Set 5 | 39 : Terraced fields

Terraced fields, Anhui

New terraced fields built on denuded hilltops in Wukungling Production Brigade to grow grain and tea. Photographed in Anhui, 1975. You can see the paths and tiny steps leading from terrace to terrace. Bamboo flourishes in the foreground.

The high population of China means that every possible piece of land is cultivated to provide food, these can be on precipitous hillsides. Much of Western and Central China is made up of mountainous terrain. Widespread famine was last experienced in 1959 and 1960 due to the twin misfortunes of both flood and drought.