I have been to Guizhou more than once, but "Qian" seems to be covered with a veil of mystery and has always attracted me. I have visited several cities, but I don’t know much about this place. This time I received an invitation to follow the cross-border scientific research into the Mayang River National Nature Reserve, the only Tujia Autonomous County in Guizhou - along the river, and experience a period of exploring nature together. , an extraordinary journey full of wit...


day1: Seeing Wujiang for the first time


Starting from Zhengzhou, I flew to Guiyang, then transferred to Tongren, and then arrived at Yanhe Tujia Autonomous County after two hours by car. The traffic seems to be a bit of a toss, but I didn't feel it after eating, drinking and having fun in the urban area of ​​Guiyang for two days in advance. Instead, I got to know the city of Guiyang again. The bustling urban area with traffic and traffic, the shopping malls with high-rise buildings, the temptation of petty bourgeoisie and comfortable food...


"Beautiful China, cross-border scientific research, exploring Wujiang Gallery, full of love along the river." The meeting was held in full swing, folk songs were sung at the beginning, children's cute dances... With the end of the morning meeting, the first day's itinerary kicked off.


Go back to the hotel to have lunch and take a break. Looking at the posture on the first day, I thought it was a leisurely scientific research trip, but later I realized that leisure has nothing to do with scientific research. Hardship and danger are the scientific research personnel. The challenges we face every day... But today is always leisurely. After two o'clock, we will start from the hotel and take a bus to the Wujiang Fishing Port Wharf, and then take a boat to Siqu to inspect the Wujiang Gorge. The whole afternoon's itinerary is to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wujiang by boat.


The first time I got off the car at the pier, I saw the sightseeing boats docked on the shore, a river with clear water, and green mountains on both sides. The house built on the mountain and hidden in the woods resembles the mountain city of Chongqing, and the other end of the bridge is Chongqing! They joked that this second is in Guiyang, and the next second will be Chongqing. I am in Guiyang, and I am also in Chongqing. This is Yanhe...


The beauty of Wujiang River cannot be described clearly in just one or two sentences. The mountains on both sides of the river advance one by one and then gradually recede. Blocking all the cold wind from penetrating into my body, this is the outdoor equipment I bought for Tibet, but it is more suitable for the itinerary of scientific research and mountain climbing.


Although it is the first time to see the Wujiang River, the scene is not unfamiliar. Such karst stone mountains are the most frequent sights in Guilin, where the mountains and rivers are the best in the world. If you encounter the blue sky and white clouds, the beauty here will be even better...


Night tour of Wujiang River and daytime boat tour of Wujiang River are two opposite directions. Another night is ushered in a flash along the banks of the river. The two boats on the bow and stern of you come and I go. The loud and clear folk songs echoed over Tujia County. I thought this piece of land hidden in the eyes of many people was hollow and low, but who knew that the lights on both sides of the strait, the diverse cultures, and the Sizhou Hotel where I stayed turned out to be so flashy and rich, and I will never have a room to forget their ardor Warm expectations!


day2: The cultural heritage of "Nuo Tang Opera" in Shaba Village

This is a special cultural trip and a travel experience that has never been done before. At 8 o'clock in the morning, after eating the buffet breakfast at Tianrui Hotel, the bus drove for more than an hour and arrived at Ganxi Shaba Village. Before getting off the bus, the welcome ceremony with horns and gongs was heard !

Rice fields, ponds, white walls, green hills, villagers who occasionally pass by, old women chatting while walking, and melons, fruits and vegetables in the fields at the entrance of the village reveal a leisurely life everywhere. This is the place to explore today!


While wandering in the countryside, the girls of the Tujia nationality have become a scene in the camera at some point, and the Nuotang opera in the yard not far away has been launched, which is also the most important thing today. I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard it for a long time. Many people gathered inside and outside to watch the excitement. I don’t know much about the Nuotang opera. Fortunately, the experts in the same industry have spread a lot of new knowledge for us, so I have to let it go Know more comprehensively.


