Self-driving single-depot highway, from sunny to snowy to bitter rain.

The famous Duku Highway is the shortest route connecting northern and southern Xinjiang, which is at least half the mileage shorter than the original detour around Daheyan or Jingxian. Starting from Dushanzi, an oil city in northern Xinjiang, it spirals along Kuitun River, reaches the depths of Tianshan Mountain, crosses Tianshan Mountain and finally reaches Kuqa in southern Xinjiang. Many sections of this highway are extremely steep, with mountains on one side and rivers on the other. There are snow peaks, canyons, lakes and grasslands on the way, which is known as the most beautiful landscape avenue in Xinjiang.

I naturally want to go on such a wonderful trip. In fact, I started from Kanas Lake, all the way south, crossed two high-altitude Daban (mountain passes), and ran for about two days to reach Bayinbuluke grassland, which was the afternoon of the next day. Although it is in the midsummer of June, the Duku Highway is raining and snowing for a while, and shepherds, sheep and yurts are dotted in it for a while, forming a magnificent and colorful Tianshan scenery map, which makes people glad for your arrival.

Speaking of which, most of what I know about Bayinbrook comes from the movie Legend of Heroes Returning to the East. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Mosi Mongolian Turkic tribe who moved to the lower reaches of the Volga River for nearly 200 years could not bear the racial discrimination and barbaric policies of the Russian Empire. Under the leadership of the leader Wabashi, after several years of preparation, they returned to the East. After hearing the news, the Russian Queen immediately sent tens of thousands of soldiers to chase and intercept. After seven months' trek, Turks fought in Wan Li and wyndell dichinson. 170,000 people arrived in Yili, leaving only 43,000 people, completing the last tragic ethnic migration in human history. At that time, the Qing government placed them in Bayinbuluke Grassland and Kaidu River Basin, which is now Bayinguoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture.

Bayinbuluke, which means "abundant spring water" in Mongolian, is located in the northwest of Hejing County and the central basin at the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain. Rich in aquatic plants and surrounded by snow-capped mountains, it is the second largest alpine pasture in Inner Mongolia after Erdos and the most important animal husbandry base in Xinjiang. However, what tourists are eager to see is the "nine bends and eighteen bends" formed by the Kaidu River flowing through the Bayinbuluke grassland. Smart locals will surround this area, whether for protection or profit. Anyway, you can't get in without paying a few hundred dollars. Regardless of tickets, many scenic spots in Xinjiang rely on large venues, set up ticket offices dozens of kilometers away, prohibit other foreign vehicles from entering, and force tourists to take scenic buses with exorbitant fares, which really destroys people's mood.

Complaining is complaining. At the moment, I can only let it be. The weather on the grassland is really strange. It was sunny just now, and suddenly it began to rain. Suddenly it's back to winter. I put on all the clothes I could wear, but I was still shivering with cold. A few men in short clothes, wearing rented yellow military coats, were rubbing their hands and stamping their feet, jumping and jumping, looking a bit nondescript, which made people laugh.

In this season, the scenic spots in Xinjiang are never short of guests, and the coaches rotate like lanterns. Looking through the window, the green is magnanimous, the snow-capped mountains are undulating, and the grassland looks like a work of art deliberately woven by someone. Mongolian yurts, Lama temples, folk villages, and even herders riding burly horses and waving whips to drive away sheep, the whole picture will flow, as if marching in a medieval documentary.

In fact, Bayinbuluke, which is rich in water and grass, has always been the object of competition among nomadic people, from Gushi, Xiongnu and Turkic in ancient times to Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, Kazakh and other ethnic groups today, all of which thrive here. The "butter grass" everywhere also breeds the "four treasures of grassland", namely yak, big-tailed sheep, merino sheep and Yanqi Tianshan horse. Xinjiang fine-wool sheep was once used as poverty alleviation materials and was also sent to Dingxi, Gansu.

When I got off at Swan Lake, it rained heavily. A girl named Zi Ling saw me walking in the rain and took the initiative to come and take an umbrella to shelter from the rain. Through the wooden corridor, the rain stopped and we visited separately. In fact, this is the largest alpine wetland in Xinjiang, with many small lakes in series. It is more than 30 kilometers long from east to west and 10 kilometers wide from north to south. Surrounded by snow peaks, it is an ideal habitat for swans and all kinds of birds, so it is the first swan nature reserve in China. Every April, swans and all kinds of migratory birds fly from the south in droves and inhabit and breed. During the peak period, nearly 10,000 swans, cygnets and wart swans stayed in the wetland for 8 months.

For the convenience of tourists, wooden plank roads and fences have been built on the edge of the largest lake in the scenic spot. There are also several snow-white toad statues squatting on the grass, which probably means "the toad wants to eat swan meat". Maybe it's a sudden change of climate. I only saw a few pairs of swans today. However, many red-billed gulls hover around, sometimes dive and sometimes sweep low, attracting tourists to press the shutter frequently. Climb the plank road and walk to the depths of the lake. Couples of swans who are not afraid of people are playing by the lake.

I always thought swans were arrogant aristocrats, and ordinary people could not get close to them. But when we really face each other, we find it naive and docile, and it is an artist with a natural sense of humor. Most of them are parallel to each other, with curved items facing the sky and elegant posture; Some people are alone, their heads and necks are completely submerged under water, forming a fluffy floating island; Or probe into the water and bend like a handle to become a sobering up device. Some people scatter food, but swans are not afraid of life. When they get something, they stretch their necks, spread their wings and dance ballet, which is really perverse and lovely.

More swans are on the back of the mountain, and the locals say they have to ride over to see them. Looking up, I saw dozens of Ma Zaishan's backs lined up in a word-long snakes, tall and straight and unconstrained style. Because of the distance, I still choose to give up and try to see Kaidu River. From Swan Lake, you can walk or take a battery car to the top of the mountain. There is a viewing platform at the top of the mountain, which is the best place to watch the "Nine Curves and Eighteen Bends".

Taking a battery car to the observation deck, the sudden cold weather did not hinder the interest of tourists. I pushed my way through the crowd and came to the observation deck. The legendary "Nine Curves and Eighteen Bends" came to my face and made people cheer loudly. The bright Kaidu River is like a ribbon, or like a dragon, which gradually widens from far to near, winding around the vast grassland. But how many bends there are, I'm too lazy to delve into them. Unfortunately, dark clouds in the west cover the sun. If the cloud disappears at this time, I'm afraid it will only crack a little and let the sun pour down. Under the contrast of light and shade, the clouds will be beautiful and form a wonderful scenery.

If Duku Highway is a landscape painting in Quan Huafu, Bayinbuluke is the crowning touch of this painting. I think, if we can see the "nine bends and eighteen bends" in the sunset, we can make up for the regret of not seeing the Kanas Lake monster. The good position has long been occupied by various tripods. I groped for a long time before I found a gap and put a shelf on it, waiting for the wind to blow away and the sun to fly.

Speaking of Kaidu River, it's famous. It is said to be the "Tongtian River" in The Journey to the West. Tang Priest went to the West to learn from the scriptures and returned. The old salamander carried them across the river again and asked him what he had entrusted, but Tang Priest forgot. As a result, the deaf-headed giant deliberately threw his master and disciples into the river, which made the water wet and curled up. It is said that "Sun Jing Island" is in the territory of Hejing County. However, the "nine twists and eighteen bends" in front of me really don't see anything to do with monsters. A river on the left painted a heart on the grassland, just like the arrow shot by Cupid in western legend, with a little romance.

Snow-capped mountains, grasslands, nine bends and eighteen bends, such magnificent artistic elements still depend on God's face. Although the rain has stopped, the lead-colored clouds have been hanging behind the snow-capped mountains and have no intention of dispersing. Occasionally show a little flaw, and then quickly close it, just like deliberately teasing, lest we see the true face of the sun. In this context, although the grassland does not reduce its vastness, there is no light and shadow of "nine bends and eighteen bends", and the color is gray and monotonous, so it is difficult to take satisfactory photos.

However, just after I left, Miss Zi Ling, whom I met in Swan Lake, told me that I had just seen the sunset in Bayinbrook. She sent a picture, the clouds are scattered, the light and shadow are flowing, and the picture is so beautiful that people want to be a "nine bends and eighteen bends" monster. I can't speak, and that kind of feeling, you know, can only complain.