than from rice fields. That's why rice plantation in Longsheng will continue until tourists get bored with them.
Rice terraces in China
Once seen, one gets the impression that rice cultivation in this country is done through landscaping.
The construction of rice terraces began in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). They are the culmination of deep wisdom and hard work. And what are the names of the observation decks around the rice terraces in China: “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers”, “Seven Stars Around the Moon”... Here they are called “the most beautiful in the world” and “the only ones under the clouds”.
You need to climb to the famous Longji rice terraces through the village of Ping An, located 27 km south of the town of Longsheng in Guangxi Province.
These are some of the most famous terraces in all of China, thanks to the fabulous scenery.
Rice terraces occupy an area of 66 sq. km. They are located at an altitude of 300 to 1,100 meters above sea level and with a slope of between 25 and 35 degrees, sometimes even 50.
A ticket to the observation decks costs 50 yuan (about 250 rubles).
On the terraces surrounding the village of Ping An, there are those same two observation decks with picturesque names: “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers” and “Seven Stars Around the Moon”.
Still, it is unusual to observe man-made “step fields” picturesquely curving on the slopes:
The rice harvested from Dragon Ridge is considered some of the best in the country. There are many reasons for this: mountain water, soil and the enormous forces put into growing rice.
Photo to assess the scale - a step up to human height!
In photographs the landscapes seem quite monotonous, but in reality this is not the case!
View of rice terraces varies depending on the time of year. In the spring, when water irrigates the rice fields, the terraces look like large shiny ribbons wrapping around the slopes of mountains and hills:
At the beginning of summer, the rice terraces turn green:
This is what rice fields look like when it’s time to harvest:
These amazing photographs are more reminiscent of precious stained glass or mosaic, if you don’t know what it really is. Rice fields are an amazingly beautiful creation of human hands. Similar fields can be seen in the Philippines, Bali and, of course, China. Perhaps it is the cultivation of rice - an extremely labor-intensive and painstaking task - that is one of the main factors that shaped the character of the Chinese, about whose hard work and patience legends have been created.
Rice terraces in China are a whole work of art, and for a fee tourists are brought to admire the rice fields in person.
Since ancient times, all operations were performed manually. Rice is not a plant that lives naturally in water, but people in Asia (most likely in China, but some claim it was in Indonesia) have discovered that rice grown in a field flooded with water yields 20 times more than on a dry field - how cereals or other crops are grown.
Rice has been cultivated in China since ancient times. Excavations carried out in the village of Hemudu (Zhejiang Province) indicate that rice was cultivated in the area as early as 8,000 years ago.
Rice crops in China are small cell areas filled with water and separated by a network of narrow earthen rollers. The surface of such a site must be perfectly flat and strictly horizontal, which is why its size is so small.
Of course, it is easiest to grow rice on the plains, but mountain slopes are also adapted for such sites, creating artificial terraces on them. First, rice is sown in special nurseries, and after about a month, young plants are transplanted into the field. From ancient times until recently, this process, difficult to mechanize, has been carried out manually.
The process of growing rice in a flooded field begins with its cultivation. The peasant harnesses the oxen to the plow and plows the land. Even today, as China and other East Asian countries experience rising living standards and Westernization, there are still no machines in the fields. Most often you can find a peasant plowing the land with a wooden plow pulled by cattle. The process of flooding a field involves mixing soil with water and turning it into a homogeneous mud.
When the soil is mixed, rice grains are planted in special “greenhouses”. Direct planting into the field does not give good results because the grains have difficulty germinating in a flooded field. The soft seedlings are harvested when they reach a height of about 10 cm. Bunches of rice stalks are then made and taken to the flooded field for planting. They do not need to be placed in the ground by hand, but simply thrown into the water and they will take root on their own.
In a flooded field, water insulates the rice sprouts from heat and cold and creates a complete and balanced ecological system that provides itself with everything it needs. A flooded rice field does not require artificial fertilizers. It can maintain a constant level of natural fertilizers for a long time with a little help: burn the remains of the sprouts in a dry field (at the end of the harvest season) and mix them with the soil; scatter animal excretions or food debris; grow fish or ducks in a flooded field - their secretions provide the field with nitrogen.
