Zhuipa, the most acclaimed diviner in Pazhen Village, also showed great interest in our seashells.He took a close look at each seashell and then pointed at one of them, saying to Api: "This one has eyes and it can see. I'm sure it will be useful for rituals. Please look after it carefully."

Diviners like Zhuipa, who are called "Beimo" by the locals, are regarded as messengers who can transmit information between the spirit and human worlds.The Aini people traditionally divine fortunes by using seashells. If the seashell can be balanced on an egg, it means good fortune. If it falls off, it means disaster is coming.

During our stay in the village, we were lucky enough to take part in a divination ritual held by Zhuipa.

At the centre of the room was a bamboo table where a bowl of rice, a piece of ginger and a clump of salt were placed. They represented the Hans, the Dais and the Ainis respectively. There was an egg inside the bowl of rice.

There were also bowls of tea, water, wine and cooked rice on the table.

After sitting down at the table, Zhuipa spilled wine on its surface, dripped tea in the cooked rice and then asked each of us to place a one yuan note on the table.

He propped up the egg in the rice and began to murmur incantations we could not understand. Then he took a seashell in one hand and moved it slowly onto the egg, trying to make it stand erect.

The room fell silent. We all held our breath and stared at Zhuipa's hand. Unfortunately, the seashell dropped from the egg time and again. The diviner became increasingly worried. He took another seashell and decided to try again.

He did not fail us this time - the seashell finally stood erect on the egg.

But the ritual was not over yet. The egg was then boiled with the rice. As Zhuipa peeled the boiled egg, he told us that one of us would fall sick but we would have a fruitful and safe trip.