The cool subtropical breeze brings relief in the sultry evening. The sun seems
to be sinking into the mountain range in Myanmar. And as the stars begin to
twinkle faintly in the darkening sky, bells toll from the church in the upper
reaches of the village, in tune with the melodious hymns.
I have heard various hymns sung by different ethnic groups when I trekked
along the border of Southwest China. In these remote areas, I could understand
their profound meaning and feeling by watching the singers’ eyes instead of
listening to the words. I preserved a cassette tape for 10 years, which recorded
the sound of fierce surging waves in the monsoon. The thunder drowned out
everything in the valley of the Dulongjiang River at the foot of Dandanlika
Mountain. Nobody can understand the tape’s sound but I can distinguish a four-part
music note among the rolling waves.
To visit the small church, I wobbled forward on a suspension bridge rocking
wildly over the thundering river. The hymn singers were local people of the
Derung ethnic group who were dressed simply, but neatly. It took them a whole
day of walking to get to church every weekend.
Here is a village of Lahu ethnic group in Lancang Region of Southwest China’s
Yunnan Province where the people were preparing for the 2003 Christmas Day.