Rice ripens in 140 to 210 days. Modern varieties developed in the laboratory can ripen in 90 days. After about two months, the rice begins to bloom - when the shoots reach a height of 50-60 cm. Rice inflorescences consist of 70 small flowers that suddenly bloom early in the morning. The smell of a rice field is similar to the smell of cooked rice at home - sweetish and very delicate. After flowering, the rice grains begin to form and become hard.
In the photo, the rice fields look lush and colorful: bright green sprouts are buried in the water, which reflects the blue and endless sky. After a while, the fields turn into a thick green wall.
And only in the third month, when the rice terraces acquire a golden hue, the harvest occurs.
Rice fields appear colorful from above. Different varieties of rice are used as “paint”. For example, grains of ordinary yellow rice look light green from a distance, while brown rice looks almost black. Over the centuries-old history of rice cultivation in China, no less than 10 thousand of its varieties have been bred - different in appearance, color, taste, spikelet size, grain yield, ripening time and many other indicators. Six varieties are considered elite.
The selection of early and late varieties allows in many areas of China to collect two harvests per year, and even 3 harvests on the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Province. To do this, late-ripening varieties are planted between rows of early-ripening rice even before it ripens, or they are cultivated in place of already harvested early rice. The powerful “green energy” of rice fields is spoken of in an old Chinese proverb - “In one day the field is golden, black and green” (in the morning a peasant harvests ripened rice that shimmers in gold, by lunchtime the field plowed for new crops is black, and in the evening it is already green seedling).
Unhulled rice, also known as paddy, is brought from the paddy field. It is then dried and the grains are separated from the rice straw and weeds.One of the most interesting paintings in China, even today, these are carpets with rice lying on the roads or near houses.
At the first stage of processing, the rice husk is removed, which protects the grains from damage. After this, brown rice goes on sale. It is made from whole grains of rice, leaving behind a nutritious bran shell that gives it its characteristic brownish hue and nutty flavor.
At the next stage of rice processing, during the grinding process, the bran shell is removed. Rice loses most of everyone nutrients. Rice that has gone through all stages of polishing is called white, since only white, smooth rice grains containing a significant amount of starch remain. In terms of vitamin and mineral content, white rice is inferior to brown or parboiled rice, but it is the main type of rice consumed throughout the world.
There is a technology for processing rice - steaming. Unhusked rice is soaked in water and then treated with hot steam under pressure. Then the grains are dried and polished like regular rice. After processing, the grains of parboiled rice acquire an amber-yellow hue and become translucent. When steamed, up to 80% of the vitamins and minerals contained in the bran shell are transferred to the rice grain.
Every kilogram of rice you buy in the supermarket is doused with an average of 4,000 liters of water. The Chinese have become very adept at regulating the flow of rivers to water their rice fields, sometimes by using canals that direct the water directly into the fields. The water on them is in constant movement and does not stagnate. Water that sits for too long heats up and can harm the seedlings as they begin to grow. Additionally, standing water can attract mosquitoes and cause illness. Rice has a remarkable property - it can be grown year after year in the same field without interruption, even for 2000 years (unlike other crops, during the cultivation of which the field must rest). The reason is that in the deep water in which the rice grows, there is duckweed, which absorbs nitrogen and thus provides the rice with natural fertilizer.
Fresh rice, just picked from the field, can be stored for about a year. Then it begins to turn yellow. Rice sold in stores can easily be stored for three years before opening the package.
Rice in China is used for a variety of purposes other than being a staple food, including making a variety of flatbreads, sweets, liquor, rice vinegar, and the like. Widely known and medicinal properties rice Chinese doctors believe that rice “protects the stomach, improves health and expels disease from the body.” The Chinese use not only rice grains, but also straw. It goes to roofing, to making wide-brimmed sun hats. Rice straw is used to weave shoes, baskets and mats, make umbrellas and fans, durable thin paper, and rice husks are used to package porcelain products.