In a word, Nuo Tang Opera exists for the purpose of worshiping gods, expelling epidemics, offering sacrifices and praying for blessings. It includes various rituals, and is also known as the "living fossil of Chinese drama". Nuo is a ritual to expel epidemic ghosts during the twelfth lunar month in ancient times. The "Modern Chinese Dictionary" interprets "Nuo" as: "In the old days, there was a meeting to welcome the gods and drive away the plague ghosts." The Nuo God refers to the god who drives away the plague ghosts.

The religious and cultural activities of the Tujia people are influenced by the Bachu culture. The popular Nuotang opera evolved from the religious sacrificial activities of worshiping ancestors and expelling plague ghosts, and is closely related to primitive religion and witchcraft. With the development of society, sacrifices are basically integrated with religious activities, social life activities, recreational activities and ethnic customs.

The development of Nuotang opera has gone through Nuo and Nuo dance, and then Nuo opera came into being. The ancestors created makeup, body and face protection in the struggle against natural phenomena such as strange insects and beasts, diseases and epidemics, and created primitive singing and dancing in the sound of drums, galloping and shouting, rushing and jumping.

In the long course of history, the original sacrificial ceremony of exorcising ghosts and disasters has gradually increased, praying for the safety of people and animals, harvesting crops, remembering ancestors, praising wisdom, and persuading people to abandon evil and do good. Rituals and entertainment rituals, folk songs and dances have become a simple folk art.


The performance of the main drama is generally carried out in the main room or sunba of the head of the household who "returns the wish". The background of the stage is set with the incense table or the gate as the base board, and there is a god table inside, on which are enshrined Nuo Lord, Nuo Niang and other wooden statues. Because the props of Tujia Nuotang opera are simple, the venue is not limited, and the content is closely related to people's life, it organically mixes local folk songs, humorous folk customs and some fighting movements, highlighting local and national characteristics, coupled with the artistic treatment of singing and dancing, the image Exaggerated masks, humorous gags, and interesting details of life are deeply loved by the Tujia people.

Wearing a mask to perform is the most prominent feature of Nuotang Opera. Masks, called "face shells" by local people, are carved from poplar and willow wood that are fine and tough. Its shape is determined according to the characters in the script or the characters in folklore. Most of them focus on rendering the eyebrows, mouth, nose, teeth and whiskers, and use deformation and exaggeration to highlight the personality.

During the performance, the face is covered with a mask, and the eyes look out through the eyeholes of the mask. The rest of the head is wrapped with a turban. The red, white, and blue colors in the head are used to distinguish generals, men and women. This is also the only female artist who makes masks in Tongren area. Looking at so many tools and complicated processes, I can't help but feel admiration.

Going up the knife ladder was originally a ceremony held by the Tujia people when they fulfilled the "passing vow" for their twelve-year-old children. It means that the child has passed the threshold of life journey and is an adult, and will live a long life and be rich and honored. In order to create a thrilling atmosphere of "passing the customs", the chieftains applied the traditional skills in the Nuo opera, climbing the knife ladder one by one, to the customs clearance ceremony, and then slowly promoted it to other important activities. Whenever the Tujia cottage celebrates the New Year, or every important day, you can see the Tujia warriors performing on the knife ladder.

The spectators were dumbfounded and amazed by this thrilling performance, but the performer was very calm and calm, stepping on the edge of the knife to climb up the stairs. Finally, the old artist climbed to the top of the knife ladder, stood on the edge of the knife, and blew the horn, and the mighty hum shook the four mountains. The crowd under the knife ladder cheered thunderously, and the gongs and drums were beating loudly.


Xiahuochi (also known as stepping on the Huakou) is one of the unique skills of Nuo opera in the Tujia area. With the sound of ox horns and gongs and drums, the barefooted old Tujia people stepped on the red-hot iron shovel, and when their feet fell on the iron shovel, they made a sound of "嗞嗞", and the smoke rose up, which made people dumbfounded .


The one-day performance was in full swing in Shaba Village, and the Nuotang Opera also left a deep impression on me. At the end, the enthusiastic villagers stood at the entrance of the village to see us off. That kind of primitive and simple emotion continued to heat up deep in my heart. , I really hope that this place can be known by more people, and I also hope that the people here can live a better life and not forget the inheritance...


day3: Looking for fairy grass in the world, taking pictures of the whole picture of Wujiang gorge

"Fairy fruits hang in the air, gold bars grow on trees, and ingots grow underground." This is Sunjia Village, Zhongjie Town. This sentence is also a portrayal of the local area. I came to this place early in the morning to explore.

