【About Beijiang Fuhai】
To explore Fuhai Yadan, let’s first talk about where Fuhai is. Fuhai County belongs to the Altay region in northern Xinjiang (formerly known as Brentuohai County). It is connected to Beitun City, Altay in the north; borders Fukang City, Changji across the Junggar Basin in the south, Tacheng and Buksaier County in the west; and Fuyun County in the east. The county covers an area of 32,400 square kilometers, which can be described as a vast territory, but the total population is only more than 60,000. It is mainly composed of 32 ethnic groups including Kazak, Hui and Uyghur. There are 5 townships and 1 town under the jurisdiction of the county, and the county government is located in Fuhai Town, which has only more than 5,000 people. For tourists, Fuhai, a small city in northern Xinjiang, can be described as "unknown".
Fuhai is called Fuhai because its water resources rank first in Xinjiang. The main rivers of the Altai water system, such as the famous Irtysh River and the Ulungu River, all flow through Fuhai; Ulungu Lake, the largest saltwater lake in Xinjiang, and the famous Jili Lake (freshwater lake) are also in Fuhai. Therefore, Fuhai's fishery resources are very prosperous. Especially the pike perch salmon and northern pike that are abundant here are extremely delicious, attracting a large number of tourists to come here every year to look for this delicacy. However, there are few rumors in the whole country and even in Xinjiang whether there is Yadan landform in Fuhai. In this regard, we once doubted the authenticity of Fuhai Yadan.
This trip decided to explore Fuhai Yadan, mainly because I saw a wonderful description from a traveler: "If you arrive in Fuhai, it is a pity not to go to the Devil City on the Sea. The charm of the mountains, the agility of the lake, and the singing of fishermen Night, clouds and shadows, green waves rippling, and birds in the setting sun. Nature interprets this mythical spectacle in a unique style"...After the wonderful description, Fuhai Yadan's beautiful photos were posted. It seems that Shuishang Yadan really exists in Fuhai, it is not a fiction. So, we decided to find out.
For this reason, we did a lot of homework, but the more we did it, the more worried we became. The reason is: a hand-drawn map uploaded by a self-driving traveler confirmed that the location of Fuhai Yadan marked on Baidu and Tencent maps is wrong. So far, no more relevant information has been found. Finally, I finally found out that there is a phone number named "Chuanjiang Fish Restaurant" in the place marked by Yadan on the map. With the mentality of giving it a try, I called the fish restaurant before the trip, and learned from the wife of the fish restaurant: the Yadan place marked on the map is indeed more than ten kilometers away from the actual Yadan place (pictured below).
The proprietress of the fish restaurant is an enthusiastic person (she has been running the local restaurant for more than 20 years). She told me that most of the local people don't know the specific location of Yadan, or even the existence of Yadan in Fuhai. Only by asking the taxi driver at Fuhai Railway Station may you be able to get more reliable information. The proprietress also told that there is a deserted Gobi desert near Yadan. If you want to stay, you have to walk at least 2 kilometers to the nearby Kazakh herdsman village. There was a passenger who lived in Fuhai County in the same compartment as us. When we asked him about Yadan, he shook his head and said, "I have never heard of it." For this reason, can it be possible to explore Fuhai Yadan? Is it possible to shoot "the most original sunset and sunrise" on Yadan on the water? We've been beating drums in our hearts.
In the early morning of September 16th, when we left Fuhai Railway Station, we met a taxi driver (surnamed Zhao, native of Shandong). Once, the road was difficult to walk (all dirt roads). As long as we are willing to pay a chartered car fee of 100 yuan, he can take us to and from Yadan on the water, and park and wait for 2 hours at Yadan. Sure enough, the information of the proprietress of Chuanjiang Fish Restaurant was verified. We took Master Zhao's car to Fuhai County to find a good accommodation, and then went straight to Shuishang Yadan.
【Explore Fuhai Yadan】
The taxi rides along the deserted road on the Gobi Desert, bumpy and dusty all the way. After driving for more than 30 kilometers and about 40 minutes, I finally reached the end of the dirt road, and the blue lake and the peculiar Yardang landform were in front of me. The uncertain journey of exploration has immediately become a reality, and we can't help but feel a little excited.
According to the driver, Master Zhao, Fuhai Devil City is located on the southeast bank of Jili Lake. It is not at the location of the Ulungu Lake fishing ground marked on the map (locally known as Donghekou). The difference between the two is more than ten kilometers. Moreover, from Donghekou to Yadan There is also no way to go in the area, except for detouring Fuhai County, the other can only be reached by yacht from Jili Lake Fishing Ground Wharf (locally known as Xiaohaizi). This Yadan landform stretches for more than ten miles from east to west (not the north-south direction as mentioned on the Internet), and most of the water is surrounded by the southeast bank of Jili Lake (not the northeast bank as mentioned on the Internet). Why there is such a geographical deviation is really puzzling!
