How beautiful is the Hulunbuir Prairie, the first of the four largest grasslands in the world?

The photos in this article were all taken by the author of "The Touch of Black and White" and are copyrighted. Any use without permission is strictly prohibited!

Chilechuan, at the foot of Yinshan Mountain. The sky is like a dome, covering the four fields. The sky is clear, the fields are vast, and the grass is blown by the wind, and cattle and sheep can be seen low.

——Northern Dynasties folk song "Cele Song"

When you mention the prairie, are you like me, the song "Cele Song" pops up in your mind.

"The sky is blue, the fields are vast, and the wind blows the grass and you can see the cattle and sheep." What a simple and unpretentious word, what a contagious sentence, bold and straightforward, majestic and open, just like the grassland people. character.

The exact location of the prairie described in "Celege" is still uncertain. Some say it is in the Shuozhou and Ningwu areas of Shanxi, and some say it is in the Dahei River Basin of Hohhot under the Yin Mountains in Inner Mongolia. Some people say that the Tumochuan Plain in Inner Mongolia... It doesn't matter where the Chilechuan is. What is important is that there is a prairie in the northeast of Inner Mongolia, which perfectly embodies the image of the folk song and even fills in the blank space of the folk song: not only is it vast It is vast, with light clouds and gentle wind, not only endless as far as the eye can see, but also green, with long grass and winding water...

What I am talking about is the Hulunbuir Prairie.

When we want to enjoy the grassland scenery, Inner Mongolia is the first choice for most people. Since ancient times, this narrow land has been a nomadic paradise with lush water and grass: Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once farmed and raised horses here. The Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jurchen and other ethnic minorities once hunted and multiplied here, and the Mongolian cavalry fought hard and established a majestic empire across Europe and Asia...

The gentle ups and downs of the The topography and the suitable altitude of more than 1,000 meters create an ideal home for grass plants. Therefore, Inner Mongolia’s vast land spanning 1.18 million square kilometers from east to west has given birth to many places such as Xilin Gol, Horqin, Ulanqab, Ordos, Ulagai, Alxa and so on. Grasslands, due to different topography and climate, some are accompanied by forests, and some are dependent on deserts. They come in various forms, the most famous of which is the Hulunbuir Prairie.

Hulunbuir Grassland is not only the most beautiful grassland in Inner Mongolia, but also ranks among the four largest grasslands in the world, and ranks first among them. I checked what the four major grasslands in the world are, and found that two of them are in Inner Mongolia (Xilingol Grassland and Hulunbuir Grassland), and the other two are the Nalati Grassland in Xinjiang and the Pampas Grassland in South America. So I feel that the above statement is inappropriate. It should be: because the Hulunbuir Grassland ranks first in Inner Mongolia, it ranks first in the world. This is like saying: Because a certain table tennis player is the best in China, he is number one in the world; because a certain NBA team is the champion of the United States, it is unmatched in the world.

So, how beautiful is the Hulunbuir Prairie, the most beautiful prairie in the world?

Hulunbuir Grassland is located in Hulunbuir City in the northeast of Inner Mongolia and west of the Greater Khingan Mountains. It is not a certain piece of grassland that can be seen at a glance, but the New Barhu Right Banner, New Barhu Left Banner, Chen Barhu Banner, and Ewenki The general name for the grasslands of Banner, Hailar District, Manzhouli City, southern Ergun City, and western Yakeshi City. It is a grassland group about 350 kilometers wide from east to west and 300 kilometers long from north to south. There are more than 3,000 crisscrossing grasslands here. There are rivers and more than 500 lakes dotted here and there. There are forests in the Greater Khingan Mountains in the east, meadows covering thousands of miles in the middle, and arid grasslands with little precipitation in the west. The landscape is rich and pleasant.

What is presented to you here is the grassland in the northern part of Hylar District.

