Hidden among the stepped rice terraces of Fangshan in Qingtian is a quiet blessing that has endured for more than a millennium: year after year of abundance.

Life here has long been shaped by the terraces. For over 1,300 years, their rhythm has never ceased. Recognized as the first batch of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, Fangshan's fields are not preserved behind glass. Instead, local people continue to live by an ancient wisdom—rice–fish culture system—turning heritage into a steady, grounded way of life.

This is the land's simplest promise. When seeds take root and fish flick their tails through the paddies, life finds its footing. No matter how far one travels, as long as these layered terraces remain, the heart knows where home is.

The flavor of the New Year in Fangshan is not found in museum displays, but around the hearth. Neighbors gather close by the stove, firewood crackles, and steam rises into the winter air. Here, agricultural heritage is not a specimen but a pot of richly braised paddy fish, fragrant and deeply comforting. Each tender bite is a gift only one's hometown can offer, easing a year's fatigue for those returning from afar and allowing the heart to finally settle.

As night falls, fish lanterns begin to swim through Fangshan's streets. Their red scales shimmer, instantly bringing the village to life. In the glow of lantern light flows a New Year's atmosphere too rich to fade, carrying wishes for safety, peace, and good fortune. Between light and shadow, blessings passed down through centuries drift gently onto every shoulder, becoming a quiet promise of prosperity in the year ahead. Through the Qingtian Fish Lantern Dance, this intangible cultural heritage continues to move—step by step, generation after generation.

This New Year, follow the scent of rice back to Fangshan, Qingtian. Look once more at the fish tended for a thousand years, and drink a bowl of soup that warms you to the soul. Together, let us receive this timeless gift—a thousand-year-old wish for abundance, year after year.