Hill tops usually provide the largest areas of flat ground, and most villages with population of maybe 100 each are located on the hill tops. Life in a village located on top of a hill can be rather lonely. These are scenes from Pingliang, Gansu. The scenery however is exceptionally beautiful. The terraces on these hills are very well built. On top of a hill, a Taoist temple is being constructed (still in the process of building) testifying to a general affluence achieved in the region.

This household in Huanxian doesn't have a close neighbor. The land has been occupied by the same family for generations. Their courtyard is carved out from a hill top, and cave dwellings tunneled into the cliffs. Look at the magnitude of the excavation needed to create such a large courtyard! How many generations of effort would it be needed? Living in such height and with such isolation, this household unfortunately does not possess a motorized vehicle.

The household consists of 6 members and farms 50 mu (or about 8 acres) of land with 2/3 of the land devoted to wheat. People here are good at building earth structures. The courtyard is perfectly flat looking as if it is paved with concrete. The outside wall of the cave dwelling looks like it is lined with bricks (but of course it is not, just tampered earth). The interior of the dwelling is lined with bricks, and the ceilings supported by concrete arches (for the better-built ones). In early spring, before the arrival of rain, there is very little to do except to wait for the rain to come - to soften the ground for ploughing.

Picture source: George Leung (1999)