Why is the Red Leaf Valley Scenic Area in Jiaohe City, Jilin Province called "Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley"?

This is a tourism cultural issue and a tourism economic issue.

Let us first look at the origin of the problem.

I once introduced in "Interesting Talk about Place Names: Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley, what is its historical features" that the Red Leaf Valley in Changbai Mountain, Jiaohe City, Jilin Province is located in the Lafa Mountain National Forest Park in Jiaohe City. A scenic spot, but since its opening to the outside world, it has won praise from people across the country. The People's Daily commented on it: "Wear your best clothes in late autumn, and thousands of trees will turn red." It is said that the Red Leaf Valley of Changbai Mountain in Jiaohe River is as red as coagulated blood. It is the most eye-catching color of Changbai Mountain in autumn. The red leaf forest and white birch forest stretching for more than 100 kilometers each have their own unique charm, decorating the colorful scenery. . . . Every year in the golden autumn, the maple trees are all over the fields, and thousands of branches are shining like the sunset, which is very spectacular."

In November 2010, "China National Geographic" magazine organized a national geography, plant, and... Eleven senior experts in meteorology, tourism, architecture, animals, art, photography, etc. formed an expert jury, which was nominated by the experts and designed based on 6 criteria including lush vegetation, bright autumn colors, rich autumn scenery, large scale, and shocking power. The numerous scenic spots across the country that participated in the selection were scored separately based on a certain score. "China National Geographic" magazine finally combined the number of nominations and scores of the expert jury to select the top 10 scenic spots in the country as the "Top Ten Autumn Colors in China". Hongye Valley in Changbai Mountain, Jiaohe City, Jilin Province was rated third with a total score of 90.75 points. As a result, Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley quickly emerged among the many red leaf scenic spots in China, and ranked among the "Top Flowers".

As the saying goes, people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong. If a person becomes famous, many people will pay attention to him. Any individual person's origin, life, experience, character, career, behavior, etc., will inevitably be "problems" with their own advantages and disadvantages, which will be "full spotlight" in society. Searched and mined by "human flesh" and exposed. The same is true for scenic spots. Once they become famous, many management problems that cannot meet the needs of tourists will be discovered, and in the Internet age, they will be instantly magnified and made public. The now famous "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley" has constantly exposed many problems with facilities and management of the scenic spot. Recently, another question about the name of the Red Leaf Valley has emerged on the Internet: Why is it called "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley" , instead of calling it "Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley", does it sound like being "near a famous mountain"?

Below, from the perspective of a writer and tourist, I will make a brief analysis of the above issues.

Name is the social and cultural symbol of every person, place and thing. Mr. Baidu said that place names are the proper names that people give to natural or human geographical entities in a specific spatial location.

We say that because people have names, they can effectively distinguish Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu... towns, villages, mountains, rivers, forests, grasslands, Gobi and other places within a certain range of life. Only the names given by people can distinguish and position them in the vast world.

Scenic spots are the names of regions and are also social and cultural symbols. It is precisely because of these accurate positioning names that tourists from all over the country and even the world can be effectively guided to arrive accurately and then visit.

China is so large and geographically vast that it ranks third in the world and its population ranks first. Therefore, China’s place names must be as numerous as the stars in the sky and difficult to distinguish, so they must be unique. Features, otherwise, it will be a mess. In addition, place names involve the cognition of various aspects of society such as transportation, politics, military, economy, and commerce, so their regional nature often requires that they be "big and not small" within a certain range.

For example, during the Anti-Japanese War, the residence and offices of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao were in Zaoyuan, Yangjialing, and Wangjiaping, but they were always referred to as northern Shaanxi and Yan'an to the outside world. If it is in Zaoyuan or Yangjialing, then just imagine how many Zaoyuan there are in the country? How many Yangjialings? Even if it were a large northern Shaanxi or Shaanxi province, how many Zaoyuan and Yangjialing would there be?

