The Tengger Desert, one of the western deserts in Zhongwei, Ningxia, faces Shapotou with nine bends and eighteen bends of the Yellow River, separated only by a railway track. The reporter visited here twice in July and October 2004, which left an indelible impression on the reporter.
The first time the reporter went to Ningxia Zhongwei was to collect stories with the special train of China Railway Brigade "Going to the West". I remember that in the early morning of July 30, 2004, the reporter's tourist train arrived at the Shapotou Nature Reserve in Ningxia from Xining, Qinghai after a one-night trip.
Being able to drive the train to Shapotou shows the advantages of the railway. The reason is that there is no train station in Shapotou. Usually tourists who travel to Shapotou, one takes a train and gets off at Zhongwei Railway Station, which is more than 20 kilometers away from Shapotou, and then transfers to a car to arrive here; the other is to come here by car from Yinchuan. And because China Railway Brigade is affiliated to the Beijing Railway Bureau, it can uniquely use its own railway resources to drive the train directly to the Shapotou Scenic Area.
Shapotou Tourist Scenic Area just straddles the two sides of the railway. To the south is the southeastern part of the Tengger Desert, and to the north is the Shapo Bell Scenic Area by the Yellow River. Since there is no platform, the steps of the carriage doors are still a certain height from the railway embankment. The tourists help each other, and the young people slowly help the elderly and children off the train. Shapotou was shrouded in thick fog in the early morning, and the visibility was less than ten meters away. Fortunately, the team lined up in an orderly manner. Everyone helped the old and the young, and entered the Tengger Desert safely under the guidance of the tour guide.
Tengger Desert is one of the four major deserts in China. It is located in the southwest of Alxa Left Banner of Alxa League and the central part of Gansu Province. It reaches Helan Mountain in the east, the Great Wall of Vietnam in the south, and Yabulai Mountain in the west. Tengger is Mongolian, which means boundless like the sky. The Tengger Desert is more than 1,200 meters above sea level, with a total area of 36,700 square kilometers.
Sand dunes, lake basins, mountains, remnant hills and plains intersect each other in the desert, among which sand dunes account for more than 70%, mostly crescent-shaped dune chains, 10-30 meters high, and often move to the southeast. There are more than 400 large and small lake basins in the Tengger Desert, most of which are freshwater lakes that can be drunk by humans and animals. The surrounding plants grow luxuriantly, and they are the main pastures, suitable for desert exploration, sightseeing and other tourism activities. The Shapotou Desert Scenic Area for sightseeing is located on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert.
The tourist team entered the gate of the Shapotou Desert Scenic Area and walked along the long plank road. Through the gradually dissipating fog, the barriers of the "Wheat Straw Grid Sand Fixing Method" on both sides of the plank road are clearly visible. Entrusted by the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Railways, Ningxia Zhongwei Sand Fixation Forest Farm, the Shapotou Experimental Research Station of the Lanzhou Desert Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the people of Zhongwei worked together to create scientific research results on desert control, effectively controlling sand The intrusion of pests has ensured that the Baolan Railway has been unimpeded since it was opened to traffic in 1958. This pioneering work in the history of human desert control provides valuable practical experience for human beings to conquer deserts. Tourists rarely saw the miracle of this magnificent desert control project, which is famous all over the world.
Coincidentally, on October 4, 2004, the reporter's second trip to the Tengger Desert was a caring and environmental protection public welfare activity with a large-scale environmental protection team driving in the Shapotou National Nature Reserve. As the scientific research results of the "Wheat Straw Grid Sand Fixing Method" in Shapotou have attracted widespread attention in the field of sand control scientific research and engineering in the world, everyone here personally participates in the work of desert control. This is the second time for the reporter to come here It is an important part of participating in the theme activities of the Western Environmental Protection Miles.
Once out of the plank road, the endless Tengger Desert is displayed in front of people's eyes. Tourists rode on camels one after another, and groups of camel teams carrying tourists climbed up the sand hills in the fading morning fog and headed deep into the desert. In a tourist area in the desert, there are all kinds of recreational items in the desert, such as sand boarding, sand sea surfing by truck, kart driving, jeep crossing sand dunes and so on. Tourists enjoy the fun of playing in the desert.
After coming out of the Shapotou Desert Scenic Area, visitors can drill through the underground railway bridge to the entrance of the Shapotou Bell Scenic Area. Not far after entering the scenic spot, standing at the foot of the sand mountain is the rushing Yellow River. Visitors must go down the mountain to reach the scenic spot on the banks of the Yellow River.
Because Shapotou integrates the desert, the Yellow River, high mountains and oasis, it is called "the world's monopoly tourism resource" by tourism experts. It has both the beautiful scenery of the south of the Yangtze River and the majestic scenery of the northwest. Tourist resort; National Nature Reserve.
