If you ask me, what do you want to do most every time you travel to the Mongolian Plateau?
I will definitely say that there is nothing better than walking on the endless summer grassland!
Several times, in July, I just crossed the vast and beautiful grassland near the central province of Mongolia or Gule province. I just want to get out of the car and go.
There is no more unforgettable pleasure than walking on the endless summer grassland!
The first is visual stretching.
Our eyes can see infinity. However, the grasslands in Mongolia are not flat and empty to the point of boredom. On the contrary, it always has gentle and graceful ups and downs, such as the slightly rough enlarged waves and the turning female body, where there are always some rounded protrusions; It will always tempt you to take a few quick steps and climb the vast mountains of this base in front of you to see what new trends and beautiful lines are ahead.
Even if there are really tall mountains far away, the slope connected with the grassland is not steep. No matter walking or riding, you can walk leisurely from the foot of the mountain to the middle of the mountain, and the grass is like a carpet all the way.
Grassland is a vast circle, the sky is really like an unfathomable dome, covering the earth with infinite radian, and my own small body is the center of this world. If I rotate my body 360 degrees, the slightly undulating horizon in the distance will revolve around me without beginning or end; In other words, no matter how many steps I take, it is still the only center point of this huge circle.
Then the clouds and the sky.
Clouds on the grassland, sometimes large and sometimes flat, line up in the blue sky. The sky is high and the clouds are low. As soon as the wind blows, they fly one by one, the grassland is flickering, and people seem to be walking in a dream. Suddenly, all the grass is shining with golden light, the hills behind the backlight are inlaid with shining edges, and the body is warmed by the sun; Then all the colors suddenly quieted down. Where the clouds pass, the color of the grass changes between white, gray and green and transparent turquoise, and the wind is much cooler, like peppermint oil.
Then, it is the unspeakable fragrance!
Not only the smell of grass, but the smell of grass leaves mixed with several herbs after being crushed and touched.
It was not obvious when I first stood still, but as soon as I started to move forward, every step would immediately have a unique fragrance around me.
In summer, wild vegetables are all over the grassland. After several kinds of scents are mixed, the strong fragrance, such as medicinal liquor, is refreshing and refreshing, and enters the deepest part of every sensory cell, awakening life, making me forget all the fatigue and difficulties, and just want to go on like this step by step.
Of course, I understand that my ancestors had many difficulties in nomadic life. However, in July and August, the grassland is in midsummer, the sun is quiet, the vegetation is lush, the eagle is flying low under the clouds, and the grasshoppers and grass insects disturbed by our steps bounce far behind the front and keep making "honk" calls. There is no one in the wilderness, only the gentle wind. Here it is, I think. In summer, the sun is quiet, the grass is lush, the eagle is flying low under the clouds, and the grasshoppers and grass insects disturbed by our footsteps bounce back and forth far away, constantly making "honk" calls. There is no one in the wilderness, only the gentle wind. Here, it should be heaven, right
In the depths of the grassland, sometimes you will meet a sand-curved spring that flows in an extremely tortuous way. The water flowing in the river is very clear, and the long aquatic plants in the river sway gently from side to side along the current, and even the rolling of several pebbles can be seen clearly; At dusk, looking down from the mountainside, such a narrow and curved river reflects the glow of the sky, like a bright gray-purple ribbon, stretching over the dark green wilderness, I don't know where to start and where to end. However, I am convinced that this is what my ancestors have been pursuing for thousands of years, right?
Coral grassland
Li Ruobing
In the night, Xining is still sleeping.
It was just dawn, and it was particularly dark. My fellow travelers and I echoed each other, climbed into the truck in the dark and set off.
Lovely driver, he had a good time with the car. Although the car is very dark, we feel much more comfortable with this bright light.
The headlights marked a silver road. We can see the way forward. You can hear the whispers of poplars. Oh, poplars on the plateau, don't you sleep? You woke up so early, singing in a low voice. Do you like the drivers and passengers of the expedition? You are humming when you wake up so early. Do you call dawn to sing more heroic songs when it rises?
On the eve of dawn, listening to the whisper of poplars, I felt a surge in my heart. How long has it been? Today, I am finally eager to set foot on the Qaidam Basin. I know that the road that headlights explore at this time is a road full of beauty, curiosity and heroes. However, why do my eyes feel moist when dawn rises in the plateau sky? What do I want and hope? Isn't this the dawn of the motherland? What a good dawn of the plateau!
Dawn came against the cold wind of the plateau.
Dawn runs along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. Dawn, dressed in early morning clothes, strode, awakened eagles and birds, and awakened mountains and the earth. As a result, everything on the plateau held its head high and became active.
In August, the wheat in the plateau is yellow, the rape blossoms, and the highland barley ripples with the morning wind and floats to the distant mountains. In the morning, the plateau is a golden world.
The truck is driving against the morning wind.
