Because of work, I went to the company's most remote project with interesting colleagues in early May, so I had this unusual experience. In the past private tours, I have done enough homework myself, but what I met and saw on the way this time seemed so abrupt, and the mysterious Northwest Yunnan just appeared in front of me.
Turning from Lijiang Sanyi Airport to Heqing County, passing by the "Yindu Water Town" - Xinhua Village, Heqing County, Dali, this is an ancient Bai village that has been hammered for a thousand years. Before entering the village, there are Caohai Wetlands on both sides of the road. Colleagues said that in winter, there will be many migrating wild ducks and water birds here, which is very lively. At this time, there was silence.
Walking through the silverware street, there is no clanging from the workshops at noon, maybe on weekdays, there is also less noise from tourists, and the white walls and green tiles are the daily tranquility. After walking through the silverware workshop, there is a lake, and the temple project built next to the mountain is reflected on the lake. The concrete frame feels like an unfinished project. It may be because there is no sunlight and blue sky, the lake looks black, maybe this is the origin of Heilongtan? Looking closely at the lake, the water is still very clear. The leaves of aquatic plants are swaying in the water, and there are dots of white as jade "water poplars" (scientific name: Boye sea cauliflower) floating on the water.
Leaving Xinhua Village, take the Dali Expressway on the first-level road of the airport, go west for a short distance to the Yanjiang Highway beside the Jinsha River, and then go upstream along the river. In Shigu Town, the Jinsha River flows here from the northwest, and turns to the northeast due to the obstruction of the cliff, forming a huge "V"-shaped turn, known as "the first bay of the Yangtze River". Although this is in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, due to the recent abundant rain, the river is still majestic and majestic while leaning on a railing to overlook the yellow soup-like water in the open area of the river.
In the wheat field by the roadside, the ripe spikes are too heavy to lift their heads. Colleagues couldn't resist getting out of the car to pose for a photo.
After crossing Tacheng, leave the Jinsha River and head towards Weixi. The road conditions are generally good, and it is already sunset when we arrive at Weixi. Seeing the strong light of the setting sun shining like a searchlight from the canyon, I hurriedly found an angle to snap a shot, and it turned into a golden glow and cast it on the top of the mountain. The spectacle was fleeting.
Weixi is an autonomous county of the Lisu nationality. The old county is not big, and it is built along the mountain. The road is not wide and the slope is steep. Here, my colleagues popularized the history of the "Weixi teaching case", forgive my ignorance. I couldn't find a suitable restaurant in the old county, so I went back to the side of the transit highway, and settled for dinner at a random house. When I came out, I found that the sky had changed drastically, as if there was a big movie about to be staged. The changes in the past hour or so are astounding.
We traveled for more than 3 hours in the dark, and we didn't know when we came to the Lancang River. We had no sense of direction when we walked through the mountains. The magical "Three Rivers" flow side by side, and today there are two rivers on the line. It is also to blame for the pause during the day, but under normal circumstances, it takes 8 hours from Lijiang Airport to the project, so I especially admire those backpackers who come here because of their reputation.
The project I want to go to is located in the deep mountains and old forests. Due to the coverage of transportation and network, it is not isolated from the world. In our spare time, we visited several surrounding villages and farmhouses, including many "famous" scenic spots (these are still ignorant to me), and this kind of "tourism" experience has never been seen before. I thought that "troublesome people come from poor mountains and bad waters", but after going deep into the farmers' homes, I saw that they have busy work and a relatively prosperous life. Isn't the quiet countryside and simple folk customs the rural life we admire?
Cizhong Village, Yanmen Township
On the right bank of the Lancang River, the suspension bridge leading to the village has been replaced by a concrete bridge. The once large grape orchard has been transformed into another homogeneous village after several years of construction. It is said that the Yanmen Township Government will move to this place. The most famous here is the "Cizhong Catholic Church", a state-level cultural relic protection unit. The church is in a small courtyard. The wing rooms in the inner courtyard are wooden structures with a local style. You can enter the church through the patio. In the courtyard, two locals were pulling weeds, a young grandmother was playing on the porch with her half-year-old baby, and a priest with a round face who spoke Mandarin was chatting with them.
The history of the Cizhong Church is related to the "Weixi Teaching Case". The church is not too big, and a little crude. With the permission of the priest, we were less serious, and our colleagues took us upstairs to the church. The wooden stairs for one person are a bit steep. There seem to be three floors, and there is a bell hanging in the stairwell on the middle floor, which is the kind of bell that can be rung in temples. The platform on the top of the building is not big, and the cool breeze is blowing, and the roof is supported by the bracket structure. Looking around, you can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, the way you came here, the endlessly flowing Lancang River, new villages, and walnut trees. . . . . . The grapes in Cizhong Village are quite famous. They are related to the church and are used for making wine. It is estimated that there are only vineyards in the church yard now, and they are relatively large-scale, right?
