BY TIMOTHY CHENG

The trail to the hidden village of YuBeng is a 6 hour hike towards the valley of Meli Snow Mountain. There’s no map nor tour guide, there’s only the verbal direction from local villagers: “Follow the Electric Pole”. As suspicious as it sounded, it led me to the village inside a visualization of Chinese ink painting that emphasizes the idea of breath. My jaw dropped in awe when the realization struck, not by the breathtaking scenery but by knowing the pole is the only thread connecting the village to the rest of the world.

要去“雨崩”这个隐秘山村，就要往梅里雪山山谷进行长达6小时的攀登。既没有地图，也没有向导，只有附近村民口口相传的行路指南：“跟着电线杆走就好”。 这句话听起来有点儿不靠谱，但它居然引领着我进入了犹如中国水墨画般的实景，让我领悟到呼吸吐纳的真谛。我的下巴惊讶地掉下来那一刻，不是因为看到了奇绝的风景，而是因为知道原来这一路的电线杆竟是连接这里和世界的唯一线索。