Feeling the burn

A recent satellite event in Zhejiang of the world-famous Burning Man festival inspires Camilla Tenn to consider attending its US incarnation.

This past May Day holiday, I found myself hurtling through the undergrowth in bamboo-blanketed Anji county, Zhejiang province, triple-checking my seat belt as our bus sped along increasingly narrower dirt roads.

A group of Beijing-based friends and I were making our way to a satellite Burning Man event called Dragon Burn, deep in the heart of the forest. In the distance we could see the shimmer of the sunset reflecting off a vast reservoir, and knew we were close.

Colleagues had warned me that poisonous snakes inhabit the wilderness there, and someone in the dedicated WeChat group had created a panic about leeches. I was not feeling too confident in the strength of my mosquito repellant to protect me from such foes.

Once we had arrived, however, I felt in safe hands. The local police were on hand to register us foreigners－meaning no need to rush off to the local station once we'd set up our tents－and veteran "burners" were handing out maps directing us further into the wilderness.