It is said that Fuhai Yadan was formed in the Cretaceous period hundreds of millions of years ago. The cause is that the early sandstone was deposited by the crustal up and down, and after tens of millions of years of wind carving and water erosion, it formed a variety of strange scenes. Due to the different rock materials, Danxia Mountain has many With white as the base tone, it also presents different colors such as light yellow and earth red. Because this Yadan mountain is surrounded by the lake (when the water of Jili Lake rises to a certain height, some mountains will stand in various poses and different forms in the water); in addition, it is windy all the year round, and whenever the strong wind blows, Danxia Mountain will emit ghosts and wolves. Tweet, creepy. The uncanny workmanship of nature, after a long evolution, has created this rare blessing sea - the sea devil city.
Walking into Fuhai Yadan, the "cities" in front of you seem to rise from the ground, and the scene is full of illusion. The sky is surprisingly blue, the mountains are weird and abrupt, and the lake is blue and clear; the continuous Danxia is like a white castle floating out of the water, standing tall and straight in your field of vision. Desolate, secluded, mysterious, secluded... It is very appropriate to say that it is a ghost city.
If the ancient city of Jiaohe is the most beautiful ruins. Then this sea devil city is the most ancient barbarism. There are no tickets, no mobile phone signal, no road in front of you, and no traces of people passing by; probably because you were frightened, a large number of flying birds hovered above your head and on the hanging rocks, and made intensive wailing calls. Time seems to stand still here, and you seem to have come to another world! Here the original illusion, people become very small, the exploration is all based on feeling, no one tells you where to go!
Originating from the Altai Mountains, the Ulungu River is rich in nutrients and winds for thousands of kilometers, where it flows into Fuhai Jili Lake. The blue sky, the vast expanse of blue lake, the clear lake water grows rare fish species such as crocodile, perch salmon, northern pike; clusters of reeds in the lake, swaying red willows on the shore, and unknown sandy species under the mountain plant. The sky and water in the Western Regions, and the water and mountains in the northern border have evolved through the ages and remained unchanged for thousands of years; the blue Jili Lake and the white Yadan form a natural picture here! If you can see it once in your life, it is probably your fate and blessing!
There are countless caves on the cliffs of Yardang, making it a paradise for birds. Pigeons, seagulls, wild ducks, etc. are flying in groups, and the scene is majestic and spectacular. Sometimes they skim the sea, and sometimes hover over the sky. This has been the case for generations, and the droppings of these birds have even changed the color of Danxia and reshaped the lines of the mountain surface. We have never seen such a sight, nor imagined it!
Facing the strange Danxia, we touch it with our hands. The seemingly soft rock mass is very hard; the water-eroded wind sculptures on the surface of Danxia are natural, like oil paintings; the rock mass in front of us is graceful and graceful. , self-contained, all of them are full of agility, as if they can speak. When nature created Fuhai Danxia, it used the most delicate carving, the most smooth technique, and the most peculiar artistic conception. At this moment, you have to admire the uncanny workmanship of nature and the good fortune of heaven!
We happened to meet two construction workers by the lake, and learned from them that the plank road in Yadanli was being built here, and guided by them, we found the entrance of the plank road. According to the workers, several more such plank roads (see picture) and several viewing platforms will be built around Danxia. At present, the first plank road has been basically completed, and the scenic gate and road will be built soon. It seems that it is only a matter of time before Fuhai Yadan collects tickets.
Looking at Yadan from the viewing platform on the plank road, you can have a panoramic view of the magnificent Fuhai Water Devil City.
Although some scenery is very beautiful, after seeing it, the impression will soon be blurred; while some scenes have magic power, just look at it, and the memory will be implanted from then on. At this moment, the wonderful description of the traveler lingered in my ears again: "If you arrive in Fuhai, it is a pity not to go to the Devil City on the Sea. The charm of the mountains, the agility of the lake, the evening fisherman's singing, the shadows of the clouds, the green waves Ripples, sunsets and birds. Nature interprets this mythical spectacle in a unique style." And we have a continuation: this piece of Yardang really exists on the bank of Fuhai Jili Lake, as long as you want to see it, it will definitely be there waiting for you!
