The Cattle Encountering the Rational Economic Man: Reflections on the Landscape Heritage of Hani Ethnic Terraces in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture

Abstract

In the villages from the core area of the “Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Terraces”, a world cultural heritage, cattle of a single breed have been raised, the number of cattle raised reduced and there has been an unbalanced female-male ratio, which all resulted from the rational economic choice of villagers. The decrease in cattle is a representation of the crisis of the present farming cultural landscape. The replacement of cattle farming by tractor farming has greatly reduced the landscape value of terraces. The continuous growth of economic rationality does not necessarily lead to an all-round development of the society, and social governance aiming at improving the well-being of people in heritage sites has become indispensable. As the state is the main body responsible for declaring a world cultural heritage and protecting it, in order to realize its value fully and let its universal value be recognized by mankind, the relevant state departments should assume the responsibility of improving the quality of life of local people in an institutionalized manner.