Baishuitai Terraces

Baishuitai (White Water Terrace), located in Sanba Township roughly a hundred kilometers southeast of Shangri-La, is one of the largest travertine terrace formations in China and one of the most geologically unusual landscapes on the Yunnan plateau. Translucent mineral water has cascaded down a mountainside for millennia, depositing layers of calcium carbonate that build up into a flight of white, stepped pools framed by green forest.

The sight is often compared to the travertine terraces of Pamukkale in Turkey, though Baishuitai has its own distinct character. The terraces curve around a broad hillside amphitheater, with thin sheets of water skimming over white basins that reflect the sky. Local Naxi tradition holds that the terrace was created by celestial beings as a model to teach humans how to farm terraced fields, which is why the site is also called "Fields Left by the Immortals."

Baishuitai is also one of the sacred places of the Naxi people and their dongba religion, an animist tradition whose priests keep one of the last living pictographic writing systems in the world. The terraces are flanked by small shrines and inscriptions, and major Naxi ritual gatherings are held here at set points in the lunar calendar. Travelers should walk only on the marked paths, since the rim of each pool is fragile and even a footstep can interrupt centuries of mineral deposition.

For international visitors, the strongest draw is the combination of geology and living culture. The terrace can be explored in a couple of hours; those with time often combine the visit with the surrounding Naxi and Yi villages, the road south toward Lijiang, or a longer loop through the Haba and Tiger Leaping Gorge corridor. Early morning light brings out the most vivid blue in the pools.