On the morning of early autumn, it was raining moderately and the weather was gloomy. We set off from Hailar by car and headed north to the grassland area. Fortunately, the weather was good and the sky was clear as soon as we arrived at the grassland.

On the way, I encountered two sculptures standing on both sides of the road. The tour guide said that they were a man and a woman. The man was called "Bell" and the woman was called "Hulun".

(Hulun)

(Bell)

It turns out that "Hulun Buir" is the name of a pair of young people. Naturally, there is a romantic legend:

A long time ago, there was a young man and woman who fell in love in the Mongolian tribe. The girl was named Hulun, who was good at singing and dancing, and had outstanding talent and appearance; the boy was named Beier, who was extremely strong and good at riding and shooting. Their life was originally carefree, but later the demon Mangus robbed Hulun and sucked up the water in the grassland, causing the grassland to wither and turn yellow, and the cattle and sheep to die. In order to save the grassland and his lover, Bell took up the divine bow and sought revenge from Mangus. During the battle with the devil, the strong Hulun swallowed the green orb on Mangus' head and transformed into a human being in order not to be insulted by Mangus. In the mighty lake, Bell took the opportunity to kill Mangus, but he was deeply saddened by the sacrifice of his lover. He broke the divine bow, and the grassland suddenly collapsed, and Bell turned into a clear lake.

In this way, a pair of lovers turned into two big lakes, Hulun and Beir, and dedicated their fiery love to the grassland. The grassland also secretly split into a Wursun River, bringing two young hearts together. Connected together.

The grassland flourished again. In order to commemorate Hulun and Beir, people named this grassland "Hulunbeir Prairie".

The Urson River connecting Hulun Lake and Bell Lake belongs to the Ergun River system, the border river between China and Russia. It is a winding, nine-turn ileal river. Most of the rivers on the grassland They are all in the shape of a winding, nine-turn ileum. However, one "nine-turn ileum" has the reputation of "the best curved water in the world", making tourists who have admired it all "ileum turn hundreds of times" and "aftertaste". "Go around the beam", she is the Mozhgrad River.

The Mozhgrad River also belongs to the Ergun River system. It originates from the Chenbalhu Banner at the western foot of the Greater Khingan Mountains, flows from the northeast to the southwest, and finally merges into the Hailar Sea.

In 1961, writers such as Ye Shengtao, Lao She, Cao Yu, and Duanmu Hongliang were invited to travel to the Hulunbuir Prairie. When they saw the nine twists and turns of the Mozhgrad River, they all admired Duanmu Hong. Liang said: "I have walked through many rivers, but I have never waded through a river like this. I have seen a lot of water, but I have never seen water like this." Lao She even praised this "circuitous, clear-as-glass belt" as worthy of its name. "The best water in the world".

Indeed, not to mention those writers who are extremely sensitive to beauty, even ordinary people like me can't help but feel a little intoxicated: under the clear blue sky and on the meadow with the first color of autumn, seeing this An endless thin strip winds from the green and blue sky, and then meanders away into the endless distance. Sometimes it concaves into a W shape, sometimes it curves out of an S shape, and sometimes it coils into a M?bius strip. Like a meandering silver snake crawling on the yellow-green canvas, like a graceful snow ribbon inlaid on the emerald carpet, coupled with the small yurts and mottled cattle, sheep and horses dotted on the riverside, I can't help but think of Zhang Wei in a weird way. Fei, the book says that he is rough yet delicate, while the Hulunbuir Prairie is vast yet beautiful.

There is a scenic spot on the banks of the Mozhgrad River called "Mongolian Soul Nomadic Tribe of the World Grassland". It is one of the few cultural scenic spots on the prairie. Here you can learn about the historical stories of Genghis Khan and the customs and beliefs of the Mongolian nation. .