Shapotou has been listed as a scenic spot since ancient times. Among the "Eight Views" of Zhongwei recorded in ancient records, Shapotou has three scenic spots: "Shapo Ringing the Bell", "White Horse Rein", and "Tanshan Night Photo". Tourists slide down from the top of Shapotou, which is about 100 meters high. Due to the special geographical environment and geological structure, when sliding on the sand, there will be a strange sound under the seat, such as a loud bell and a drum, which is dull and thick, so it is called It is "Jinsha Ringing Bell". The "white horse rein" is a water diversion facility similar to Dujiangyan in the center of the Shapotou section of the Yellow River, with a leaping horse in the middle.
The "Yellow River Flying Down", known as the first cable of the Yellow River, is a thrilling and exciting entertainment project that is very popular among young people. On the cableway platform at one end of the Yellow River, tourists wear safety belts in full armor, hang two pulleys on the steel cables, hold the handrails under the pulleys with both hands, and then rush down the platform to slide over the Yellow River.
In an instant, the wind was blowing in the ear, the heartbeat accelerated violently, the Yellow River was flowing under the feet, and the person was gliding rapidly over the Yellow River. The incomparably exciting feeling is really indescribable in words. After flying over, you have to board a three-story high platform and fly back. This back and forth flight over the Yellow River only takes about two minutes. It is really an adventurer's sport that challenges one's psychological limit.
At the starting point of the cableway platform, Zhao Qiushuang, head of the Shapotou Sand Skiing Cableway Company, told reporters that we have established a strict security system for participating in this recreational activity of flying across the Yellow River. On the basis of providing safety protection devices for tourists, the ticket number of each tourist is also registered for insurance. Therefore, tourists in good health can rest assured to participate in this risk-free activity and feel the fun of flying over the Yellow River.
The "Yellow River Flying Down" reminded the reporter of the scene of Nu and Lisu compatriots "crossing the rope" on the Nu River when they filmed the feature film "Chinese National Sports" in Fugong, Yunnan. Due to the limited number of bridges on both sides of the Nu River, it is common for ethnic compatriots to cross the Nu River by "zip rope". It is really admirable for the bravery of the compatriots of the same ethnic group to fly up and down the Nu River all day long.
It is said that if you want to appreciate the true artistic conception of Wang Wei's poem "The desert is solitary, the smoke is straight, the long river is full of the sun", you will not be able to achieve your wish if you don't go to Shapotou. Shapotou has undulating waves, the boundless desert, the Yellow River flowing forward with nine bends and eighteen bends, the man-made green Great Wall, and the beauty of the vast sea of steel. It will add color to the landscape of the Yellow River in the new century and make the south of the Yangtze River more beautiful and rich.
Crossing the Yellow River on a sheepskin raft (Feng Ganyong)
The Yellow River enters Shapotou, Ningxia from the Heishan Gorge, twists and turns, and rushes all the way down. During the more than 60-kilometer course from Heishan Gorge to Shapotou, there are steep peaks on both banks and treacherous rivers. There are not only thrilling rapids and dangerous shoals, but also pleasing long gorge valleys. If sand surfing in Shapotou is an extremely exciting recreational activity, then rafting on a sheepskin raft on the Yellow River in the Shapotou Scenic Spot is a quiet and slightly exciting activity with rich connotations. The unique rafting tool on the Yellow River - the sheepskin raft drifts with the current and takes the lead.
Ancient Sheepskin Raft (Feng Ganyong)
Take the sheepskin raft, an ancient river crossing tool, and cross the Yellow River to the other side. This kind of sheepskin raft is commonly known as "paizi", which is made by cutting off the head and hoof of a goat, and then tying the sheepskin off the whole body. When using it, blow air through the mouth to make it bulge. It is very light and can be carried by one person. Tourists sit on the "platoon", and the raft workers use oars to row the raft forward, which is very interesting. The load of each raft can reach one ton, 3 to 4 people sit on it, and the old raft workers who have dealt with the Yellow River all their lives are driving. It can be said that they are familiar with the road.
Crossing the Yellow River on a motorboat (Feng Ganyong)
On October 4th, the reporter came to the bank of the Yellow River after finishing the public welfare activities held in the Tengger Desert, and drove to the opposite bank of the upper reaches of the Yellow River with a few riders on a motorized speedboat. Then put on a life jacket and change to a sheepskin raft to drift downstream in the Yellow River. Occasionally, a speedboat will pass by on the way, and the waves will make the sheepskin raft float on the water. The experienced sailors used paddles to stabilize the erratic raft in time. Although there was no danger, it was also a kind of gentle stimulation. However, the leisurely and unique feeling of being so close to the Yellow River in calm weather and overlooking the banks of the Yellow River from the water is really wonderful that cannot be expressed in words.
"The willows by the river are as green as the people, and the peach blossoms on the bank are as red as the water." Sitting on a raft, there are scenery in the water, and there is love in the scenery, just as the ancient Wei Xiu sang: "The front village is vaguely painted, and the boat returns slowly. Prosperity.” As the name suggests, this is China’s “No. 1 Yellow River Floater in the World.” The experience of crossing the Yellow River in Shapotou in two different forms will always be left in the deep memory. (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