On a crisp morning, fellow travelers were refreshed and crowded together, and began to ask questions and talk about music. The traveling companions of this trip are colorful and varied, including Tibetan brothers wearing tiger and purple coats and Hui brothers wearing white hats and black robes. These simple farmers go to Chahan Wusu Farm, and these skilled craftsmen go to Chaka to do carpentry. There are salt, charcoal digging, road building and grazing, and some people go to Golmud, Dachaidan, Mangya and Kunlun Mountain. Don't ask too many questions here. Except for the four Tibetans who returned to Lhasa, everyone went to the Qaidam Basin, but their jobs were different. I feel particularly close to these fellow travelers.
The sun came out. The weather is getting warmer and warmer.
Our truck drove past Huangyuan County and headed for Sun Moon Mountain, the throat of Tibet.
This is really a high and steep mountain, a mountain that is difficult to climb! Climbing up is extremely dangerous. Arriving at the mountainside, the car seemed to stand upright, head up, exhausted all its strength and roared and rushed up. From bottom to top, it took about an hour before the car climbed to the top of the mountain.
I saw a rectangular stone tablet standing on the roadside at the top of the mountain, engraved with three big red characters: Sun Moon Mountain. Oh, Sun Moon Mountain, what a magnificent and dazzling name! Looking up, the sky is blue and low, giving people a strange and depressing feeling. White flowers floating on the top of the mountain, like silver rivers and pure white flowers, can be picked as long as they are stretched out. A steep and peculiar mountain really deserves the title of Sun Moon Mountain.
Sun Moon Mountain is the throat of the sea and the watershed of farming and pastoral areas. Looking east, there are farmhouses, yellow water, wheat fields, highland barley and cauliflower; Looking west, we can see mountains, green and endless grasslands. On this plateau of Eight Friends, from a distance, there is a golden world on one side and a green world on the other, drawing a spectacular picture. For thousands of years, people of all ethnic groups on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have come and gone on the Sun Moon Mountain. On both sides of the Sun Moon Mountain, with different lifestyles, farming, hunting, grazing, fighting against nature, creating wealth and miracles. For thousands of years, how many devout believers, lamas and dancers of all ethnic groups have passed on this Sun Moon Mountain, and how many heroic stories and beautiful legends have been circulated among women.
There is a legend of Princess Wencheng in the Tang Dynasty on Sun Moon Mountain. People say that she accepted the engagement of the prince of Tibet, got married in a sedan chair from Chang 'an and traveled thousands of miles west to this mountain. On this steep mountain, she saw that the sun was different from Chang 'an's, and the moon was different from Chang 'an's, resulting in infinite acacia. Therefore, in order to relieve his daughter's worries, Emperor Taizong specially cast a golden sun and a golden moon and sent them to this mountain. ……
At this time, the truck climbed over the top of the mountain, walked down the mountain, turned around and looked at Sun Moon Mountain again, as if holding its head high and talking to the blue sky. For a while, it seems to be riding white clouds and roaming in the sky. In this beautiful mountain scenery, people will naturally think of their hometown. The mountains in their hometown are different from those here. People will naturally praise it and imagine beautiful legends for this mountain.
On the way down the mountain, the turn is very long. I don't know how many turns it took to get down.
At the foot of the mountain, there is a small river called Daotang River. Generally speaking, this river flows from west to east, but this river flows from the vast west. It is said that when Princess Wencheng came down from Sun Moon Mountain, she changed a sedan chair and went west by car. She saw the barren hills in front of her, which was an endless grassland. She felt desolate and lonely, which caused infinite nostalgia and cried. Her crying touched the rain and aroused the sound of the river. So, the river flows back and flows towards the princess's west. Some people say that the water pouring down the river is the result of the princess's tears. ……
In the Tang Dynasty, the road for Princess Wencheng to get married in Tibet was really hard and desolate, and it was natural for her to cry on the grassland. Now, however, there are roads on the mountains and grasslands, and the road to Tibet is wide and short. Truck after truck, truck after truck, brought the happiness and fantasy that people of all ethnic groups pinned on the legend, and took it with them. A new heroic story of highway construction appeared on Sun Moon Mountain, and the first small town on the grassland appeared on the banks of Daotang River. There are hotels, canteens, shops and passing Tibetan tourists. They put yaks in the grass, rest here and rest here. Passing geological prospectors also eat a bowl of hot rice here before entering the basin.
The river is still flowing backwards, but life is marching to the west with infinite heroism.
We had a rest at Daotang River and then walked on.
In front of us, it is a grassland, a vast and healthy grassland!
On the green land, in the green wind and waves, there are a group of brown-black yaks, an old man with a dark red face, riding on the back of yaks and walking leisurely. There are a group of gray and purple horses here. A young man in a felt hat is handsome and powerful. After a while, he shouted a few times. After a while, he patted the horse and rushed at the horses. Going forward, I met another flock of sheep. They are alive and kicking and very naughty. A sheep took a bite of grass, flapping its ears and wagging its tail. A shepherd girl in a lace robe looks black and handsome, swinging thick and long braids and waving a whip; She threw her smile at the sheep, turned on her voice again and sent the tender Qinghai "flowers" across the grassland.
