Dazhai / Jinkeng Rice Terraces

Dazhai village anchors the Jinkeng section of the Longji terraces, a wider amphitheater of terraced mountainside than the neighboring Ping'an area and home to the Red Yao ethnic group, known for the exceptionally long hair worn and cared for by Yao women according to local tradition. Multiple viewpoints spread across the Jinkeng terraces, reached either by hiking trails between villages or by a cable car that carries visitors up to the Golden Buddha Peak viewpoint, the widest panoramic overlook of the terrace amphitheater. Because Jinkeng draws fewer visitors than Ping'an, more of its traditional wooden architecture remains intact, and the pace in Dazhai village itself is noticeably quieter. Scheduled hair-combing performances take place in the village square, where Yao women demonstrate the traditional washing and styling of hair that is cut only once in a lifetime, then kept and later coiled into elaborate headwraps. A half-day visit covers the main viewpoints, but an overnight stay in one of Dazhai's guesthouses allows for sunrise views over the terraces before the day's visitors arrive.