Slow Travel to the Northwest (5) (End)

With the journey eastward, we gradually moved away from human habitation and came to the vast plateau. Looking around, the farmland extends to both sides, and the mature rape is swaying in the Gao Yuanfeng with heavy flower seeds. The distant mountains were silhouetted in the sunset. It turns out that we have arrived at the famous rape flower base in Menyuan.

Menyuan is a Hui Autonomous County under Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, located at the eastern end of Qilian Mountain, bordering Gansu in the east and north, with an altitude of more than 2,000 meters to 5,000 meters. Menyuan is adjacent to Qilian Mountain in the north and Daban Mountain in the south. The central part is Menyuan Basin, with humid climate and abundant water. Historically, Qiang people, Xianbei people and Liangzhou people in different dynasties used it as a fertile pasture and gathering place.

Menyuan planting originated in Hongwunian of Ming Dynasty and has been the main agricultural producing area in western China for more than 600 years. The development of modern science and technology has added impetus to the agricultural production of Menyuan. Now, grain planting and animal husbandry are the main industries here, which has promoted the related upstream and downstream production and processing industries. 60,000 mu of rape blossoms have turned the gate source into a national commodity oil base, and rich and fertile agricultural pastures have pushed the gate source to Tibet highland barley seed production base, modern and efficient ecological animal husbandry demonstration base, cattle and sheep fattening trafficking base and key counties for bee product production in Qinghai Province and Haibei Prefecture.

June and July are the most beautiful seasons of rape blossoms in Menyuan every year, attracting a large number of tourists. The yellow sea flower sea, which winds for hundreds of miles, impacts people's vision against the blue sky. It is as beautiful as a fairyland and as spectacular as the Milky Way. If we had come two months earlier, we could have enjoyed this paradise-like beauty. However, it is a pity that we failed to catch up with the flower season and missed the beautiful season. What a pity!

Fortunately, although the flowers are immortal, the fruits are ripe. Large tracts of rape stems are swaying in the wind, densely covered with dark green pods, slender as willow leaves and sharp as blades. The fierce breath of the sword makes Mother Earth full of domineering. Looking at this heavy harvest scenery, we are all ecstatic when we grow up in a metropolis, and it is rare to appreciate the generous gift of nature with our own eyes. What a happy moment! If in ancient nomadic times, it is estimated that it is time for tribal members to thank the gods around the fire and celebrate the harvest.

Just as we admired the generosity of nature all the way, the driver, who had been silent and driving carefully, told us that this 10,000-mu fertile field had been cultivated by prisoners by hand since the 1950s. Aha! It turns out that this area is the former famous Qinghai reform-through-labour farm jurisdiction.

Sending Qinghai to serve his sentence is one of the highest punishments for criminals in the eyes of Shanghainese. Generally, they serve their sentences in Tilanqiao in the urban area or Qingpu in the suburbs, or in Dafeng Farm in Jiangsu Province. Only those who refuse to mend their ways, such as severe punishment with a reprieve, will be sent to Qinghai and finally to the Gobi Desert. If he can come back from Qinghai alive, it means that he has "come down the mountain", not only his thoughts have been transformed, but also he has been reborn. But for ordinary people, if they know that someone is reformed from Qinghai, they will still be afraid to stay away, no matter what the reason.

Looking at this vast land, the difficulty of artificial reclamation with one pick and one shovel is unimaginable. Guess there must be no modern mechanized equipment in the reform-through-labour farms in the fifties and sixties. Humans have changed the world with their own hands and their own strength. It seems that labor can not only transform people's world outlook and values, but also transform the face of the earth in essence. It is the snow on the plateau and the strength of human beings that makes this fertile soil a granary.

(19) Qilian grassland

Coming out of the gate source, we began to enter the Qilian prairie. The prairie is located in the basin between Qilian Mountain and Yanzhi Mountain, and it is adjacent to Hexi Corridor in the north. Fertile grasslands extend from Gansu to Ningxia. The prairie in summer is beautiful, and a thousand miles of green ocean ripples into the distance accompanied by snow-capped mountains. ......

