By Duan Zhaoshun

Puzhehei is a national AAA scenic zone in southwestern Chinas Yunnan Province. It is a name for an area that measures 165 square kilometers and boasts 60 or more lakes, 280 solitary peaks, and 240 caves in Qiubei County. Immortals Cave Village is 13 kilometers from the capital seat of Qiubei County and 286 kilometers from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province.

The name 普者黑 written in Chinese probably suggests mystery and weirdness, but actually, Puzhehei in the dialect of the Yi ethnic group means a pond teeming with fish and shrimps. Puzhehei is a pastoral poem composed of such scenes as lotus, emerald hills and peaks, crystal waters, forests, sunshine, brisk air, village houses, and dragonflies.

A tour around the village brings people into Shangri-La. One can take a boat tour to see the village. Solitary peaks stand next to each other, looking like young bamboo shoots. Lotuses and waters are two shapes and two colors merging beautifully together. They stretch away endlessly. Some peaks are shrouded by light clouds. They by no means tower. Village houses stand on waters. The yellow walls and dark gray tile-roofs of the houses are in sharp contrast with corns and peppers hanging under the eaves. They look very shinny in sunlight. Houses are surrounded by thin bamboos in dark greens. Local people use narrow canoes.

The village is inhabited by more than 800 ethnic Sani people in 170 households. They are a branch of the Yi ethnic group and they retain their ethnic cultural roots faithfully. Of all the festivals the village residents celebrate, the Black Face Festival in lunar calendar March and the Torch Festival in lunar June 24 stand out. The two festivals are viewed as carnivals of the Sani People.

The Black Face Festival goes back to more than 1,000 years ago. It is said that in order to confuse a monster who was about to come and grab women, villagers all blackened their faces. Some young men even painted terrible patterns on their faces so as to scare away the monster. The monster was indeed scared away when it came and saw so many ugly faces. The festival has been celebrated since then.

As more and more tourists come to the village to see the unique natural beauty and unique ethnic lifestyle, a celebration is now held every evening in the village. The celebration merges the black-face and torch festivals. You dont have to worry about not being able to see the original festivals.

Torches are lit after nightfall. Villagers gravitate toward the village square where torches gather. They soon begin to sing and dance. Dont forget to smear your face with the oven soot. If someone smears your face, you feel happy because it shows that someone cares for you and worries that the monster may grab you if your face is not smeared with thick soot. Girls let you smear their faces because they know you love them and you worry about their safety.