Deep in the hills of south China's Sandu County live the Shui people, an ethnic minority whose name literally means 'water.' Before the advent of modern roads, the Duliu River served as their main, if not only transportation route. But despite their relative isolation, the Shui people boast possibly one of the earliest forms of Chinese writing, and the longest festival in the country – the 49-day 'Duan Festival.'

(Aerial footage from Travelogue's Pearl River Series: Mouth to Source.)