After entering the majestic gate, the first thing you see is the sculpture of Genghis Khan riding a horse. From the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 13th century, Genghis Khan used horses and troops here to compete with various tribes for supremacy, and finally occupied the Hulunbuir grassland. The hemisphere under the horse shows the former territory of the Mengdu Empire, showing the majestic appearance of a generation of geniuses. Genghis Khan once said: "Wherever my riding whip points, it will become a place for me to herd horses." When the brave Mongolian cavalry brought the war to Europe, Europeans who believed in Christianity thought that this was sent by God to punish them. whip. In front of the sculpture lies the legendary "Whip of God" - a 9.9-meter-long whip made of hand-ground Russian mahogany.

On both sides of the wooden road, there are sculptures of mythical animals of the grassland people and sculptures of the founding heroes of the Mongolian and Yuan Empire. For example, the copper vat below depicts the legendary story of Genghis Khan - "The God of War Descended from Heaven": Genghis Khan in 1162-5 Born on September 31st, he held the spear of the God of War when he was born, and was known as the "Wolf King of the Prairie".

The picture below is a sculpture of Borshu: Borshu participated in the war to unify the Mongolian tribes with Temujin (Genghis Khan), and repeatedly saved Temujin in danger. , good at fighting and knowing soldiers, and made great achievements. He was one of the top ten heroes of the Mongolian Empire. He was granted the title of Grand Master, King of Guangping, and his posthumous title was Zhongwu.

There is also the world's largest Aobao in the Tianxia Grassland Scenic Area - Tengger Aobao.

"Aobao" is Mongolian, meaning "stone," and is an important sacrifice carrier for the Mongolian people. Sacrifice to Aobao is the source of shamanism. The branches on the Aobao represent the forest gods in the hearts of the Mongolian people. Sacrifice to Aobao is divided into blood sacrifice, sprinkling sacrifice and fire sacrifice. Blood sacrifice is to slaughter cattle and sheep and offer them in front of Aobao. Sprinkling sacrifice is to sprinkle fresh milk, milk wine and other sacrifices in front of Aobao. Fire sacrifice is to light a pile of dry branches or cow, horse and sheep dung in front of Aobao. , the worshipers line up and circle the fire three times, chanting their surnames, and then throw the whole sheep into the fire. The brighter the fire, the better.

This Tengger Aobao was built in 2016. With a diameter of more than 50 meters, it is the largest Aobao in the world. "Tenggri" means Changshengtian in Mongolian. It is the god in the hearts of Mongolians and controls the growth of all things. The establishment of Tengger Aobao shows respect for Changshengtian and is grateful for the blessing of Changshengtian. It is said that among the materials of this Aobao are sacred stones from Mount Burhan. (Burhan Mountain: the holy mountain of Mongolia, the place where Genghis Khan’s dragon thrived. It is famous at home and abroad for saving Genghis Khan’s life three times. The secret history of Mongolia records that Temujin, who escaped the murder, came to Burhan Mountain alone. , perform nine kneels and nine obeisances to the Holy Mountain, and promise that their descendants will worship the Holy Mountain every year)

Another cultural landscape on the prairie is the Golden Horde Mongolian tribe, and the layout here is reproduced It contains Genghis Khan's account during his campaign. In 1202 AD, Temujin launched a crusade against the conservative forces of the Mongolian nobles. The location was in the Huitun Mountain area in the Mozhgrad Valley, so this battle was also called the "Huitun Battle". During the battle, Temujin He really feigned defeat to lure the enemy deep, and then used a rain of arrows to defeat the enemy and win the victory. This campaign consolidated his status as khan and conquered the eastern part of the Mongolian plateau. To celebrate, Temujin set up a golden tent in the beautiful and fertile Mozhgrad Valley. Today, many film and television works about Genghis Khan were shot here.

As mentioned above, the Hulunbuir Prairie was the cradle of many ancient northern ethnic minorities. During a long period of history, the prairie was not as peaceful as it is now. It is necessary to understand the "You Sing" of many ethnic groups. The best place to visit for the magnificent history of "Here Comes Our Debut" is the Hulunbuir Ethnographic Museum, so next, we will move to Hailar to explore the past of Hulunbuir.