In the distance is the continuous Qilian Xuefeng, with white snow against the blue sky and spotless purity; Nearby is a green prairie full of flowers, dotted with white cattle and sheep, full of poetry and painting. The grassland has become a thick oil painting!

Many years ago, I had a romantic dream. It seems that I came to the grassland alone to avoid love, but in the end, my persistent pursuer found me on the grassland. In my dream, I was very young, wearing colorful Tibetan robes and braids, holding a white horse, waiting for my long-lost lover on the green hillside at the foot of the snow-capped mountain. When the "dream lover" in that dream rode a fine horse and flew from a distance under the sun, I was standing on the grassland in the dream, surrounded by blue sky and white clouds, and in front of me was the snowy mountain grassland (unfortunately, I can't remember what the "dream lover" looked like, except that he was wearing an off-the-shoulder Tibetan robe and his dark skin was shining in the sun). This situation makes me question my past life and crossing ability. Maybe I really experienced a vigorous past life, maybe I really came here in a previous life, and I really had a vigorous love-hate relationship … ...

Qilian Grassland is one of the most beautiful grasslands in China. The blue sky, white clouds, green grass and snowy mountains are all beautiful, and the car shop is in the picture. However, its history is not as calm as the scenery. Because of the abundant aquatic plants, Huns, Uighurs and Mongols all regarded them as their rich pastures, and this fertile land became the object of fierce competition between nomadic and agricultural peoples. Primitive war once filled this place with swords and bloodshed.

Ignoring the killing between nomadic tribes on the grassland and the looting wars between small countries such as Wusunguo and Yueshi, the Huns started a great war on this grassland more than 2,000 years ago, which lasted for hundreds of years and went down in history. As a primitive nomadic grassland people, Huns have extraordinary superpower ambitions. In the hundreds of years before and after A.D., from a small bandit on the grassland that annexed nomadic tribes to a powerful empire that unified half of China territory, the Western Jin Dynasty disappeared under its iron hoof. When it extended its territory to Siberia, the Black Sea and Europe, only the name of "Xiongnu" would scare Europeans, and the Eastern Roman Empire was once its defeated country.

In this beautiful land, the first world war was the Xiongnu's expedition to the western regions. After Mao Dun Khan, the most powerful leader of Xiongnu, wiped out the state of Yue, which occupied fertile grassland, "Xiongnu broke the king of Yue and used his head as a drinking vessel", and small countries such as Loulan, Wusun and Hu Jie in Hexi Corridor also surrendered one after another. From then on, Qilian Mountain was named "Tianyue", and the grassland was also owned by Xiongnu, while Xiongnu Empire determined its position of dominating the northern and western parts of China, which also opened the gap between Xiongnu and Han Dynasty for nearly two thousand years.

World War II was a Hungarian-Chinese war that lasted for hundreds of years. After Mao Dun occupied the west, it posed a serious threat to the Central Plains Dynasty and the Silk Road. Xiongnu became a thorn in the throne of the Han dynasty, so "war and peace" became the main theme between Han and Hungary. During the Western Han Dynasty, the national strength of the Han Dynasty was strong and Mazhuang was strong, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent war generals to the Western Regions. Since 123 BC, the famous youth war generals Huo Qubing and Wei Qing have sent troops to the West for many times, which have hit the Huns hard, not only recovered the Qilian grassland, flattened Helan Mountain and destroyed the five Xiongnu countries, but also removed the totem of the Huns, regained the Hexi Corridor, opened up the Silk Road, and started the blending of Chinese and Western civilizations. The swan song "I lost my mountain and made my wife colorless", the most brave nation in human history, did not begin to decline until hundreds of years later.

The long river of history flows on the grassland like a thousand-year-old river. Today's grassland is peaceful and peaceful, the sadness of Zhaojun's departure has long since vanished, and the smoke of war with swords and swords has long since vanished in the years. Herdsmen live and work in peace and contentment, enjoying the gifts of snowy mountains and grasslands. Putting up fences or barbed wire on grasslands on both sides of the highway is a masterpiece of herders who contract grasslands. Cattle and sheep are scattered leisurely on the grass, bathed in the sunshine of nature.