The late autumn wind blows the maple leaves on the mountain red, and the bright red is particularly eye-catching in the dark green. The land planted with hollow plums is under the feet, and the development history of the narrator is vivid and vivid. Even if it is not the season for harvesting hollow plums, it seems that they can feel the grandeur and joy of their harvest...

Shazi Hollow Plum is a special product of Tujia Autonomous County. It has been planted in the area of ​​Shaba Village, Shazi Street, Yanhe Autonomous County since the 1950s and 1960s. Because plums mature, the core and flesh are separated, and plums are mainly produced in Shazi Street, Yanhe. named. It has been recognized as a national geographical indication protection product, pollution-free agricultural products, top 100 national landmark brands of fruits and vegetables, and China's high-quality plums.


The fruit of Sand Hollow Plum is oblate and usually matures in late July. The mature hollow plum is covered with a silver-gray paraffin protective layer. The average fruit weight is about 35 grams, and the maximum weight of a single fruit is about 50 grams. The flesh is crisp and tender, fragrant and sweet, and has the effects of "clearing heat and detoxifying, invigorating the spleen and appetizing, nourishing the skin and prolonging life".


Continuing to go up, Dendrobium candidum can be seen everywhere in the forest. I have seen this thing in a mountain forest before. You must know that this is a kind of precious medicinal material, which is sweet in taste and slightly cold in nature. It has the effects of promoting body fluid and nourishing the stomach; nourishing yin and clearing away heat; nourishing the lungs and kidneys; improving eyesight and strengthening the waist, etc., and is sold at an expensive price in the market.


In addition to inspecting this planted forest, I went to the Nanzhuang tourist scenic spot. The scenic spot is not far from the mountain forest. It is located in Shazi Street, Yanhe Tujia Autonomous County, Tongren City. It is built with "hollow plum" as the main tourist resource and combined with the local geographical environment. of.

There are Hollow Lee Sightseeing Garden, Baini River Luan Pond, Qinglong Gorge, Nanzhuang Blind Valley, Fairy Cave, Cliff Sunset, River Valley and other scenic spots; Folk culture experience tour, hiking exploration, forest health care and other tourism activities. And the local government has also helped many local villagers get rid of poverty and become rich through tourism and the management and sales of hollow plums...

The place surrounded by mountains and rivers is really beautiful. The river is rushing under the feet. I took two photos along the stones and continued to move forward. The landscape and countryside all the way. Such a leisurely and comfortable living environment may be the reason for more young people. One of the reasons why you choose to start a business at home.


Passing through the small flowing water, passing through the end of the corridor, you will meet a bougainvillea, which is a common plant in Lijiang. I never thought it would be planted here. Several butterflies are diligently pollinating, and you just landed in this area in front of you.


After shopping for a whole morning, the scenic spot to go in the afternoon is Wujiang Gorge. I followed the bus to the gate, and took a sightseeing bus for a while before arriving at the viewing platform of the scenic mountain gorge.


Autumn is particularly real in this outlet. A bright red adds a lot of enchanting colors to the domineering mountain gorge, and the winding road up the mountain has also become a part of the scenery.

Wujiang River originates from Weining County, Guizhou Province, and flows into the Yangtze River from Yanhe County to Fuling, Chongqing. The reputation of "Li Gallery". The Wujiang gorge in the aerial photography seems to be more interesting. The mountains on both sides of the river are continuous, the mist is lingering, the blue waves are rippling in the river, and boats are constantly passing by...

The two sides of the Strait are verdant and lush, with overlapping mountains and strange peaks facing each other, each showing its charm. The gorges of the Wujiang River are both harmonious and unified, and each has its own characteristics. The peaks turn around, the mountains are heavy and the water is complex, among the strange peaks and mountains, there are stretches of bamboo forests and towering ancient trees. This is the biggest feeling after taking aerial photos on the boat and standing on the viewing platform!


The sky is clear and cloudy, and there is a piece of green dais. An unfathomable Grand Canyon mouth among the majestic mountains appears in front of you. This is the Bawang Valley. Bawang Valley is located on the west bank of Wujiang River and is closely adjacent to Lizhi Gorge. A piece of stone protruding from the cliff of the valley, stretching out nearly ten meters, is less than two meters wide, extremely dangerous. The shape of the mountain in the valley is very strange. Standing on the top of the valley, looking around, the whole valley stretches from south to north. People can't help but sigh the ingenious workmanship of nature's creations.

In this grand canyon, which is more than 20 miles deep, there are more than 100 large and small peaks and masts, rolling up and down like bamboo shoots. It is said that you can walk to the bottom of the valley along the steep Yangchang mountain road beside the cliff. It’s just that the road down the valley is very difficult, vertically descending, and there are no roads in many places. Although there are wooden ladders built artificially, they are already covered with moss and scales, which are very slippery. It can be seen that I did not go down because of time and safety factors.


day4: Experience Tujia wedding custom culture

Still waking up at 7:30 in the morning, it seems that a fixed pattern of getting up has been formed recently, and today’s experience is still a little different. After getting up and packing our luggage, we set off to Houping Township to experience a lively Tujia wedding ceremony.

"Golden bamboo head, bitter bamboo head, my daughter wears Li Niang's head. Golden bamboo moss, bitter bamboo moss, my daughter wears Li Niang shoes." After a five-hour trek on the rugged mountain road, the scientific expedition team finally Arriving at a Tujia cottage in Houping Township, Yanhe Tujia Autonomous County, I didn’t see anyone but heard his voice. In the far distance, there was the sound of suona, gongs and drums...

Walking along the newly repaired lime road to the high place, the feeling here is different from Shaba Village. The village in the mountains seems to be more original, especially the wooden houses in the stockade. As soon as I walked to the entrance of the village, I heard a burst of lively suona and firecrackers. According to the local villagers, this is the bride's family who is holding "Huayuan Wine". . Friends in groups of three or four, standing or standing, or eating or chatting, crowded the inside and outside of the house, so lively.


In the past, relatives and friends who came to eat "Huayuan Wine" usually brought gifts such as cloth, clothing, pots, bowls, boxes, coins, etc., usually placed in rectangular flat trays. It's just that with the changes of the times, many wedding customs have gradually been simplified. Except for close relatives and friends who will bring gifts, most of them are just accompanying money.


According to the accompanying scientific expedition team members, crying marriage is a unique wedding ceremony of the Tujia people. On the originally festive day, the married bride expressed her sadness of leaving her parents, her reluctance to her hometown, and her worry about integrating into her new home with low tears and groaning. The crying wedding song says goodbye to family members, which embodies filial piety and sincerity.

For thousands of years, for the Tujia people, singing wedding songs on big happy days is the standard to measure the wisdom and virtuousness of the bride. The more beautiful the cry and the more moving the singing, the more it can show the bride's talent. The local elders also have a saying that if the bride sheds her tears on the day of her wedding, she will be safe and happy in the days to come!


When the "Huayuan Wine" draws to a close, it is time for the groom's wedding team to set off in the sunset. In the long welcoming team, the bright red sedan chairs are particularly festive and conspicuous. Walking at the forefront of the sedan chair team is the Tujia groom in full costume. The deacon and others, and behind the sedan chair line, there is a band playing trumpets and a line carrying gifts such as pork legs. The wedding party is very large, and each person has a corresponding responsibility.

"Floral sedan chairs come to pick up the bride, and a table blocks the door." Sina can welcome the bride away after the door-blocking ceremony, setting up the ceremony, and the banquet. There are countless etiquettes. Of course, there are many "checkpoints" on the way home. There are "ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties" just to say, so I won't repeat them one by one.

In fact, the most primitive Tujia wedding takes four days to complete. It is very rare for a Tujia wedding to take such a long time to prepare, with so many red tapes and grand pomp.


