Two martial stone tigers with swords in their mouths guard the entrance to the village which is reached by walking along a flagstone path under a thick canopy of foliage.

The tigers represent the legendary local deity for the Sani people but around the National Square are many other totems.

And, in a stretch of flatland in nearby hills, are more vivid totems of the Tiger God with the supreme Sun God, the Cattle God and the Land God. They stand near the village to bless and protect the Sani people.

The Sani people today still cherish a deep affection for their ancestors who, about 400 years ago, fled from Shilin County of Guangxi Province.

Their wanderings ceased when they reached the beautiful mountain home where their descendants live today. The rich surrounding countryside, mountain streams and an abundance of fish and shrimps in a lovely lake provided later generations with everything needed to live well.

Ancient, towering trees and bamboo forests abound in the mountains around the village. The trees, from time immemorial have been the objects of worship for the Sani people.

While the luxuriant hamadryad (dragon tree) is feted by all the villagers, each family also venerates a grove of its own trees.

Young people today still go to their own trees in the mountains and each youngster will worship a tree and protect it all his life.

Every spring, the villagers conduct services to worship their "Druas" with songs and passionate dancing.

The village has a population of no more than 800 persons and stands at the foot of Xianren Dong mountain next to the lake covered in wild water lilies.

The Sani men of the present generation have begun to wear garments of the Han nationality. But the women in the village seem to prefer their national dress. The Sani women are proficient at weaving and embroidery and continue to make their own clothes in the traditional style.

The village houses are made of wood with yellow-painted walls and roofs of red tiles.

Each home has a small attic named the "greenhouse", built above it. It is a custom of the Sani people for girls of marriageable age to live in the "greenhouse" as a sign that they have the right to fall in love.

In the evening, Sani girls, carefully garbed in traditional dress, climb into the "greenhouses" to await the arrival of their chosen young man.

The suitors sing love songs to try to get the girls to unlock their doors. The couples may then continue their romances outdoors beside fern leaf hedge bamboos in the moonlight.

Smearing the face black is another way the Sani have to express love. In the annual Flowery Face Festival, Sani boys and girls smear each other's faces with a mixture of lard and soot - the blacker, the happier.

(Shanghai Star January 24, 2003)