Expats from three countries experienced traditional Chinese agricultural life in Ningxiang county, Hunan province, on Saturday as they took part in a contest of skills to harvest rice using traditional methods.

Twenty expats from Russia, South Africa and Pakistan were part of the competition, which challenged participants on the harvesting of rice, including the use of sickles to reap the crop, the use of threshing machines to husk the rice and shoulder poles to carry it.

They were also required to chop firewood using knives and to transport produce using wheelbarrows.

Expats carry rice baskets and step on wooden stakes during a contest of rice harvesting skills in Ningxiang county, Hunan province, on Saturday. Feng Zhiwei / China Daily

Galaye Ndiaye, from Cape Town in South Africa, said he was impressed by the picturesque farmland in Ningxiang county.

"I marveled when I saw the golden paddy fields. It is so much different from my hometown, which is mostly grape-producing valleys," he said.

Adil Malik Muhammad, from Pakistan, said the competition had enabled him to learn about the farming culture of China, which he believes is an important part of Chinese culture.

"I love sports, and I also like the traditional Chinese culture. That is why I enjoyed each of the competition events," he said.

Located in close proximity to Changsha, the provincial capital, Ningxiang county is one of the most important rice-producing areas in Hunan province.

The county has a total grain cultivation area of 132,400 hectares, more than 90 percent of which were paddy fields. The county produced a total of 855,700 metric tons of grain in 2014, according to the Ningxiang county statistics bureau.

Xu Wei in Beijing contributed to this story.

fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn