Memories of Travel to the Northwest (2) - Traveling through the Qilian Mountains

Memories of Travel in the Northwest (2) - Crossing the Qilian Mountains

The Qilian Mountains, a famous mountain range in the northwest, has always been on the map and in my mind. I never thought that this time we would have to cross the Qilian Mountains.

Starting from Haidong, we passed through Xining and headed towards the Qilian Mountains. As soon as we entered the mountainous area, we found that the mountain scenery along the way was still very beautiful. Nearby were lush green trees that were not too tall. In the distance, there were green shrubs and light grass. Even further away, there was a background of green-brown mountains with sparse plants.

Soon, we entered an open canyon with rivers, reservoirs, grassy beaches and green mountains, which continued to extend, giving people a feeling of abundant water and grass. It seemed that the geographical conditions here were good, but there were no crops. .

As we continue to move forward, the river valley becomes wider and wider, and the mountains become more and more continuous. Looking up and looking around, we saw green grass everywhere, a prairie scene, and sheep appeared in our field of vision from time to time. Our nerves were stimulated and excited. The team leader said that outside the window was the Qilian Mountain grassland, and we were all busy watching and photographing the scenery.

The grasslands here are all shallow grass close to the ground, with few trees and no alpine wildflowers. In the field of vision, the grass is spread out flat, and even the top of the mountain is green and green. It looks very comfortable. If it weren't for the continuous mountains, you would definitely think that this is Western Sichuan or the Mongolian prairie, making people completely forget that this is the Northwest. How pleasant and wonderful it would be to go for a few runs on the grass, toss your hat and scarf, and take some photos!

When we were about to reach Banshan Mountain, the road kept turning upwards with the mountain. The altitude was getting higher and higher. When we turned around the top of the mountain, we could see the dazzling Dabanshan Mountain Viewing Platform halfway down the mountain. There were many people parked there. There are large cars and small cars, as well as tower-shaped colorful prayer flags.

We came to the viewing platform. A large piece of slightly protruding flat land was built into a small market with colorful tarpaulins and parasols, with walkways extending in all directions in the middle. The items for sale here are so rich, they seem to be more concentrated than other scenic spots I have been to, and most of them are brightly colored. Dresses, hats, shawls and gauze scarves, beaded jewelry, herbs and mountain products, sheep heads and horns, and local fruits and melons (not as good as those in the mainland). There are also various delicacies and snacks, such as steaming hot sausage skewers, braised egg potato chips, local yogurt... there are so many and too tempting!

We first took photos everywhere on the platform viewing platform. Behind us was an open flat valley filled with cattle and sheep. In the distance were green mountains and fields of blooming rapeseed flowers, with blue sky, white clouds and scorching sun. It was hot, and we quickly felt hot and thirsty, so we found a stall to sit down and have something to eat. We ordered beef, yogurt, jelly, potato chips, etc. The most delicious thing was the potato chips. We ordered two portions. The thick and large potato chips were actually very tasty. They looked spicy, but they were just right.

The time is up, we have to go to the next stop Menyuan Scenic Area to see the rapeseed flowers.

As we walked along, we still saw the Qilian Mountains under the blue sky and white clouds on both sides, but from time to time we could see small-scale rapeseed fields. When we came to Menyuan and parked the car, we were waiting to buy tickets to enter the park. Unexpectedly, it started raining heavily and there were piles of dark clouds in the sky. The tour leader said that if it rained, the tickets would be saved. We continued to move forward. There were rapeseed flowers all the way. When the weather clears up, let’s stop and look at the flowers and take photos.

I stood on a high platform and looked at the rapeseed flowers in the Menyuan Scenic Area. I felt that they were not very spread out. The terrain was sloping and the rapeseed flowers were very short. Some of them were not bright when they were blooming. I saw tourists on the road to the scenic area. They were rare and probably wouldn’t produce the effect we imagined, so we didn’t feel regretful when we left. We also saved 50 yuan on tickets per person.

Sure enough, the wide valleys on both sides of the road were full of rapeseed flowers, which were still in bloom, but. The growth of rapeseed is really unflattering. It is thin and short, and the seams are not tight. How can there be a harvest here? They are probably grown for viewing. To be honest, they are not as fat, tall and bright as our local rapeseed flowers. It’s just that we don’t have such spectacular scenes in our area.

The weather in the Qilian Mountains is also as changeable as the weather on the plateau. Not long after we walked, the sky turned blue and the sky became clear after the rain. There were tourists stopping to take pictures of rapeseed flowers everywhere on the roadside. We also found a slightly wider roadside and got off the bus quickly. The rapeseed flowers here were much more beautiful than those in Menyuan, mainly because the terrain was flat. When I looked up, my eyes were filled with endless rapeseed flowers, which bloomed brilliantly and were very spectacular and attractive! We couldn't go into the fields, so we just took pictures wildly on the roadside. Everyone was satisfied. It turned out that we didn't miss the rapeseed flowers! Moreover, the rest of the journey is all about traveling in a sea of ??rapeseed flowers, just watching them from the car window!

Not long after, we came to another scenic spot called Gangshikarei Peak. It is said that snow peaks can be seen here. We stopped here briefly. What impressed me most was that there was a large scenic spot sign gate standing on the road. The road was facing the snow peak. I looked over from the scenic spot door frame. Under the blue sky and white clouds in the distance, there was indeed a snow-capped mountain top, and below it was a light brown color without any grass. Mountains, vast green mountain savannah and seas of rapeseed flowers and driveway tents. We took pictures in front of the scenic door frame. The scenic door frame is a natural viewing frame, and the background behind it has layers and depth. Master Song took individual photos and group photos for us here, and several sisters also spun, ran, and threw hats to shoot dynamic videos. Everyone had a great time!

Continuing forward, we arrived at the Qilian Mountain grassland parking area. We passed through the artificial landscape yurt group and went to the grassland behind to see the scenery and take photos.

Here, the view is extremely broad. The slopes, mountaintops, and distant mountains are all covered with grass. Unfortunately, there are so many people here. The grassland has been trampled by tourists and looks sparse. There are also many prairie dog holes. Master Song also photographed a thief. There are prairie dogs, so the grassland here doesn’t look very beautiful, but Master Song’s skills are good and he photographed us beautifully.

Next stop, we went to Ebao Ancient City, which is still under construction. The long row of black camel sculptures and ancient city buildings are very new. However, the earth-colored ancient city wall behind the scenic spot has been weathered and only remains. Several sections of ruins look like real historical relics. Perhaps this should be a prosperous ancient trade route. After checking the information, we found that it was once the main passage from Qinghai to the Hexi Corridor and an important node on the South Silk Road. Tea Horse The trading market and military fortress were originally so famous, but the ruins still remain and the prosperity is no longer there. Here, the sun is really strong, there are no trees, and the streets are dusty. We took a brief look and left.

As the sun gradually set in the west, we discovered that there were more and more colorful rapeseed flowers on both sides of the road. It turned out that there was also a large rapeseed flower scenic spot here called Biandukou Scenic Area, so naturally we didn’t want to If you miss it, hurry into the parking lot. Everyone gets excited as soon as they get off the car. The rapeseed flowers here far exceed those of the famous Menyuan. Here, the terrain is flat and open, surrounded by rapeseed flowers, which are boundless and in full bloom. In the rapeseed flower fields, tourists wearing bright clothes are everywhere taking photos. There are text on the slightly sloping background. Wherever you look, you can see The extremely bright rapeseed flowers are really amazing. It really makes people feel like they have to go through iron shoes and find nowhere, and it takes a lot of effort to get them. The only regret is that we arrived too late, it was not cost-effective to buy tickets to enter the scenic spot, and the weather was not suitable for taking pictures. So we all looked around outside the scenic area and could take photos, but the location was too low to achieve the best results. It’s better to take a few hard glances and try to fix these beautiful scenery in your mind. What you see with your eyes is much more beautiful than the photos.

Next we rushed to Linze County to stay.

It can be said that today, we all traveled through the Qilian Mountains and saw a lot of scenery. The Qilian Mountains completely overturned my inherent impression of it. I thought the northwest was synonymous with desolation and barrenness, but who knew that the Qilian Mountains were actually It is a mountainous prairie with green mountains and grasslands all over the horizon, a large pasture with flocks of cattle and sheep! Here, the valley is open, both arable and grazing, and there is life everywhere. The mountains, grasslands, rapeseed flowers, and blue sky and white clouds all naturally create a majestic oil painting without the need for coloring!