A small town shrouded in mist deep in the Qinling Mountains. There is a train station in the town. People from both counties take the train here.

Deep in the Daqinling Mountains, which are covered in clouds and fog, there are too many unknown small places. They may be small towns, or villages, hidden in the ditches and forks. Look There seems to be nothing special, but as you get closer, each one has its own scenery and story.

Xiaohe Town is such a place.

In the Qinling Mountains, there is a relatively famous river called the Ganyou River. It flows from the Qinling Watershed near Guanghuo Street to Xunhe River, a tributary of the Han River. Xiaohe Town is located on the lower reaches of the Ganyou River, from Shangluo Zhen'an County can be reached 55 kilometers straight down the Qianyou River. Traveling 61 kilometers south along the river from Xiaohe Town, you will reach the urban area of ??Xunyang City (county-level city) in Ankang City.

Although it is closer to Zhenan County than Xunyang City, Xiaohe is administratively subordinate to Ankang Xunyang because it is located at the junction of Xunyang and Zhenan and guards the North-South Avenue. Therefore, It is also known as the "North Gate" of Xunyang.

Xiaohe Town is different from other towns. There is a train station in the town. The first time I came to Xiaohe Town, I took a train along the Xikang Railway.

At that time, I originally wanted to go to Xunyang. When I was checking train information, I accidentally saw that there was a station called "Xiaohe Town" in front of Xunyang. Come to think of it, there are very few towns that can be reached by train. See you, why not go take a look. So we arrived at the creek.

The railway station in Xiaohe Town is outside the town, almost 1 kilometer away from the town center. It is a fourth-class small station on the Xikang Railway. It was built in 1999 and put into operation in early 2000.

Although it is only a small station, what is surprising is that many trains on the Xikang Line stop at the county seat of Zhashui County, but they stop in this town, and they stop for 3 times every time. minutes, which is 1 minute longer than the previous stop of Zhenan County.

This may be because there are more passengers getting off the train in Xiaohe Town. When I came to Xiaohe, I originally thought that at a train station in a town, there would be only a few passengers getting off the train, but I didn’t expect that when I got off the train, there would be a huge crowd of people.

As soon as you exit the station, it is even more lively. Outside the station is National Highway 211 (formerly Provincial Highway 102). The exit is surrounded by motorcycles and vans carrying passengers, and the drivers are enthusiastically pulling passengers.

Motorcycles are usually used to solicit customers to go to town, and the trip costs 5 yuan. The destinations of the vans vary. Some go to Xunyang, some go to Zhaowan, some go to Renhe and Shuiquanping, and some go to Tongmu and Gongguan...mostly towns within 20 to 30 kilometers around Xiaohe Town. , it seems that this is a small transportation center in the Qinling Mountains. Villagers at the junction of Xun Town and two (cities) and counties must come here whether they go to Ankang City, the provincial capital Xi'an, or further provinces. Take the train to Xiaohe Town.

I rode a motorcycle to the town. The motorcycle turned a corner along the bend of the Ganyou River. When it reached the top of a hill, it left the main road and followed a narrower road that sloped upward. At the end of the slope, it reached the street entrance of the town. Then it was all downhill.

Before I went shopping, I turned around and looked at the road from the train station. I was attracted by the canyon at my feet. The Ganyou River turned into two bays here, forming a meander. The town at my feet was like this. Built on the hillside of the river bend.

After seeing the canyon, we then walked around the town, slowly going down the street and arriving at the other side of the hillside. A bustling street scene unfolded in front of us. Maybe because of the rain, there weren't many people on the street, but the rows of shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. on the roadside all showed that this was a place with very active consumption.

Soon we arrived at a fork in the road. In addition to the straight street, there was a road that led diagonally down the slope. Following this road down, we got into the "belly" of the town, still... It is an endless street, passing by the health center, the town government, the junior high school, and then coming to a three-way intersection, where there are actually the "Land and Resources" and "Taxation" units.

One of the forks in the three-way intersection leads to a bridge. Under the bridge is the green Qianyou River. On the opposite side is a hilltop. Not far downstream is a river mouth. Here, Qianyou River Youhe River merges into a tributary, Gongguan River.

Walk along the Gongguan River into the mountains. The map shows that there is a road called "Shu Xiaolu" along the river, which can lead to the Shuhe Ancient Town on the Han River.

After crossing the bridge, I looked back at the Xiaohe Town I just passed through. It was built on the slope of the mountain on both sides. The buildings were stacked on top of each other until halfway up the mountain. Above that, there was a cloud filled with smoke. of mountains.

This small town in the mountains may be just a tiny bit in the eyes of people who are used to living in big cities, but in the Qinling Mountains where "one mountain is not there and one mountain is welcoming", it is already a small town. It is a rare prosperous place. It is not only the political, economic and cultural center of Xiaohe Town, which covers an area of ??160 square kilometers and has a population of more than 20,000, but is also the economic and trade center of many surrounding towns such as Gongguan, Tongmu, Renhekou and so on. , agricultural and sideline products and personnel transportation distribution center.

It is said that Xiaohe Town has been prosperous for a long time, which is determined by its geographical location. The first line of Qianyou River is the ancient Xi (Xi'an) Kang (Ankang) Avenue. It has both post roads and navigable roads, and is convenient for both water and land. The small river serves as the main channel to Xi'an from Shiyan, Ankang, Baihe, Xunyang and other places. It is an important post station where people have gathered and business travel has flourished since ancient times.

This area is also rich in products. In addition to flue-cured tobacco, turmeric, sericulture, Chinese medicinal materials, etc., it is also located in the Qinling mining area, which is rich in mercury, antimony, gold, and iron ores. It has a mining history of thousands of years. There are even Mercury mine sites from the Qin and Han Dynasties. Some experts had previously believed that some of the mercury in Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s underground palace might have been collected here.

Nanyang Mountain on the east side of Xiaohe Town is one of the branches of the Qinling Mountains. There is a large meadow of 100,000 acres on the main peak. It is an undeveloped natural landscape wonder. It is said that Zhang Liang, the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty, lived in seclusion. land.

This place also hides too many magics that are endless to explore.

Strategy:

1. By train: You can take a train from Xi'an to Xiaohe Town. There are currently three trains departing from Xi'an Station, two in the morning and one in the afternoon. The journey takes about 2 Half an hour, the fare is 28.5 yuan. There are three departures from Xi'an South Railway Station (Yinzhen), the journey takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes, and the fare is 21.5 yuan.

2. Self-driving: Directly connected to Baomao Expressway, the distance is about 160 kilometers, the journey takes about 2 and a half hours, and the toll is about 90 yuan.

3. Food and accommodation: There are many choices of food and accommodation in the town, and the food is a blend of north and south. There are not only Shaanxi-style Ankang steamed noodles, stir-fried vegetables, etc., but also hand-rolled noodles, meat buns, etc. In terms of accommodation, there are farmhouses and hotels. Hostels cost about 50 yuan/night and hotels cost 100-120 yuan.

4. Travel around: You can climb Nanyang Mountain, but you need to find a local guide. You can also take a van to travel to Shuiquanping Village in Renhekou Town.