The Banaue Rice Terraces (Tagalog: Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) also called Payo, are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.

Locals to this day still plant rice and vegetables on the terraces, although more and more younger Ifugaos do not find farming appealing, often opting for the more lucrative hospitality industry generated by the Rice Terraces^{[citation needed]}. The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic "steps", which need constant reconstruction and care. In 2010 a further problem was drought, with the terraces drying up completely in March of that year.

Eighth Wonder were a British pop band in the 1980s. They formed in 1983 and enjoyed major success in Japan and Italy between 1985 and 1987, before having hit singles in the UK and across Europe in 1988.

Eighth Wonder's roots start in a band called Spice. In 1983, Jamie Kensit auditioned his sister Patsy Kensit, then aged 14, for the vacant job of lead singer in his new band. She formed a line-up consisting of herself on vocals, Jamie Kensit and Geoff Beauchamp on guitar, Lawrence Lewis on bass, Jake Walters on drums and Nigel Davis on percussion. Spice made their live debut in autumn 1983, and then spent the next year playing further gigs to gain some attention from record labels.

In late 1984, Nigel Davis left to start the Band 'Slipstream' and Alex Godson a keyboard player, joined the band. They renamed themselves Eighth Wonder and Patsy Kensit began to write songs for the band. Their first gig as Eighth Wonder was in November 1984 in Wimbledon, London and further gigs followed. It was at one of these that Steve Wooley, co-owner of Palace Films, and director Julien Temple offered Patsy Kensit the role of 'Crepe Suzette' in their 1986 film, Absolute Beginners.