The grassland stretches forward, and the shepherdess's song ripples on it. What a vast grassland, what a charming grassland!
Driving along the grassland makes people feel more comfortable.
At this time, suddenly, an arched light belt appeared in the northwest of the grassland, as if a flash of lightning had suddenly flown in the clear sky.
Fellow travelers shouted: "Qinghai Lake, Qinghai Lake!"
The Tibetan boy with a golden waist knife on his waist was so happy that he tore off his black hat and lifted it, craned his neck and unexpectedly shouted, "Ga-come on!" He was paying tribute to Qinghai Lake!
Qinghai Lake strolls through the grassland, shining with green brilliance. She overflowed and flashed slightly, as if a green harp had risen from the grassland. Aren't those slender ripples just the strings on the harp? Accompanied by the breeze, she seemed to make lyrical and touching music.
Truck, why are you running so slowly? Take us to Qinghai Lake quickly. As soon as the car stopped at the Dalai Lama River Station, someone jumped off and ran to and from Qinghai Lake.
I ran, running on the grass full of wild flowers.
I came to Qinghai Lake.
Just now, from the distant mountain, Qinghai Lake was so gentle and colorful. Now, looking from the lake, she is stirring up her plump breasts, lifting blue waves with magical power, lining up in the sky and flapping against the lake. She sang passionately, as if she had endless enthusiasm. She poured on the grassland and threw the wine into the sky at will!
A flock of ducks flew by. They seem to be the darling of the lake, flapping their wings, playing in the water, kissing the lake and then soaring in the sky. Eagles, eagles, they stand on the rocks by the lake and stare at something majestically. When people walk by the lake, they flap their wings and pass over people's heads, then turn their threatening eyes and pout and hover in the lake. Oh, eagle, what a guarded Qinghai Lake!
Qinghai Lake is a huge and famous lake on the plateau, and Qinghai is named after her. For thousands of years, she has been praised as the embodiment of people's joy, ideal, happiness and beauty. I remembered some descriptions in the New Records of Xining Mansion: People called Qinghai Lake "Fairy Sea". The report said: "More than 700 miles above the sea surface is a place where a lot of water needs to return. Therefore, there are water springs in the east, west, north and south of the coast, which are rich in pasture and suitable for animal husbandry, and are known as the promised land. ..... "There is a" Haixin Mountain "in the middle of the lake, also known as" Longju Island ". According to the records, "After each ice is combined, this mountain is well equipped with horses. When the spring harvest comes, all the horses are pregnant, and Ikoma is a dragon species, which is different from each other. ..... "What a mysterious and beautiful record.
Here is rich in the famous "Qinghai Iced Fish". Every winter, after the ice melts, fishermen dig holes in the ice lake, light lanterns and bonfires with the help of the starlight of the moon, and fish swim around in droves, jumping up from the hole enthusiastically, catching and catching, but how many miles! People say that "Qinghai Ice Fish" sells well in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Qaidam Basin. However, since the Tang Dynasty, Qinghai Lake was once a place for contention between the feudal ruling class and Tufan tribes, and countless blood and bones were spilled on the lake. The great poet Du Fu wrote such a sad poem: "You can't see the head of Qinghai, now all the old bones are abandoned, and the new ghost is now wailing there, the old and the loudest in the stormy dark sky." ……
At this time, Qinghai Lake, the plateau is full of joy. Take a look. Standing on the grassland at the foot of Qinghai Lake, I held my head high and kissed the blue sky, showing a bold and beautiful charm. She seemed to stretch out a powerful arm, holding up the blue sky, white clouds and mountains in one hand; One hand leads the grassland and cattle and sheep. For thousands of years, in her heart, how many descendants and heroes have been raised? How lush the grassland is, lush; How prosperous and healthy the animal spirit is. Qinghai Lake, mother-like Qinghai Lake!
I looked back at the grassland again. Two yaks buried their heads in their nests, dancing their horns and fighting. A lamb knelt at the foot of a ewe, sucking milk arch by arch. The shepherd girl wearing a felt hat and pigtails waved her whip again, stretched her voice and sang as if there was a song that would never end. Is this a song of love, or a hymn of mountains and lakes? With her singing, the young man pulled the horse, the white clouds bowed their heads, the birds came, and the mountains and lakes smiled.
Oh, life is so heroic and beautiful, why not sing!
I sing about the mountains, lakes and grasslands on the plateau.
I sing about the simple, hardworking and tenacious people on the plateau.
Let passers-by passengers and people who reclaim the Qaidam basin draw strength from mountains, lakes and grasslands and create a better life together!
I can't stay any longer, Qinghai Lake. There is a more magnificent life waiting for me ahead.
I scooped up the lake with my hand, took a sip and walked west. ……
1957 August 17, tea card