However, for the Tujia people living on both sides of the Wujiang River, marriage was quite free a long time ago. As long as the man and the woman agree with each other and use "songs as a match", they can get married with the testimony of Tu Laosi or the elderly, without asking for any money or other things. valuable gift. After the "Reformation of the Land and Returning to the Local People", the Tujia and the Han people had more and more contacts and intermarried with each other. The inherent wedding customs of the Tujia people inevitably infiltrated some customs of the Han people, and gradually formed a new set of Tujia wedding customs.


day5: hundreds of millions of years of walking in the stone forest

It was late at night when I came back from Houping Township, and the wedding seemed to be looming in my dream. The early morning mist had shrouded the sky over Yanhe County. This is the farthest city in Guizhou, and its remoteness reveals prosperity.


The Wujiang River is surging in the undercurrent, and the mountain mist has been reluctant to dissipate above the city for a long time. My brother told me that "the poor mountain used to be the Tongshan Mountain, and the bad water means that the Wujiang River is wide and turbulent and cannot be bridged." I don’t know if he is joking with me. , but this trip made me feel that Tujia Autonomous County is so beautiful.


Today's itinerary is a day with a relaxed mind and hard hands and feet. Hiking and climbing mountains is the most experienced experience today. The magic and power of nature is far more mysterious than I imagined, and the fossils all over the mountain surprised me a little. The more I study, the more I feel my ignorance, but the world is impermanent, and exploring in happiness is the true meaning of my life, obeying my heart and following nature...

The stone cats and corner stones in Maoshan Geopark are followed by Qiduo stones, slope stone forests, depression stone forests, and torch stone stone forests... The difference in material composition and weathering resistance is different. Under the action of external dynamic geology, long-term weathering and denudation The shape of the stone forest is different from the action, water transportation, etc., and one day can be regarded as witnessing the evolution of species for hundreds of millions of years!


Maoshan nautilus fossil: produced in the limestone with heavy argillaceous components in the upper Ordovician Baota Formation strata, ancient invertebrates, a genus of cephalopods, the shell is conical or cylindrical, and the shell is covered With prominent wavy stripes. Fossils can be seen on rock layers and cross-sections, and it is difficult to collect them, so they can be used as observation points for popular science.


Walking through small trails, even rugged mountain roads where only one person can walk, groping for the magical relics of nature, all kinds of experts around me show their abilities and exert their professional knowledge in their fields, collecting evidence, researching, and pursuing conclusions... …


Black night monkeys, paleontological fossils, food for the Red Army, various flowers and plants... Walking and learning all the way, the rich and colorful journey is recorded along the river, and the beautiful scenery is presented on each photo, which is even more engraved in my heart!


postscript:


The different scientific research and exploration journey ended after running and trekking through mountains and rivers. In less than a week, we experienced the landscape scenery of Wujiang Gallery and felt the inheritance and persistence of intangible cultural heritage. When society is constantly developing, it becomes more and more convenient. The traditional customs of the past have gradually disappeared from people's sight, but there are always some artists worthy of our respect who stick to it in a certain corner.



I am always improving my cognition as I grow up. The bigger the world I have traveled, the more I feel that I am just a speck of dust in the thousands of landscapes. The world is so big and those unknown areas are full of magical power. Scientific research is a difficult task. Long and continuous work, sincere admiration for the tireless and exquisite work of experts, full of expectations for the development and protection of nature, and sincere blessings for the preservation and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.



I hope that this kind of travel experience can bring readers a little touch, and it will be even more distant when it disappears. Traveling is not only over-developed scenic spots, but also the life and lives that are hard to reach deep in the mountains. I hope they will live better and look forward to their continuation...



About Guiyang and Guiyang Food

After nearly a week of travel, I returned to Guiyang again. I felt an unspeakable kindness, and I remembered the rhythm of shopping and eating when I arrived in Guiyang a few days ago! There are countless delicacies about Guiyang, and I have tasted many of them before, and this time is no exception.



I arrived in Guizhou two or three days before the scientific examination, and Guiyang also changed my inherent impression. Perhaps the reason why I didn’t visit the city last time caused me to label Guiyang as backward. In fact, the shopping malls and the full lanes represent this growing city. The well-proportioned houses are like stepping into the mountain city of Chongqing. Not only the geographical location is adjacent, but the food here also has the soul of Chongqing...


