White Water Terraces of Baishuitai 白水台
I wasn’t a believer of the Dongba religion so I didn’t linger at the foot of Baishuitai anymore. It wasn’t for long before we reached the top of the Baishuitai terraces. The top, of course, is the best location to view terraces such as these. This is not the mountain top yet, that one goes further up. The terraces of Baishuitai formed from water from the top of the mountain flowing down the mountain. It brought with it limestone deposits which gradually built up over time to form the magnificent terraces we see now. Limestone is naturally light in color and the water in the pools give a nice blue color which give the terraces its distinctive look.
The Baishuitai Terraces Drop Off Sharply
The top of Baishuitai is not surprisingly covered in limestone and parts of it have water flowing downhill to the terraces. I was surprised to see so much water coming from the top it was like a stream continuously flowing down the mountain feeding the terraces. Over time, it seems that the parts of the water flow has changed and as a direct result, parts of Baishuitai have also dried up. It is quite easy to see how the direct the effects are from here.
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