(20) Baihua Valley

At the gate of Baihua Valley Park, a scenic spot built by herdsmen, we stopped to have a rest and decided to buy tickets to enter the park. It is called a park because although we are located in Qilian prairie, all grasslands except roads belong to and are protectively closed, and passing vehicles cannot enter at will. In order to increase tourism income, some herders will open up a grassland on their pasture for people to visit and play in summer tourism season, and at the same time build pavilions and simple toilets to provide convenient rest places for passers-by.

"Hundred Flowers Valley" grassland park has a nice name, but in fact, there is no valley here, but a large grass slope winds to the distant foothills. Imagine the beautiful scene of the grassland full of small flowers in early summer: the snow-capped mountains stand tall in the distance, the green grassland under the blue sky and white clouds is sprinkled into the distance like a colored carpet, and the endless land is colorful. How romantic and beautiful it will be. It's a pity that we came a little late and the flowers have withered, but what we are satisfied with is that we can really step on the Qilian grassland with our feet.

Because of the rush hour, there are very few people and cars to play. We waded along the grass slope to the depths of the grassland. The grass is thick and thick, with a height of 10-20 cm, which is essentially different from the grass we see in city parks. The broad leaves are swaying in the wind, glowing with green luster, rubbing against our furry ankles and calves, itching like a baby's fingers. Thick grass covered the earth. Insects infest the grass, and the surface under the grass is uneven. Depressed potholes and puddles make us stumble, and we may even step on animal droppings if we are not careful.

Walking carefully through a hillside, I suddenly saw a green lake, and a small plateau lake called "Haizi" by the locals came into view. The lake is clear and calm as a spotless mirror, and the reflection of blue sky and white clouds is the only scene in the lake, like a dream; There are some yaks and sheep scattered around the lake. They either stand or lie down, or bow their heads to drink water and eat grass, or look up in a daze, and their mouths are still painstakingly remembering the sweetness of grass. What a lazy life in heaven!

A brown yak mother strolled by the lake with her child, her curly hair hanging down on the grass like a lady. Baby yak heard the sound of our approach, so he slowly emerged from his mother's body and looked at us curiously with a pair of pure big eyes. I want to get closer and take a picture with my baby. Unexpectedly, as long as it is two or three meters away from the heifer, the yak mother will raise her head and stare at us warily, and begin to walk slowly towards us with threats, but as long as we stop and take a step back, it will stop. So after trying two or three rounds of advance and retreat, I quit under the consideration of everyone, no longer venturing to disturb their comfort, leaving room for mother and son to be alone, and also providing myself with an excuse to give up.

The grassland is very quiet, except for the occasional cattle and sheep crow, the only sound that can be heard is the whistle of the wind. Close your eyes and listen quietly to the whisper of the wind, which was a greeting two thousand years ago; Open your arms and feel the comfort of the wind warmly, which is the injection of vitality. "The vast grass crosses the plain and comes and goes with the four seasons", the endless Qilian prairie has endured thousands of years of loneliness, watched the creatures on the grassland, propagated life from generation to generation and passed on its own genes. Cattle or cattle, sheep or sheep, only human beings have evolved from bloodthirsty nomads into "civilized creatures" who can make money and spend money.

Back to the arbor near the entrance, we decided to try the attractive yogurt made by the herdsmen themselves. Natural yak milk is naturally fermented at natural temperature without any additives. Although it is put in a rough and crude enamel bowl, it is as white as snow, as mellow as soup and as delicate as fat. If you add a spoonful of sugar, it is sweet and sour, and the milk tastes full. After the rest, we bid farewell to the grassland and continued our journey back to Xining.

The driver told us that this grassland park is not big. On the other side of the grassland, there is also a famous tourist attraction-Shandan Army Racecourse, where you can whip your horse and experience different customs.

Shandan Military Racecourse is a place with a long history of two thousand years. This was once the birthplace of the legendary "Tianma". Established by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it has raised tens of thousands of fine horses for thousands of years, providing powerful mounts for cavalry in past dynasties. In modern times, with the development of modern wars and the disappearance of cavalry, military racecourses have already declined. At present, there are only a few horses left for sightseeing, and the scene of horses screaming and flags flying will never reappear. We didn't want to feel the sadness of the decline of the military horse farm at sunset, so we didn't include it in the plan, creating a reason for visiting it again in the future.