Living in the urban area and visiting shopping malls can be regarded as a shortcut to get to know the city. Shopping malls are inseparable from food. Nanguo Huajin has an online celebrity shop in Guiyang called Si Lian Hong Tangsi Doll. Just hearing the name is a bit confusing, but It is indeed worth recommending. The presentation is exquisite, the taste is also good, it belongs to the local specialties, no wonder there are many customers in the store!

Grilled fish skewers with green peppers is a must-order in this restaurant. The taste is superb. This is the unanimous opinion of my friends; the potatoes in Silian secret sauce look very beautiful, but I don’t like mashed potatoes very much; I was at a loss, and after a demonstration by the clerk, I finally understood the eating method of this online celebrity shop, except for the Houttuynia cordata, which tastes good and is worth trying.

In addition to this restaurant, there is also a snack bar under their brand Sixiangji on the first floor. I accidentally saw it when I was strolling in the middle of the afternoon. The business of this small shop among locals who eat spicy food is really good.

In addition to the sad shopping mall, the Hunter shopping mall is also worth a visit. Besides, the location is not far away. The food street in the Hunter shopping mall is also a good place to eat. Qishi Guiyang Flavor is also a famous Guiyang dish in the shopping mall. I ordered it with my friends. A large table is full, the portion is really good and the price is favorable.

The red oil lotus leaf powder is the first dish served, it tastes cool and refreshing, especially appetizing. Spicy peeled fish is one of my favorite dishes. It tastes similar to the bad fish I ate when I was a child. The meat is so strong that you can easily avoid the fishbone. The asparagus below was also superb. The corn rib soup has a sweet corn taste, and the pork ribs are stewed and delicious. The bacon in the stewed broccoli is fragrant but not greasy... This shop is worth recommending.

In addition to shopping, the night market is also an essential part of life in Guiyang. I have long heard about fried crabs in Riadou, and my friends especially love seafood, so the food for nightlife is locked.

Scallion oil sixties and scallion oil fried crab are exclusive to friends. Spicy fried crab and spicy shrimp are exclusive to me, but they are really super spicy. Fortunately, there is a super delicious mung bean soup to relieve the spicyness, which is also considered one of the gourmet dishes. The trip is a great experience!


travel tips

1. Cards: ID cards, bank cards, credit cards, driver's licenses (if you have them), and other discounted documents. Bring some cash with you, as credit cards or WeChat payments are not always available.
2. Ticket category: Determine the travel time, choose the means of transportation in advance, whether it is an airplane, high-speed rail or train, it is best to download an app, and you can book tickets anytime, anywhere. Self-driving needs to book a car and pick up time in advance.
3. Digital category: including mobile phones, charging treasures (remind that if it is an airplane, you can only bring two charging treasures at most, and no more than 10,000 mAh), various chargers, photographic equipment (wide-angle, telephoto, tripod), USB data line.
4. Clothes: Decide what clothes to bring according to the length of time. Check the weather in advance. Guizhou is not too cold in October, but thick cotton clothes are still needed in the morning and evening in the mountainous area.
5. Other categories: basic toiletries, personal habits.
6. Drugs: heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines or granules, band-aids, diarrhea, cold medicine, etc.

About traffic:
For Guiyang, the transportation development in most counties is not considered convenient. If you travel, it is recommended to drive by yourself. You can drive by yourself or charter a car, and define your own travel mode according to your own itinerary. It is very convenient that both Guiyang and Tongren Airports have more domestic flights.

About photographic equipment:
Mobile phone: iPhone8, handheld gimbal: Zhiyun SMOOTH4 [a powerful anti-shake tool for shooting videos, and different modes such as follow and zoom]
Camera: Canon EOS5D Mark III Lens: EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM, EF 70-200mm f/2.8 II, EF 50/1.4USM.
Filter: HAIDA NANOPRO CPL 77/82MM polarizing filter; HAIDA ND1000 77/82MM light reducing filter
Drone: DJI MAVIC PRO, although the pixels are not as good as Phantom 4, but for me, MAVIC is easy to carry, and putting it in the camera bag is equivalent to adding a telephoto lens.