Netizens to Lonely Planet: Banaue Rice Terraces not built by Chinese

MANILA, Philippines – Netizens slammed travel guide Lonely Planet which uploaded a video stating that the Chinese built the Banaue Rice Terraces.

Banaue Rice Terraces was included in the travel guide’s video of the “world’s greenest places” published on Sunday.

The video, however, described Banaue Rice Terraces as “first built around 2,000 years ago by the Chinese”.

One Twitter user, with handle @AltPCOOSec, called out Lonely Planet and noted that Banaue Rice Terraces was built by Filipino indigenous peoples and not by the Chinese.

“Dear [Lonely Planet], the Banaue Rice Terraces were by Filipino indigenous people, not by the Chinese,” the netizen said.

https://twitter.com/AltPCOOSec/status/1112130704274382848

Other netizens also called out Lonely Planet on its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

“There are rice terraces in China. Maybe they mistook them as one and the same? Still, Banaue. Fact check fail,” said netizen Lala Macaraeg.

The travel guide site, meanwhile, responded that its editors have been informed of the concerns.

“Thank you for flagging this, we’ll share this with our editors who’ll take a further look into it. We’ll share updates/action points on this thread,” Lonely Planet said in a tweet.

Thank you for flagging this, we’ll share this with our editors who’ll take a further look into it. We’ll share updates/action points on this thread.

— Lonely Planet (@lonelyplanet) March 31, 2019

The video has since been taken down.

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the rice terraces were built 2,000 years ago by the Ifugaos.

“The Ifugao Rice Terraces are the priceless contribution of Philippine ancestors to humanity,” UNESCO said.

“Built 2000 years ago and passed on from generation to generation, the Ifugao Rice Terraces represent an enduring illustration of an ancient civilization that surpassed various challenges and setbacks posed by modernization.” UNESCO added. / gsg