Hengduan Mountains, Yunnan, Southwest China

The Yulongxue Shan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountains) are the sacred mountains of the Naxi people. Ancient folklore foretold that the ritual suicide of young Naxi couples would bring about their bodily transfer over the mountain range to a paradise of everlasting youth and joy – the Naxi equivalent of Shambala (Shangri La). This dramatic view of the highest summit may prompt the viewer to contemplate the strength of the old ritual. For the more sanguine glaciologist, however, it is the location of Eurasia's most southerly glaciers and permanent ice and snow. The Yi are one of the many minority peoples of Yunnan. In Lijiang County they live in extremely poor mountain villages. Despite poverty, as in the case of this lady, they have a rich culture, colourful costumes, and fascinating dances. Guardian of a small Buddhist monastery that survived the Cultural Revolution in the mountains above Lijiang City, this Tibetan monk proved an enthusiast for the camera. I spent a delightful two hours with him in mutually unintelligible yet highly animated conversation.

17  Sunrise on the Jade Dragon (October, 1994)

 18  Yi lady with ear ring, Yunnan, China (October, 1994) 19  Laughing monk, Lijiang County, Yunnan (November, 1995)
In 1982, en route to Lijiang, we paused for a rest in a Bai village. These spectacularly dressed girls had never seen fair-skinned foreigners with blue eyes in their entire lives. They were consequently shy of the Hasselblad and quickly turned their backs. The young village males had forsaken their traditional dress for the 'modern' look more akin to Chairman Mao, but they appeared well aware of a beautiful picture when it was presented to them. Here the Jinsha Jiang roars through the Tiger Leap Gorge nearly 5,000 metres below the snow-capped summits of the Yulongxue and Habaxue Shan. In 1982 and 1985 permission to walk through the gorge was withheld by the Chinese authorities. In 1992 we completed the three-day trek through the gorge. By 1995 the number of trekkers exceeded several thousand. Today the crux of the trek, shown here in 1992, with the laden animals edging past the high rocky overhang, has been blasted away to make room for a paved two-lane highway to accommodate tourist buses. The potential for World Heritage status has been "sold" for the benefits of mass tourism. Wenhai is a Naxi village situated at 3,100 metres above sea level. A walk of five hours from the nearest road in the autumn brings you to the serene landscape shown in the photograph. But this is limestone country, so if your visit is in springtime the lake will have disappeared down a sink hole and you will find village livestock grazing a lush meadow. Situated on an ancient caravan route between Kunming and Lhasa, the village plunged into abject poverty during Mao Zedong's China. Despite being above the upper limit for regular cultivation of rice, the hapless villagers were obliged to produce rice since that was the required currency for taxation. Dr. Joseph Rock, the legendary American naturalist (see caption 25), photographed the village in the 1920s. The UNU research team visited in 1985, probably the first time outsiders had been there since Joseph Rock. From 1992 to 1995 it was one of the UNU/Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences intensive study sites leading to investigation of its changing socioeconomic and environmental situation.
20  Bai girls being ogled by the village lads (September, 1982)

21  Tiger Leap Gorge and the lingering mysteries of the Jinsha Jiang (upper Yangtze) (October, 1993)  

22  Wenhai village and its vanishing lake (October, 1993
Shortage of meat in Wenhai village prompted us to follow the advice of the village Communist Party Secretary and purchase sheep from a nearby Yi village. The Yi walked several kilometres through the forest in their "Sunday best" and, in addition to bringing the mutton, they entertained with a lively display of song and dance that was enjoyed by the entire village. Within a few scant years this kind of spontaneous traditional activity was being exploited for the benefit of mass tourism. The old owner of this farm had recently lost his wife and wanted to join his eldest son in Lijiang City. The UNU team assisted the newly established village "development" committee to acquire the farm buildings as the first step in setting up a trekking route around the Jade Dragon massif. The plan to develop a form of appropriate tourism under village control was stillborn, in part because a major earthquake in February 1996 destroyed the buildings as well as causing widespread damage and loss of life throughout the Lijiang region. Joseph Rock, the strange self-taught botanist, anthropologist, and linguist, travelled, photographed, and studied the wider region of Yunnan and western Szechwan on behalf of National Geographic Society for a quarter century. This farm was used for several years as his base of operations. The Naxi man on the left, as a small boy, was taught English on Rock's knee. Rock left a goldmine of information of a region virtually unknown to Western civilization at that time, which included several thousand excellent photographs.
23  Yi dancing girls, neighbours of Wenhai on a party visit (October, 1993) 24  A Wenhai farmstead backed by the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains (November, 1995) 25  A Naxi farmhouse, Yuhu – headquarters of Dr. Joseph Rock, 1923-1949 (May, 1985)

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