(XXI) cambra National Forest Park

Xining is close at hand, but there is still one destination in our travel plan that has not arrived. After a night's rest in a small town whose name has been forgotten, we set off early in the morning for cambra National Forest Park, which is my second visit, but I still can't remember its name.

Cambra National Forest Park is 0/30km away from Xining/KLOC-,bordering the Yellow River in the north and the famous Lijiaxia Hydropower Station. With an average elevation of 2500 meters, it has a unique Danxia landform and a variety of animal and plant landscapes, and many religious temples with a long history have formed "obvious, dense, monks and nuns" and become famous holy places of Tibetan Buddhism. Cambra Forest Park covers an area of 150 square kilometers. There is no doubt that one day's tour time is not enough anyway, so we can only take a quick look at the key points and go straight to Lijiaxia Hydropower Station.

As the name implies, a canyon is a hollow valley between mountains. Great designers use the natural canyon terrain between mountains to store the incoming water from the upper reaches of the Yellow River into a pool of water, and use the power of water to form hydropower in the process of releasing water. Lijiaxia Hydropower Station was built in the 1990s, with an annual power generation of 5.9 billion kilowatts per hour. It is the largest double-row hydropower station in the world. As a famous hydropower project in China, after decades of construction and operation, it has entered a period of stable production and investment. Because of the reservoir, the surrounding previously unknown canyons have also been integrated into the national 4A-level tourist attractions.

The most important thing in Qilian Mountain is the mountain. Our car bumped and circled all the way on Panshan Highway, dizzy for two hours, and finally reached our destination. Standing firmly on the ground, I found that this is a large flat land on the top of the mountain, surrounded by continuous mountains, and the most special thing about those mountains is that they are all equipped with high poles, and long black wires connect them together. There is no doubt that this is the trace of human conquest of nature. Overlooking from the railing, there is a beautiful and magical emerald lake-Lijiaxia Reservoir in the embrace of the mountains. With this great project as the background, we left a group photo and witnessed the theory that "man can conquer nature".

Following the trail, we began to descend along the wooden plank road. On the walking platform halfway up the mountain, we met a Tibetan with a tawny eagle (maybe an eagle) on his shoulder. Tibetans are very young, with metal ornaments hanging on their robes and holsters wrapped around their arms. Their bare skin is shiny and smooth, their brown cheeks are angular, their beautiful big eyes are full of male arrogance, and their whole bodies smell of wildness. And that bird, with shiny tawny hair and black dotted patterns, has closely gathered facial features, pointy Darkmouth with hooks, pointy gray claws, and the most terrible thing is eyes. The reddish-brown eyes are fierce and sharp, which makes people feel chilly. This is the first time I have observed a raptor within one meter. Such eyes are really worthy of the name. Vultures/eagles and Tibetans are attracting tourists to take pictures, a pair of wild stunners! I walked past them carefully, afraid to look at their wild eyes.

Walking down the steps to the foot of the mountain, I found myself walking into a crack in the mountain. The valley is about four or five kilometers long and tens of meters wide, and there are only two lanes in the narrow place. There are bare cliffs on both sides of the valley, and the ground is rugged gravel road, which is very difficult to walk.

I have been to a canyon near the Yellow River in Gansu Province, which used to be the natural shooting place for many martial arts films, and it is also the cliff gravel road. At that time, we crossed the canyon on a colorful donkey cart of a farmer. The donkey cart for half an hour was very fresh. We really experienced the feeling of a little daughter-in-law going back to her mother's house, but after getting off the bus, we found that the bones were rearranged and combined.

Today's valley is more rugged. It took us two hours to walk for forty or fifty minutes, which was really not easy. And I feel more tired and hard because I just consumed some physical strength down the mountain. Finally, we must encourage each other. In fact, in this primitive canyon dominated by rocks and gravel, I have almost nothing to miss except letting you feel the coldness of nature and my own smallness.

Because it is not the tourist season, there are few tourists in the canyon, and they are basically scattered individuals. I can't see the locals and staff, which makes me more and more scared. The canyon put us in danger. If it rains suddenly and the mountains are flooded, we will be lifeless.