(Sculpture in Genghis Khan Square, Hailar)

Hulunbuir is not only the name of the prairie, it is also a prefecture-level city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The political, economic and cultural center of Hulunbuir City is Hailar District, the Hulunbuir Ethnographic Museum we are going to is here.

Historian Jian Bozan once said: Hulunbuir grassland has always been the historical cradle of nomadic peoples. Most nomadic peoples who appeared in Chinese history - Xianbei, Khitan, Jurchens, Mongols They all grew up in this cradle.

In fact, this cradle also includes the primeval forests of the Daxinganling Mountains. ?During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Greater Khingan Mountains and Hulunbuir area were controlled by the Donghu people. In the early Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu defeated the Donghu, and the Donghu tribal alliance collapsed. Some Donghu people hid in the Greater Xianbei Mountains (i.e., the Daxinganling Mountains), so they were named "Xianbei". At this time, Hulunbuir was Controlled by the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu later moved westward. The Xianbei people walked out of the dense mountains and forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains and came to the Hulunbuir Grassland. Then they "guangzhai Central Plains" established the Northern Wei Dynasty and unified northern China. They were the first ethnic minority in Chinese history. regime.

(Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Tao, sent Li Chang and others to the stone room of Xianbei ancestral home to worship their ancestors)

In the long years to come, the remaining Xianbei people, Shiwei tribe, The Uighurs, Turks, Xijias, the Khitans of the Liao Dynasty, and the Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty successively rose up and ruled Hulunbuir. It was not until the 12th century that the Mongolian tribes quietly emerged in Hulunbuir. During the process of Genghis Khan's southern and northern campaigns to unify the Mongolian grasslands, he fought several major decisive battles in Hulunbuir, eliminated political opponents, and finally unified the Mongolian plateau. Since then, the Mongols, a nation with the same language, region and culture, were born on the northern grasslands.

(Genghis Khan’s golden-domed tent: the “Imperial Palace” of the Mongolian people)

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, Genghis Khan’s descendants retreated to the Mongolian grasslands, and the descendants of Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty were nomadic in the Hulunbuir grassland. , until the return of Houjin. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the Ewenki, Daur, Barhu Mongolian, Oroqen and other ethnic groups living here formed the Eight Banners to guard the border and defend against the invasion of Tsarist Russia.

In the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (1734), Hulunbuir City was built. The city was located in the area of ??Zhengyang Street in Hailar District today (the area where the museum is located). According to historical records, Hulunbuir City at that time was a commercial city. Trade prospered, and shops such as Longtaihao and Jinxinghao appeared, as well as Ruifuchang trading house, which mainly dealt in silk, satin and cloth.

Historically, most of the ethnic groups living here were forest hunters and grassland nomads. Unlike the farming ethnic groups, their lives relied more heavily on nature, thus forming a profound shamanic belief.

(Shaman ritual)

Shamanism is the belief in worshiping nature. It believes in the heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars, mountains, water, fire, wind, thunder, All things and phenomena such as rain and trees are worshiped. People believe that these natural existences express life, will, emotion and spirituality, so they worship and pray for them, hoping to eliminate disasters, reduce disasters and receive blessings. The sacrifice to Aobao introduced above is A type of shamanic ceremony, the famous Naadam event on the Mongolian grasslands evolved from the Aobao sacrifice.

(Horse racing ranking board at the Naadam Conference)

In addition to shamanic beliefs, Lamaism from Tibet has also had a profound impact on this area. Shamanism survived the struggle and developed rapidly.

(Lamaist instruments)

Different environments and different beliefs have created different lifestyles, culture and art. The following pictures reflect the life and cultural characteristics of the nomadic people: < /p>

(Nomadic life of living in pursuit of water and grass)

(Birch bark bag: birch bark is a commonly used material for tools)

(Pull up in nature Morin fiddle, enjoying leisure time with cattle and sheep)

(Musical instrument of ethnic minorities)

Not far from the Ethnographic Museum is Genghis Khan Square. I just learned about the rise of Mongolia from the literature. It is very good to take a look at the sculpture of Genghis Khan in the square.