For another example, when people traveling abroad hear the accent, they will say: You are from the south, you are from the northeast. No one can pinpoint where exactly you are from. Because specific and detailed judgments are often inaccurate, and in addition, the popularity of small places is too low, so we can only talk about them briefly.

As for the name of the scenic spot, it requires a higher positioning. Its name must first have broad regional attributes, and then specific provincial, city, and county regional attributes.

For example, Jiaohe’s “Red Leaf Valley” is named after the Jilin Provincial Department of Tourism and the Jilin Municipal Government jointly hosted the Red Leaf Tourism Festival in Jiaohe City in 2002. As of September 2020, 19 festivals have been successfully held. The full name is "The 1st Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Tourism Festival in Jilin, Jiaohe, China". The "China·Jilin·Jiaohe" in the front is a restrictive word of "Speak big, not small", and then it is graded in order from big to small, marking the attributes of the region - the People's Republic of China and the National People's Congress , Jilin Province (including Jilin City), Jiaohe City. This directly explains the location of "Red Leaf Valley" on a large scale around the world, specifically "China, Jilin Province, and Jiaohe City" from large to small.

But it did not specify "Qingling Town" and "Songjiang Town" because the status and visibility at the township level are too low. As for why the geographical name of Hongye Valley is not specific to "Jiefang Village", "Chashuling Village", "Ailin Forest Farm", "Nantaizi Village", "Yanjiang Village", "Shansongling", etc., it is because small place names must not have historical and cultural characteristics. , otherwise it will not have any external influence. Therefore, these small place names can only be communicated and explained among people in specific local county-level or township-level areas.

Also, the "Jilin" in the "China·Jilin·Jiaohe" in the title of Hongye Valley is only used to indicate "Jilin Province" at the national level. Of course, it can also be understood as "Jilin Province, Jilin City", because Jilin is the only region in China with the same name as a province or city. Some people may say, why not promote it to the outside world as "Red Leaf Valley in Changbai Mountain, Jilin", so that it can be understood as both Jilin Province and Jilin City. This kills two birds with one stone, making it larger in scope and more famous than Jiaohe City. In fact, if you call it this way, it is high, but the trouble is not small. Because Jilin province and city have the same name, this will inevitably cause confusion among tourists: Where is this Red Leaf Valley in Jilin Province? Or somewhere in Jilin City?

When people who go out often introduce themselves, they usually give the name of the province or city, or at least the county level. If you are like Song Dandan in the sketch "A Lazy Man's Dating" and say "My name is Wei Shufen" and add "I live in Liushugou Village", then outsiders will be "confused". Because people from other provinces and cities have no idea where your "Liushugou Village" is, and if you say it, it means you didn't say it, but it makes people laugh at you.

For another example, people in Jilin City often encounter trouble when they declare their home address: I am from Jilin. When listeners are embarrassed to ask you whether you are from a city or a rural area in Jilin Province, they will often say: Oh, are you from Changchun? Changchun is good, there is "FAW" and "Changchun Film Products Factory". You have no choice but to correct me: I am not from Changchun, but from Jilin. The other party was still confused: I know you are from Jilin, aren't you from Changchun, the provincial capital? You have to explain in detail: I am from Jilin City. Even in order to highlight the sense of glory of my hometown Jilin City, it is necessary to emphasize that the name of Jilin Province comes from Jilin City. Jilin Province came into being after Jilin City. After liberation, Jilin City has always been the capital of Jilin Province. It was not until 1954 that the provincial capital was moved from Jilin City to Changchun... You see, how troublesome it is to report just one Jilin!

Therefore, the "Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley" in Jilin, China, must be implemented at the county level of "Jiaohe".

Some people question: Why is it called "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley"? Wouldn't it be more accurate to call it "Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley"? This is simply suspected of being "near a famous mountain"! Just like a person who likes to brag, don't talk about the big things - I am a member of the Communist Party of China and the country, provinces, cities, and villages...

In fact, people can't help themselves when they are in the world. Tourist attractions must be based on business and tourism.

The external publicity of tourist attractions and people is different. Because the influence of its name is not aimed at the small area in the hometown, but at other counties, cities, provinces, and even foreign countries. Therefore, the principle of publicizing the name of a tourist attraction to the outside world is to "speak of the big and not the small." Because among the vast number of scenic spot names across the country and even the world, if you mention a small place name, others will not know where or what place you are talking about.

The tourism economic benefits of a scenic spot are completely determined by the social benefits of the scenic spot, that is, the "reputation" of the scenic spot, and the reputation of the scenic spot comes from the "popularity". The popularity of the scenic spot depends internally on cultural natural resources and services, and externally on external publicity. One of the basic principles for external publicity is the accurate regional nature of the scenic spot name and its unique reputation.

For example, more than ten years ago, when I was writing a book promoting Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley, Wang Zhihou, currently the Secretary-General of the Jilin Provincial People's Government, was serving as the mayor of Jiaohe City. He very seriously proposed that the name of this book should be "Red Leaf Valley of Jiaohe River". Because among the famous Red Leaf Valley scenic spots in China are the Red Leaf Valley in Jinan, Shandong Province, and the Yingshan Red Leaf Valley in the Dabie Mountains of Hubei. Speaking of red leaf scenic spots alone, there are the historically famous "Xiangshan Red Leaves" in Beijing, "Yuelu Mountain Red Leaves" in Changsha, Hunan, "Kanas Red Leaves" in Xinjiang, "Romia Red Leaves" in Sichuan, "Jiuzhaigou Red Leaves", and "Qixia Mountain" in Jiangsu "Red Leaves", Jiangxi "Wuyuan Red Leaves" and so on. Therefore, if the book is not labeled "Jiaohe" but is only called "Red Leaf Valley", then after entering the book product counter, customers will take a glance at the title of the book, and it is easy for people to misunderstand in the "three-second visual effect". This book even became a wedding dress for others. Therefore, it is required that this book must have accurate regional positioning.

However, the regional attributes of scenic spots often cannot produce tourism benefits. Therefore, it must create "regional characteristics". For example, Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley is a large valley in the high mountains of Changbai Mountains. Its full name is "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley". Such a name not only accurately expresses the regional nature of Hongye Valley, but also accurately expresses the particularity and uniqueness of the region, that is, the natural and cultural characteristics of Changbai Mountain, to people outside Jilin Province.

If this Red Leaf Valley Scenic Area is only labeled as "Jiaohe", then tourists from other places will have to think a lot: What kind of place is Jiaohe? What are the regional characteristics? Is it related to Hongye Valley? Is there any flesh-and-blood relationship between the river natural culture of Jiaohe River and the natural culture of Hongye Valley mountainous area?

If it is called "Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley", then the natural characteristics of Changbai Mountain - "Changbai Mountain, red leaves, valley" will be revealed at once. In this way, Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaves Valley has become the carrier of "Changbai Mountain Red Leaves" in a broad sense and is a typical example of Changbai Mountain Red Leaves. In addition, there are also the following considerations for such a title:

First, Changbai Mountain can be divided into broad and narrow senses. Changbai Mountain in a broad sense refers to the Changbai Mountains. Although its main peak is in Jilin Province, its remaining branches run across Heilongjiang Province and Liaoning Province from east to west. It is geographically the "highest mountain system on the eastern edge of the Eurasian continent".

As for Jiaohe City, it is a pure mountainous area in Jilin Province and belongs to the Changbai Mountains. To be more specific, Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley is a natural valley in the Laoye Ridge Mountains in the Changbai Mountain System, so it is justly called "Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley" and does not seem to be "close to a famous mountain". As mentioned above, although you live in Liushugou Village, Songjiang Town, Jiaohe City, Jilin Province, is it not justifiable for you to be said to the outside world that you are from Jilin or Jiaohe? What's more, tourist attractions are the name for external publicity. If you say you are Liushugou Village, who will know? Who would be interested? If you live in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Qinghai, and you say you are from Jilin, people will immediately know where you live. But if you say "Liu Shugou", no one knows about it.

