800 years ago the Yao Hilltribe lived in the mountains near Shanghai but, as the Chinese dynastys needed more territory the Yao have been gradually pushed westward to Laos and the remote hill regions of Thailand. Each time they felt crowded, the Yao people packed up their homes, their customs and their gods and moved to ever more isolated areas. So while the Taoist religion in the rest of China was influenced by outside forces, the Yao people managed to keep their 12th century Taoism relatively intact. Central to the Yao religion are sets of ceremonial paintings that are considered to be the actual abode of the Immortal or Guardian figure that is represented. A complete set of 28 paintings contains the entire Yao pantheon and is essential for presiding over all rituals. The paintings are stone or vegetable colors on mulberry or bambo paper and consecrated before the gods are invited into their new home.