There are all kinds of mix and match styles everywhere, which is really amazing.
After leaving the Catholic Church, I went up the road and saw that the cherries at the farmer’s house by the roadside were very attractive. After getting permission from my grandmother, I borrowed a ladder and a pot. , that pile is better, let me take a picture and then pick it, haha. It's uncomfortable to pick and eat.
Zhenpu Village
Walking in the evening, I came to a flat dam on the hillside. In the farmland along the mountain, the crops are growing gratifyingly. There is a purple plant with awns, which surprised us. In this village, I saw walnut trees that could not be hugged by four people, bluegrass and mushrooms raised by farmers, and a woman milking a cow. Every family hangs out and chats about homework, but it's getting late.
Park Nong Village
Walking to a house, the screen wall at the door attracted us. A colleague said that this house is a "landlord". The door was ajar, we yelled a few times but no one answered, we pushed the door, and a group of people followed the door? We turned into a spacious and clean courtyard house, which was amazing. Call again, someone answered, and we came to the backyard following the sound. A man in his 50s, quite energetic, was preparing mixed chicken and corn noodles, watching us come in with a smile. Behind the backyard is a hillside, with various fruit trees and chickens, ducks and geese. When the old man went to find the goose egg he saw during the day, he found that it was gone. The female colleague who was traveling with her was curious, so she found a goose egg and put it back on the hillside for a photo. The old man said, keep one in a fixed place, and the geese will come here to lay it tomorrow, and if the eggs are taken away, you have to find a new place, and it will not be easy to find tomorrow. Still a good chicken, always laying eggs in the chicken coop. The old man is very talkative, he introduced his family situation to us, all the farm work, housework, inside and outside, he can also make wine, make his own erhu, and he showed us a part of it for himself, which is quite rustic. We are also infected by his optimistic attitude towards life. After leaving the yard, we went to the next door. The family is still busy. Their family has a lot of Chinese medicinal materials. The herbs that are being roasted are going to be sent to Guangdong to make herbal tea. I feel that every household here is relatively rich, and the people are hardworking, kind, and simple.
Tongle Village
This is a Lisu primitive ecological cultural village in Yezhi Town. Colleagues said that the scenery along the way was good, so we abandoned the car and walked up the mountain. However, a flood that occurred two years ago destroyed the road to the village and destroyed the vegetation along the river. Now it has been rebuilt into a concrete road, which has opened up a lot and lost the fun of walking.
Looking at the village located on the hillside from a distance, it is layered and dark. It is said that this village has a history of more than 300 years. At the entrance of the village, I met an old man who drove a group of cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens out of a mixed formation, and the bell on his neck swayed in the valley. Walking into the village, the doors are closed, the houses are deserted, and no one is seen. Even the doors of the exhibition halls are ajar. There is also a sculpture beside the small square to commemorate the founder of the Lisu syllable writing.
Antarctic Luo Village
It is famous for a piece of land known as "the fairyland on earth" and "the last pure land". Due to the heavy rain recently, the locals said it was difficult to go up, so we hesitated and decided to try our luck. Walk along the Lancang River to a place where there are two bridges. The cable bridge leads to Luo Village in Antarctica. Turn right after crossing the bridge. The road surface is not very good and there are few cars. After a few turns, the river surface is obviously much higher. Passing by Anjiluo Village, the unified layout should be a new village. Go further up, pass a checkpoint, and you will be on the original road of the forest farm. The rain is getting heavier all the way, and there are more high-altitude plants, such as a tree of alpine rhododendrons, straight and thick pine trees, tree hangings everywhere, cute mushrooms, moss, and the original style in the rain and mist is not bad. The snow at several bends completely covered the road surface. When we were about to hike, a young couple came up on a motorcycle. They were going to pick herbs, and they readily agreed to follow them to take a shortcut. But we didn’t go far, and we found that we couldn’t keep up at all. We really couldn’t hold back others, and it was too dangerous to go by ourselves. We didn’t see the legendary lake. It was a pity that we had to retreat. What was frightening was that he was actually stuck by the leeches. In the actual combat, he used all kinds of self-rescue methods and went down the mountain bloody. In the wooden hut in Camp No. 1, there was an old man and his granddaughter. They were Lisu people in Luo Village, Antarctica, and they drove cattle, sheep, and chickens to graze. We borrowed the firepit from his house to keep warm and rest. I wanted to buy a rooster, but the grandfather tried so hard and couldn't catch this "fighting rooster", so he had to give up.
The adventures along the way, let us have endless aftertaste.
Conclusion: We return from Shangri-La. Because of the influence of "Tibetan Code", I have imagined this "secret land". However, Dukezong has become a restored commercial district. Shambhala and Mandala, as place names, have nothing to do with the novel.
Walking into the northwest of Yunnan, until it got closer and closer to Tibet, I didn't see Tibetan blue, and I didn't feel special about the customs. In any case, this trip is still very wonderful, let's count it as a cultural trip.