In addition to Genghis Khan with a prancing horse and whip in the center of the square, there is also a group of sculptures on one side of the square called "Zheng". The sculptured figures are Genghis Khan, his second brother, the magic archer Hesar, Borhu, Muhuali, Borshu and Chi Laowen, known as the "Four Heroes", and Su, known as the "Four Mastiffs" Butai, Zhelmei, Zhebie, and Kublai, they repeatedly made military exploits in Genghis Khan's war to unify various Mongolian tribes, and were the most outstanding generals under Genghis Khan.

In modern times, with the invasion of imperialism, the Central Plains was traumatized and the grassland peoples were bullied. After the fall of Northeast China, the Hulunbuir area fell under the jurisdiction of the Japanese puppet Manchukuo regime. The World Anti-Fascist War Hailar The memorial garden is a testimony to that history.

The Memorial Park is located in the north of Hailar Railway Workers New Village. It is a 5A-level war theme park. It was originally the Japanese Hailar Fortress.

Hailar Fortress is one of the two largest fortresses among the 15 military fortifications set up by the Japanese Kwantung Army on China's northeastern border in order to attack the Soviet Union (the other is the Dongning Fortress in Heilongjiang Province).

On the grass near the parking lot outside the memorial park, there are many models of Soviet T-34 tanks and Soviet soldiers, showing the battle scenes when the Soviet Red Army conquered the Hailar Fortress.

The memorial garden also displays some weapons and vehicles of that era:

(Sanqi anti-aircraft gun)

(Bacteria vehicle)

The most important sight in the memorial park is the ruins of Hailar Fortress. Before entering the ruins, you will pass by a museum, which displays the construction process of Hailar Fortress, shows the tragic Battle of Nomenhan between the Soviet Union and Japan, and also records After the construction of the fortress was completed, the Japanese Kwantung Army committed a heinous crime of massacring Chinese laborers in order to keep it secret.

I usually rent a coat before entering the fortress ruins, because the temperature in the 20-meter-deep underground fortress is very low. It rained on the day I went, and it was already very gloomy outside. After entering the fortress, I felt even colder. . Although the fortress has a complete range of rooms and facilities such as a medical room, a cooking room, a toilet, an office, and a weapons depot, it still makes people feel unusually chilly and frightening, as if they have entered a horror game scene like Resident Evil.

Hailar Fortress was built in 1934 and completed in 1937. It was built by the Japanese Kwantung Army under the coercion of more than 100,000 Chinese workers. It includes Aobao Mountain, Beishan, Xishan, Dongshan and other positions. After its completion, the Kwantung Army The laborers were killed in military pits. Today, in a mass grave between Beishan and Aobao Mountains, thousands of white bones still lie.

On August 18, 1945, the Soviet Red Army broke through the Hailar Fortress, and the Japanese surrendered unconditionally...

In the picture above, you can see white in the distance of the tank group in the Memorial Park The pagoda and the red Buddhist temple are another attraction in Hailar - the Two Rivers Sacred Mountain.

The two rivers refer to the Hailar River and the Yimin River, the mother rivers of Hailar, and the holy mountain refers to the holy Aobao Mountain. This place is also known as "one pagoda and two temples". One pagoda is the Ciji Vajra Pagoda located in Aobao Mountain, and the two temples are Daljilin Temple and Wanfo Temple located on the mountainside.

Ciji Vajra Pagoda is a Tibetan-style white pagoda, consisting of a pagoda base, a pagoda body, a phase wheel and a top. The white pagoda is very conspicuous from a distance, and it is even more holy and majestic when you get closer.

Daljilin Temple is a Gelug sect temple of Tibetan Buddhism. "Daljilin" means "Prosperous Temple", which means the prosperity of Hulunbuir grassland.