There are two fundamentally in the world different types rice: Indica - longer, harder and Japonica - round, soft. They do not interbreed with each other. Each type is divided into many various types and varieties. All rice grown in Russia is of the Japonica type.
Russia is the northernmost country where attempts to grow rice have been successful. Although the “history of rice cultivation” began in our country in 1929, almost all rice fields and ROS (rice irrigation systems) were built in the 70-80s of our century. That is, literally our parents.
In the 90s, about a third of the cultivated areas fell into disrepair, and irrigation canals became unusable. The yield on the remaining fields fell by half. In the 2000s, the industry began to recover.
According to statistics, rice consumption in Russia is about 4.3 kg per person per year. In second place is buckwheat - 4.1 kg. Total cereal consumption is approximately 11 kilograms. The main part of the rice fields is located in the Kuban and Rostov region.
Preparation of rice paddies. Planning, cleaning of drainages, sprinklers and discharges, various hydraulic and agrotechnical measures are carried out.
North The seeds are scattered at a decent speed, and getting under such “fire” is quite painful.
Next, the seeds are rolled so that they do not float up and diagonal furrows are cut in the checks for better water distribution. After this, the valves open and water flows into the checks. The fields must be perfectly level. A difference of more than 2 cm in relief level is critical. It was not without reason that Japanese geta sandals had wooden stands 13 cm high. This is the optimal water level in rice paddies.
Spraying and fertilizing are carried out mostly with the help of small aircraft. The yellow sectors are flowering rapeseed, a participant in crop rotation.
Rice harvesting begins at the end of August - beginning of September in well-dried checks. And, weather permitting, it is sometimes done around the clock. Strada is not just a name.
Each batch brought from the field is tested for moisture and impurities. No GOST - no processing.
All grain is pre-sorted depending on grade, humidity and other indicators, stored and processed separately.
Cleaning of rice grains is carried out in several stages, starting from the processing of raw rice immediately after acceptance. Next is drying and cleaning. The photo seperator “sees” the defect and blows it out of the general flow with a directed stream of air. That is, literally, he looks at every grain of rice. Our Cinderella.
Kernel processing varies. Polished rice is when the husk (the upper non-edible shell) is removed from the grain and then the grain is polished until white with all films removed. Lightly sanded - gentle sanding, with partial removal of the aleurone layer. A more useful option. Unpolished rice loses only the husk, in it greatest content minerals and vitamins.
Examination of cereals at the plant is carried out at least once every two hours. A rice plant is generally quite a complex thing.
The certificate is issued by an independent laboratory of the Federal State Budgetary Institution. Declarations, GOSTs, technical standards. I will omit the conditions, regulations and operating principles of the HACCP system here, but all this is aimed at ensuring the country’s food security. There is such a stable expression.
So, today Russia has just under 200 thousand hectares of rice systems and a total harvest of about 1 million tons of raw rice per year. For comparison, China collects more than 140 million. I won’t answer for the entire Russian million, I’ll tell you how the approximately 200 thousand tons that our company harvests from the fields are distributed.
10% of the raw material harvest floats on barges to Turkey, Libya, Spain, etc. The rest is stored and processed in Russia. For some time, the raw material can be stored in bulk, with regular stirring.
Approximately 60% of raw rice is obtained from raw rice. The rest: husk - 20%, - contains a large number of silicon, used in metallurgy; flour - 12% - rich in nutrients, is exported; fine fraction - 8% - is purchased by animal feed manufacturing companies.
We are also developing selection and seed production in order to replace European varieties. 9600 varieties are growing in the nursery, a few of them will be sent to the state. tests, and may be included in the register of protected breeding achievements.
A laboratory, separate storage and processing are equipped for seeds. Import substitution in terms of rice is not possible at 100%. We are able to reproduce soft rice varieties, but we cannot cultivate Indica rice. In the coming decades, these necessary imports to meet consumer needs will account for 20-25% of total consumption.
And finally, the answer to the age-old question of how to cook rice.
