To get to the village to cast her vote, Li had a walk of 50 kilometers or a two-day mule-ride deep into Badain Jaran Shamo, the world's fourth largest desert.

Badain Jaran is home to 102 people, the families of 38 herdsmen who are scattered throughout a 3,000-square-kilometer desert. The people gathered there late September to elect their deputies to Yabrai Town's Seventh People's Congress, a local legislature in Alxa Right Banner of northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Over half of the voters had spent two days walking through the desert like Li before arriving at the site for village gathering. 　　

"You don't meet a single person on the way and hear only the howl of the wolf when you sleep in the desert at night, " Li said.

"My problem was not the wolves because I had firecrackers in my pockets to scare them away," explained the 1.6-meter tall and 80-kilogram herdswoman. "My problem was getting on my mule. It's hard for me to do that and I had to struggle several times."

The meeting place is beside a little salt lake called Miaohaizi, where three village families are living. The only buildings are five rows of bungalows and a lamasery with the history of over 100years.

The election was held in one of the bungalows, with silk banners and certificates of merit saying "the model unit of ethnic unity" and "the model unit of public security", hanging on the walls.

Though the election was just in a remote ethnic minority area, it followed the same legal procedures as an election at higher levels.

The election notice was in both Mongolian and Han languages and candidates were required to deliver their speeches in both languages, which is in accordance with the Laws on Regional Autonomy of China's Ethnic Minority Groups.

Voters were checked as the election began, and none of the households missed the election day as the notice had been sent out six months earlier.

"I chalked the election date on my door in case I missed it," said Aldanqiqig who was sitting in a corner of the venue.

After the formalities were over the voters present recommended four candidates for three deputies and the people to oversee the election, those to count the ballots and those to call the ballots were chosen.

Ballots were then distributed to voters present and to the agents of those unable to come. In all, 89 people were eligible to vote, 45 out of whom were present.

"Imagine, I traveled two days by mule just to choose capable representatives, " said Li Meiying, who was illiterate.

"I know which box stands for whom, I have asked the educated and figured it out," Li added.

The village was entitled to having three deputies. As there were four candidates, one of them was doomed to be out.

The results of the election were announced soon, showing that village head Aoqir was defeated by the other three candidates.

"I feel a bit frustrated. It seems that I must do more things for the herdsman in the future," said Aoqir.

Among the elected, 48-year-old Jihuleng is the only one without a government position.

"Jihuleng is well educated. He often speaks out for us and cares about the public affairs of the village," said one voter called Haswulichi.

(Xinhua New Agency October 20, 2002)