The Wa Mountains are wet in June. A thin mist lingered in the mountains. I could hear the gurgling of springs amidst the trees. Thatched huts lay scattered between the green mass of forest and the rice terraces below. Was I dreaming?

I have to admit this: I loved Wengding the instant I set my eyes on it.

Wengding is a small village nestled in the Wa Mountains in the Cangyuan Va Autonomous County in southwestern Yunnan province, a sprawling area that lies west of the southern Lancang River and east of the Salween River in Myanmar. For a century, this region was regarded as an exotic land of a mysterious culture that practiced headhunting and other strange tribal customs.

After getting off the main road, a forest trail led me to a wooden gate enveloped in the embrace of a huge banyan tree. I had arrived at Wengding village. From my vantage point I could see the huts of the Wa people scattered on the gentle slope. Every household had its own courtyard, which served as a small garden for vegetables and other plants.