Finally saw the end of the canyon. This is a vast pebble beach, with a huge reservoir outside and a simple pier in front. Seeing two local workers, I breathed a sigh of relief and at least returned to an orderly modern society. We will take a cruise to visit the reservoir here to complete the last stroke of this journey.

However, I still overestimated the management level here because there are few people in the off-season. In order to save costs, cruise ships need to come when there are many tourists waiting. So, as the first tourists in the morning, we had to wait patiently in the uncovered plateau sunshine. The simple trestle is wet and there is no possibility of sitting on the ground. Almost two hours later, we eagerly looked forward to a cruise ship, and the number of passengers only increased from the initial 20 to 30.

The reservoir is large, and the green water surface is quiet and clear, shining with waves under the sunlight; The reflection of blue sky and white clouds is looming in the water with the ship. The wind on the plateau is a little strong, and blowing my cheeks is very painful. The cliffs in the distance are connected, and there is no one on them. The bare stone wall is covered with scouring marks left by crustal movement. The boat glided quietly on the lake, and the discomfort and fatigue of waiting for two hours have vanished in the broad mind of the plateau lake. This is a great project with great reservoir designers and builders!

When the ship landed, there was still a severe test waiting for us-a few hundred meters of steps. I remember when I visited for the first time more than ten years ago, my friends and I climbed this scary steep slope with both hands and feet. Fortunately, the construction of the scenic spot has been updated, and a wooden plank road has been built around the steep steps. Although it is not so steep and dangerous, the road is much longer, the steps are much more and the breathing time is much longer. Panting, I ran to the exit and sat in my car. I felt so happy! At this point, we have completed all the plans for this westward journey.

(22) Conclusion

As the wheels began to roll towards Xining, the desire to go home began and became stronger and stronger. It was near dusk when we arrived in Xining. We had a rest and went to eat in the street. After eating in a local restaurant, we went to a large supermarket to buy some local products and make some contributions to the people in the west.

The supermarket is very big, comparable to that in Shanghai. After shopping around, what attracted us most was cooked meat, super large pieces of beef and beef tendon, or braised or baked in sauce, which made me drool, a person who is not good at meat food. The diversity of pasta brings freshness to southerners. This supermarket is really a good place to experience the real northwest customs.

I remember Mr. Cai Lan, a gourmet, once said that the best way to understand local characteristics is to go to markets and restaurants. Over the years, I have developed a small habit. If I stay in a different place for a few days, I like to visit farmers' markets and vegetable markets. If I can't find them, I'll find a fresh supermarket. From the food you eat, you can learn about the local customs and feel the local living standard. Unfortunately, there has been no time and opportunity to visit the farmer's market on this trip. However, when I "went home" in the saxophone in the supermarket, I left with big bags of meat and pasta, and this regret was slightly alleviated. Now, this long journey to the west has come to an end, although it is not perfect, some still leave some regrets.

Finally, we boarded a direct flight to Pudong, Shanghai. The travel content of more than ten days is very substantial, and the history, humanities and natural landscape make us dizzying. The history of the western regions is a history of the development of the Chinese nation, just like the long river under the snowy mountains. No matter how the external world changes, it flows there quietly, lasting for thousands of years and never changing. No matter how the world flies, history is always developing and continuing. Because we are all water molecules in the long history.

(23) Postscript

This is a long-awaited travel story. The first draft was coded intermittently between busy work a few years ago. Because the reset computer was lost. Fortunately, there are still drafts in the mailbox, and most of them are saved. I looked at the photo and recalled it this time, but it was delayed for a long time because of trivial matters. So, in order to give myself the pressure to finish as soon as possible, I published the article for the first time without completing all the revisions. Indeed, it's a little stressful and effective.

Thank my friends for their tolerance and patience in reading my procrastination. The purpose of writing is to share my thoughts at that moment. I hope my words are not boring!

There is no photo attached to the article, because I insist on the pure text version, hoping to meet my companions who still like words in today's world of light speed, although only a few. I believe that the principle of grouping people is eternal, and I firmly believe that human words will not disappear because of the expansion of the earth. I can still code words and work hard for the continuation of human words! ? (End)