Second, in a narrow sense, Changbai Mountain only refers to the boundary mountain between China and North Korea located in the southeastern region of Jilin Province, and specifically refers to the historical Paekou Mountain or Baiyun Peak, the peak with Tianchi. In a narrow sense, Changbai Mountain is the birthplace of the Yalu River, Songhua River and Tumen River, and is known as the "source of the three rivers". The earliest written record of Changbai Mountain can be found in China's "Shan Hai Jing" more than 4,000 years ago, and is called "Buxian Mountain". That is to say, the snow on the top of the mountain does not melt all year round, and it is as white as salt, but it does not taste salty, so it got this name. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the mountain was called "Tutai Mountain"; in the Tang Dynasty, it was called "Taibai Mountain"; in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty began Call it "Changbai Mountain". Because the full name of the scenic spot Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley is "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaves Valley", no one will blindly plunge into Baektu Mountain, the source of three rivers.

Thirdly, the reason why Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley is promoted as "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley" is because the red leaves in Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley carry the natural customs and culture of the entire Changbai Mountain.

First, the red leaf tree species in Jiaohe Red Leaf Valley include almost all maple leaf tree species in the entire Changbai Mountains. Such as the Ningjinzi tree, Changbai Mountain tea tree, Changbai Mountain color tree, Changbai Mountain white cow tree, Changbai mountain pig gongzui tree and so on in the Changbai Mountains. They belong to the Aceraceae trees, and are also known as Ningjin maple, tea maple, false color maple, Yuanbao maple and so on. The original names of these maple leaves unique to Changbai Mountain contain the indigenous natural and cultural features of Changbai Mountain. Of course, there are also many unique tree species in Changbai Mountain that rush to join in the fun every October to turn green into various colors, such as oak trees, elm trees, birch trees, mountain grapes, jujube trees, Bawang trees, golden and silver honeysuckle, etc. With their unique regional attributes of Changbai Mountain and the unique qualities created by the geology, geography and climate of Changbai Mountain, and the various types of maple trees unique to Changbai Mountain, they dye the red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple colors of Hongye Valley.

Secondly, the timing of the red leaves of these red-leaf tree species in the Changbai Mountains is precise and specific, which is closely related to the unique climate conditions in the Changbai Mountains. Only when the minimum temperature drops to five or six degrees Celsius above zero, and there are cold dews and light frosts, do the chlorophyll in the leaves of these tree species begin to be replaced by anthocyanins, gradually turning red, or turning red overnight. However, it may also change from green to yellow, and then from yellow to brown, orange, pink, purple, or gray overnight. Or the autumn wind comes one night and colors fall all over the ground. This is the unique natural force of Changbai Mountain and the unique red leaf character of Changbai Mountain.

Thirdly, the red-leaf trees in Changbai Mountain mostly grow in valleys at lower altitudes, rather than growing on hills like in the south. This may be related to the longitude and latitude of getting along. Compared with the tree species on the mountain tops and beams, the red leaf hanging period in the Changbai Mountain Red Leaf Valley in Jiaohe City, Jilin Province is slightly longer than that in red leaf forests in other places. But here, from the beginning of red leaves to the fall of leaves, it will not take more than a month. This is also a natural feature of Changbai Mountain. If you are lucky enough, you will hear the people in Changbai Mountain singing about the characteristics of the Red Leaf Valley in Changbai Mountain:

"After the August Festival, you will be everywhere in Wuhua Mountain."

"Many The tree will be carmine-red for at most ten days. "

"The color will become brighter when the frost is heavy, and the leaves will be fresh all over the ground when the wind blows." Look at the fallen leaves."

To sum up, the scenery of the Red Leaf Valley in Jiaohe Changbai Mountains represents the style of the red leaf tree species in the Changbai Mountains, and also represents the unique natural force of the Changbai Mountains, hence the name "Jiaohe Changbai Mountain Red Leaves" valley".