A new world opens to Derung tribes

BEIJING, Jan. 10 -- In the mountains of Southwest China's Yunnan Province lives one of China's least known and smallest ethnic groups, the Derung people. They have a population of around 5,000 and are named after the fast-moving river called Derung which gushes from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the valley where they live.

Enclosed by several mountains, the Derung villages are inaccessible for more than half a year due to heavy snow.

The Derung have their own traditions passed on orally and through practice, as they don't have a written language. But the most distinct feature of the people is quickly fading -- girls don't tattoo their faces any more.

The custom was practised when a girl turned 12- or 13-years-old.