The Yadan on the water of Jili Lake is very big. We agreed with the driver Master Zhao that we would only visit for two hours, which has already exceeded the time (at this moment, Master Zhao is still waiting for us at the parking place). For this reason, we walked about 2 kilometers up and down Yadan, and probably only saw the tip of the iceberg of Yadan. Originally planned to charter a car to come here to watch the sunset of Yadan in the evening, but we explored in Fuhai in the afternoon and made new discoveries.
【Ulungu River Sunset】
After returning to the hotel for lunch at noon that day, we took a short rest and then walked to the Ulungu River Wetland Park in the southern suburb of the county. The park is closed for construction and visitors are not allowed to enter. The park security saw that we were a little disappointed, so he suggested that we go to the Ulungu River to have a look, saying that the scenery there is more beautiful than the Wetland Park.
It was already mid-September, and the poplar and birch forests outside the Wulungu River Wetland Park gradually turned from green to yellow. It is said that if there is frost, the leaves here will turn golden in a few days, and the red willows and elms will also turn bright red. The scenery in front of us tells us that the beautiful golden autumn in northern Xinjiang is coming!
According to the instructions of the security guard, we continued to walk about 300 meters to the south, and came to a bridge. The famous Ulungu River in northern Xinjiang immediately appeared in front of us. Along the flat footpath along the river embankment, we felt relaxed and happy all the way, and enjoyed the river's light and water color all the way, which was a special scene.
Fuhai, a small city with a population of just over 5,000, gives people the feeling that it is "sparsely populated", with few people gathering in the streets and alleys. There were hardly any people in the park or on the embankment. Fuhai County is also very small. The intersection of Renmin Road and Tuanjie Road is the center of the county. It is so small that if you look around here, you can have a panoramic view of the county. But the streets of Fuhai are very neat and tidy, and the buildings are also very beautiful, full of ethnic style. It can be regarded as a beautiful small city in northern Xinjiang. Fuhai's food and beverage consumption is very substantial, 20 yuan per person can eat well. The whole small town is peaceful and peaceful, and there is hardly any noise on the street.
It is said that in front of many big-name tourist attractions in Xinjiang, Fuhai Yadan is not ranked at all. What really attracts tourists to Fuhai is the delicacy of Ulungu Lake’s mackerel and northern pike, which attract a large number of diners every year; The thickness of snow here can generally reach about 2 meters. The local folk song is very funny: "Fuhai is not hot in summer and hot in winter, the big pot is black in the house (cooking pike), the door is buried in snow outside the house (the door is closed by heavy snow), and the wife runs into other people's house (can not find the door) ".
The sunset over the Ulungu River is beautiful. It should be said that the land of Xinjiang, the motherland, is beautiful everywhere!
Fuhai, a beautiful small city, left a deep impression on us. Probably because there are few tourists, people are very honest and honest in their business and hospitality. Because the meals here are very large, we will remind you to reduce the portion before eating, but the restaurant often thinks that the food is not good enough, or the owner cooks himself or when you are eating, they stand By your side, keep saying: "Is it delicious? Eat more, if it doesn't taste good, I will redo it for you." Our national brothers and sisters are indeed forthright.
The sun is setting little by little over the Ulungu River, and the sky is full of blues, which is a wonderful moment. The river that was only seen on the map before, now it is truly and beautifully displayed in front of your eyes.
Today, the burning cloud of the Ulungu River is not gorgeous, but it still presents a quiet and solemn beauty. In a small town called Fuhai in the north of Xinjiang, China, we came here at sunset in September and left our body temperature and footprints. What kind of love and fate is this!
After watching the sunset on the Ulungu River, we walked back to the hotel along the Tuanjie Road in front of us. A long and happy day to explore Fuhai Yadan!
In the early morning of September 17, we walked to the Ulungu River again to watch the sunrise. So far, we have ended our trip in Fuhai. Afterwards, carpool from Fuhai Passenger Station (15 yuan per passenger) to Beitun City, Xinjiang, and transfer to a long-distance bus at Beitun Passenger Station (20 yuan per passenger) to Burqin in northern Xinjiang.
From the uncertain journey of exploring Yadan in Fuhai, to exploring Yadan in Fuhai has a smooth journey. Travel is often like this, and travel with suspense makes travel more exciting! Only the heartbeat and joy when the goal is achieved! We would like to thank the proprietress of "Chuanjiang Fish Restaurant" who has never met; thank the taxi driver Master Zhao who happened to meet; thank the security guard of the Wetland Park. At this moment, we will start from here again, follow the Ulungu River in front of us all the way, go to Burqin Colorful Beach, go to Kanas Lake, and pursue the beauty of golden autumn in northern Xinjiang!
(End of this article/to be continued) Jinling Lesou 2020/09/01
