Dongchuan Red Land

Chinese Name: 东川红土地 (Dong Chuan Hong Tu Di)
Location: 101 Provincial Road, Xintian Township, Dongchuan District, Kunming, Yunnan.
Ticket: Free
Estimated tour time: 3-5hours
Recommended time to visit: all year round
Nearby attractions: Jiaozi Snow Mountain, Dongchuan Sun Valley, Yuanyang Rice Terraces, etc.

Dongchuan Red Land is located in the north by east of Kunming city, belongs to Dongchuan District of Kunming. It is about 250 kilometers from Kunming to the scenic center, and the main scenic spots are between 1800 to 2600 meters above sea level. The red soil developed under the high temperature and heavy rain in Dongchuan, Yunnan province contains more iron and aluminum, less organic matter, strong acid and clay. The area around 100 li(50 km) is the most concentrated, typical and characteristic red soil in Yunnan red soil plateau. The blue sky, the white clouds and the changing light make a spectacular view of the red land. In the scenic area, there is a sand pine tree, which belongs to the fir family. It is said to be over a thousand years old. It once died for three years and then spits new buds. It is called "the Old Dragon Tree" by the local villagers which blesses the villagers.

Yunnan is located in a warm and humid environment, the iron in the soil is slowly oxidized and deposited, gradually creating the dazzling colors. Dongchuan Red Land refers to the Hongtudi Town, located more than 40 kilometers southwest of Dongchuan District, Kunming City, where there is a place called Huashitou (at the 109 km milestone). The area around 100 li(50 km) is the most concentrated, typical and characteristic red land in Yunnan red soil plateau. From September to December each year, part of the red soil is uprooted and ready for planting. Another part of the red soil has been planted with green barley or wheat and other crops. From a distance, they look like patches of color daubed by the heaven, gorgeous and colorful, lined with blue sky, white clouds and the changing light beams, forming a spectacular scene of the red land. 

Red soil is a kind of low yield and poor soil, mainly because of human and weather natural factors accelerated red soil desertification. Due to more people and less land, over development, deforestation, coupled with the characteristics of the soil itself, the productivity of the soil in the red soil region is low, soil erosion is serious and in many areas serious degradation, formed “the red desertification". 

Dongchuan Red Land is considered by experts to be the most magnificent red land in the world except for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and its scenery is even more magnificent than Brazil's red land.

As far as the eye could see, mountains and fields show patches of dark red, purplish red, brick red, and so on. On the hills and hillsides for hundreds of Li(one Li is half of a Km) around, rapeseed flowers and potato flowers were blooming warmly, golden wheat waves in the cool mountain wind like blue waves rolling, a layer of green, a layer of white, a layer of red, a layer of gold.

Dongchuan Red Land is located in Wumeng Mountain area, belongs to the plateau mountain landform, where the mountains crisscross, undulating mountains, endless red soil hills, combined with the monsoon influence, formed a mild, clear dry and wet plateau monsoon climate.

The best season for photography in Dongchuan Red Land is between September and December. In this season, rapeseed, potato, buckwheat is gradually harvested, winter wheat is sprouting jointing. On the roadsides, beside the villages, poplar trees in the woods are yellow, the sumacs are red. Next comes January and February, when the wheat is growing and the Moon Fields are full of water. Then there's May and June, the rapeseed flowers are in bloom and the wheat is ripe. These seasons are colorful seasons.