Bamei Village in Guangnan County,Wenshan

About Bamei Village

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.

Also view the Bamei Village Photos in Guangnan County.

Located at the border of Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangnan is a typical karst area. The Bamei Village is located on the common boundary of Ake Village and Bada Village in the north of the Guangnan County. It belongs to the Karst topography. The Village is surrounded by green mountains, and through the Village runs all the year round a clear river which is called Tuoniang River. The most interesting thing about the village is that people have to go through a deep and sombrous water cave by boat whenever they want go in and out.

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. uddenly 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.