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Li’s
village was situated approximately 2000 meters above sea level and was
the furthest southern township in the Hunan province. Since the hunting
of tigers was declared illegal the villagers had reverted back to their
agricultural way of life. Logging had also been drastically slowed and
small hydroelectric plants were being built, which would relieve the
pressure on the forests for fuel offering a more economical and
environmentally friendly power. Li's immediate family no longer lived in the
province they had moved to Hong
Kong long ago to enjoy a wealthier capitalist life style. Many of the
villagers remembered him though and welcomed him and his associates
with open arms.
They
were invited to stay at the home of one of Li’s distant cousins Lee
Chong and his wife who lived on the edge of the forest. After settling
in they were treated to a traditional evening meal. Lee
Chong was a large man who spoke very few words; he had a rough leather
like complexion and a large scar down the left side of his face. His
wife was very humble and quiet, but welcomed them into her home and
waited on their every need, which made Beth feel uncomfortable.
They
sat up late into the evening talking and sharing stories,
suddenly the atmosphere changed when Beth asked Lee Chong—through Yu the interpreter,
“Have
you seen any tigers recently?”
His
facial expression suddenly changed from one of disinterest to anger.
“There
are no more tigers,” he growled, “You are wasting your time
traveling all this way…maybe you should have gone further north in
search of the panda…or maybe you should tell the zoos to release our
tigers back into the wild.” The
room fell silent as he stormed out followed by his wife.
Beth
looked at Li who shrugged his shoulders, shook his head slowly and
said,
“Don’t worry, people are very sensitive in these parts, they
don’t like the idea of the outside world coming in and trying to
change their way of life as the missionaries had done. He’ll calm down
in the morning.”
As
the evening wore on Li told them the story of an old retired hunter
called Huan Loh who was believed to be one hundred and twenty years old.
“Local legend claims that he still lives somewhere deep in the
forest
and is known as Jian hu ren (the guardian) after reverting back to the
traditional forest way of life that had been practiced for thousands of
years by his ancestors. It is said that he turned his back on hunting after being visited by one of
his ancient ancestors who had returned as a great blue tiger and warned
him to throw down his weapon and become the guardian of the tiger and
its habitat.”
Yu
Quan had also heard of the legend and told how the ancient peoples
believed that a giant blue tiger roamed the mountains warding off evil
spirits, and how tigers were believed to have the power to turn into men
and help their ancestors in times of need.
Beth
was enthralled by these tales and couldn’t wait to get out into the
forest the next day.
The
thick morning mist shrouded the valley below making the air feel cold
and damp. The trees echoed with a multitude of bird song while the
wilderness greeted the dawn with the clash of musk deer antlers, the
screech of wild pigs and the far off roar of a tiger, or was Beth's imagination running away with her?
She let the cold water from the tiny
mountain stream run down her face and she immediately felt refreshed as
a cool breeze wafted up the mountainside almost freezing her cheeks and
lips. She hadn’t slept much the night before due to the excitement of
what lay ahead. She had awoken just before dawn and decided to go for a walk.
Li
and Yu were also awake and having breakfast when she returned to the
house. Mrs. Lee busied herself in the kitchen while her husband chopped
wood outside. Although Beth wasn’t hungry she had breakfast anyway
and graciously accepted the packed lunch that Mrs. Lee had prepared for
them. Lee Chong didn’t enter the house or even wish them well as they
left; instead he stayed out the back tending to his chickens.
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