(Standing on the Ciji Vajra Pagoda and overlooking Daljilin Temple)

(Tianwang Hall of Daljilin Temple)

Wanfo Temple is a Han-style temple. Built in the Qing Dynasty. There is a strong Buddhist atmosphere here, and you can hear chanting and Buddhist bells from time to time, and your soul can be purified in the green grass and blue sky.

This is the end of Hailar as the city center. The next stop is Zhalainuoer, which is the hometown of mammoths. The Hulun Lake mentioned above is also located here. Come with me to see it Bar.

If you have never been to Hulunbuir, the name "Zhalainuoer" may be unfamiliar to you, but you may have heard of "Manzhouli" because it has distinctive national and era characteristics.

In fact, Zhalainuoer, which is now under the jurisdiction of Manzhouli, is older than Manzhouli and more famous in history: "Zhalainuoer" is Mongolian, and translated into Chinese it means "sea-like lake" ", that is, Hulun Lake, that is to say, the name of this grassland is derived from it, and in the Paleolithic Age ten thousand years ago, the primitive people living in what is now Manzhouli were called "Zhalainuoer people". At the same time Also present here (or earlier) was the giant mammoth of the Ice Age, the mammoth, which formed the "Zhalainor culture". It is said that some of the Zalainor people crossed the land bridge of the Bering Strait and entered the Americas, creating the Indian culture. culture!

Now that you have come to Zalainuoer, let’s go and see “Zalainuoer” (Hulun Lake) first.

Hulun Lake is located about 20 kilometers south of Zhalainuoer, sandwiched between New Barhu Right Banner, New Barhu Left Banner and Zhalainuoer District. The circumference of the lake is 447 kilometers. It is the largest lake in Inner Mongolia. The largest lake in China is also the fourth largest freshwater lake in China. No wonder the Mongolians call it "a lake like the sea."

Hulun Lake, located in the hinterland of the Hulunbuir Prairie, is called the "kidney of the grassland" because it plays a very important role in maintaining grassland biodiversity and rich animal and plant resources.

Hulun Lake is also known as the "Pearl of the Grassland", which may be related to the "Hulun Buir" legend mentioned above: In order to please the Demon King Mangus, the robbed Hulun pretended to beg the Demon King Mangus. The pearl on her head, Hulun knew that a pearl was a puddle of clear water. In order to nourish the grassland that had been sucked dry by the devil, she swallowed the pearl and turned it into Hulun Lake.

(There is a sculpture of Hulun holding beads in the scenic area)

Many people come to Hulun Lake in admiration and may have high expectations, but to be honest, Hulun Lake The scenery is not that stunning. The sea of ??grass is connected to the lake. The clouds make the lake light a little dim. There are not many eye-catching buildings on the shore. I just feel like I am slipping around an ordinary lake. Only the island in the middle of the lake holding a rainbow umbrella makes people feel some unique artistic conception.

(Island in the middle of the lake)

Maybe the scenic spot felt lackluster, so they decorated a few groups of sculptures by the lake to compensate. Although I saw the "take-off", my mood did not take off.

Maybe it didn’t look good because the angle was wrong or the weather was wrong. When the weather was fine the next day, I saw the bright and colorful Zhalainuoer in Mammoth Park.

As mentioned above, Zhalainuoer is the hometown of mammoths, so a Mammoth Park was built in Zhalainuoer New District, which contains "the largest group of mammoth sculptures" rated by Guinness in the world. The 87 mammoth sculptures of different shapes are very spectacular.

Some are small mammoths playing:

Some are mammoth herds migrating:

Some are huge and should be mammoth leaders:

Some are about the same size and should be childhood sweethearts:

In addition to the mammoths, the buildings in the park are also very beautiful, such as the observation tower and the Children's Science and Technology Museum on the right side of the picture below.

The observation tower is a European Gothic castle: