Chinese writer Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420) once described in his work a legendary fairyland "Peach Blossom Valley" - a place completely isolated from the rest of the world. People there lived a simple, pastoral life.

For centuries, Chinese people merely regarded this valley as an imaginary place.

But does such a fairyland really exist in the real world? Our trip to Bamei Village in Guangnan County of Southwest China's Yunnan Province led us to an unexpected answer.

Located at the border of Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangnan is a typical karst area.

After driving for over 40 kilometres north in Guangnan County, we finally stopped in front of a cave where there was a stream called Bamei River, flowing. Under the guidance of local villagers, we continued our journey into the cave by boat.

Just like entering a movie theatre, we were soon immersed in utter darkness as the boat drifted into the cave. In the dim light of torch, we saw grotesque rocks descending the ceiling of the cave which was about 20 metres high.

A narrow shaft of sunlight streamed through a small opening in the cave roof giving the water an unearthly quality. Astounded by the mystic cave, we all fell silent and could hear only the sound of dripping, rippling water.

Suddenly the boat made a sharp turn, bringing us to the exit of the cave. To our surprise, our destination - Bamei Village, was right before our eyes.

It seemed we were stepping into a fictitious land of peace, away from the turmoil of the world.

In the Bamei River were reflections of mountains covered with trees. A rhythmic sound of women beating clothes with wooden clubs during their laundry chores echoed in the air from the riverside.

Situated in a 30-square-kilometre fertile basin at an altitude of 700 metres, Bamei Village is sheltered by great amphitheatres of mountains.

Reputed as one of the most isolated communities of Zhuang minority in Guangnan, Bamei is a village without roads. Even up to now, the Bamei River has been the only access in and out of the village, according to Su Liming, director of Guangnan Tourism Department.

Due to inconvenient location and hard transit, the village escaped attacks by outsiders and the influences of the modern world, staying as unadorned and as pure as they always were.

A well-preserved environment and sub-tropical climate made the area a "Promised Land" for the inhabitants, Su said.

A footpath along the riverside led us into the village. At the entrance were two age-old banyans, which were a witness to ups and downs of the village for centuries.

"Thank our ancestors who gave us this land," said 84-year-old Nong Wanting, one of the oldest men in the village. "The village has a history of over 1,000 years."

Nong's ancestors had once lived in Guangxi back in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). They fled to Guangnan to avoid a political upheaval occurring at the border of Guangxi and Yunnan. Accidentally, they found Bamei - a land completely isolated from the outside world.

According to Nong, at first only 20 families settled here.

Today it is home to 113 families, with a population of about 600. Most of the inhabitants are of the Zhuang.

Without cars, electricity, telephone and television, local villagers still live a primitive, self-sufficient living - fishing, hunting and farming. They plant corns, sugarcanes and tropical fruits at the foot of mountains and grow rice near the riverside.

"What we plant is mainly to feed ourselves and we make farm tools and weave cloth by ourselves," said Li Zhongmin, a 19-year-old villager.

Also, they have preserved the traditional culture and customs of Zhuang minority.

They sing folk songs at their most important events, which is their way of interacting with others and expressing feelings.

Every summer senior villagers will hold a memorial ceremony for "the god of river," hoping for a good harvest. During the slack season, villagers will organize varied entertainment events like cockerel racing.

All of the children receive their education in the village's primary school. After graduation, some of them go to the county to further their schooling, while the others stay in the village, helping their families with the farm work.

But the traditional way of life is changing as the village has drawn increasing number of tourists.

Local people have to buy food and daily necessities from other places to meet the demand of increasing number of visitors.

Lured by the opportunities in modern cities, some young men have left the village, including Nong's eldest grandson. After graduating from college, he found a teaching job in the county. "Neither he nor his children would return and live here again," Nong said.

When night falls, villagers light their oil lamps. Bonfires are built to welcome tourists and party thrown. As the local children run about in the glow of the flames, one cannot wonder if this fairyland, once hidden but now on the map, may soon lose its innocence and become another cultureless, contrived tourist attraction.

Transportation: Depart from Guangzhou or Kunming and reach Guangnan County (Northeastern part of Wenshan Zhuang & Miao Ethnic Autonomous Prefecture) first. Then rent car to a village named Fali. Bamei Village is one-kilometer-plus far away from Fali Village.

Through Ticket: 35 yuan (US$4.2)

(China.org.cn China Daily November 15, 2004)