3. Unforgettable trip to Korla and Kuqa
Xinjiang, Xinjiang, dear Xinjiang, at 8 o'clock in the morning on June 15, 2019, we returned to Urumqi from Yining by special tourist train, and officially ended our trip to Yili and northern Xinjiang. In the afternoon, we set off from Urumqi and arrived in Korla by train, starting the first leg of our trip to southern Xinjiang—the trip to Korla and Kuqa.
Dear Xinjiang, before arriving in Korla, Ali only knew that Korla’s fragrant pears are famous far and wide, and he had also eaten this kind of pears that are small in size but rich in aroma, thin in skin and crisp in flesh, and he was deeply impressed by its unique taste; after arriving in Korla, Ah Li learned more about it: Korla is located in the middle of your country. It is the state capital of your largest state - Bayingoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture. It is the throat of the middle road of the ancient Silk Road and the origin of Western Region culture. It is one of the important transportation hubs and material distribution centers in northern and southern Xinjiang, and with the development of Tarim oil, Korla is forming a new generation of pillar industries dominated by petroleum and petrochemicals.
On June 16, we started the trip to the village of the Rob people in the two-day itinerary of Korla. There are only five members in the group - Ah Li and three friends plus a guy from Chengdu who is here on a business trip. The driver and tour guide is Master Feng, who is born in the 70s like Master Ma and Master Cui in our trip to northern Xinjiang. He was one of the first batch of soldiers of the People's Liberation Army to enter Xinjiang. Soon after entering Xinjiang, he responded to the call to become a local transferred cadre, so he should be regarded as the second generation of red; He has made a qualitative leap in his personality - he has been mischievous since he was a child, and he remained the same after joining the army. The monitor taught him, but he actually knocked the monitor down with his strong body! As a result, that night, ten squad leaders from the company came together to teach him a good lesson. They made him lie on the bed and reflect for several days. Became the squad leader; after retiring from the army, he had a very good life - playing with dogs, playing with eagles, playing with cars, playing with fishing, playing with hunting, eating with others, drinking with others, and playing with others; He invested in a jade mine with his friends and was about to make a fortune. It coincided with anti-terrorism and stability maintenance. All projects were stopped and the machines were buried in situ. He had nothing to do, so he bought a commercial vehicle and cooperated with a travel agency. Started tourism, led tourists from all over the world to visit Korla, and at the same time looked forward to the early resumption of work of the invested mine.
Dear Xinjiang, the story of Master Feng is as vivid and interesting as the stories of Master Ma and Master Cui! It made our journey full of laughter and laughter, and it seemed that we arrived at our destination - the village of the Rob people soon.
The Luobu village is 85 kilometers south of Korla. Here is the largest desert in our country - the Taklimakan Desert, the longest inland river in our country - the Tarim River, and the Populus euphratica forest that lives for a thousand years, dies for a thousand years, and falls for a thousand years, and lives on the banks of the Tarim River. The Luobu people who "do not grow grains, do not herd livestock, but live by fishing in small boats".
Ah Li once heard people say: the most beautiful season of Populus euphratica should be in October, when the leaves of Populus euphratica turn yellow, what tourists see is a golden piece! But Ah Li is still full of admiration for the green Populus euphratica in June—you can see Populus euphratica with cracked skin everywhere in the village, some stand upright, some lean down, some grow in the wild, and some are buried Surround the room. But no matter what, they are all as if nothing happened, with a helpless smile on their faces! Master Feng also specially reminded us to observe the leaf shape of Populus euphratica. Only then did Ah Li discover that Populus euphratica is different from other trees. The leaves on a single tree have at least three shapes: willow leaf shape, maple leaf shape, and poplar leaf shape. Why does Populus euphratica have leaves of several shapes? Ah Li was puzzled, but Hu Yang just stood there, not answering Ah Li's doubts. Dear Xinjiang, do you know the answer?
In addition to Populus euphratica in the village, there are red willows blooming with fine and dense red flowers-although they are not tall, they grow in clumps. Master Feng said that its underground roots are particularly developed. He used to dig red willows in winter when he was a child. The roots are used as firewood: there is only a small clump of short red willows on the ground, but the roots dug out of the ground can fill a car!
Of course, the most common plants Ah Li saw in the village were reeds, which grew in the wilderness, by the side of the road, in the sea, and even in the depressions of the desert. However, no matter where they are, they are always green and green. Together with Populus euphratica and red willow, the villages of the Rob people in the desert are full of vitality! Populus euphratica, red willow, and reed are also indispensable in the life of the Rob people: they use poplar euphratica as barbecue wood for grilling sheep and fish, or make it into various handicrafts; they use red willow sticks to skewer mutton pieces Put it on the stove for baking, and use red willow sticks to prop up the whole big fish that is cut from the abdomen and look like flying, and bake it by the fire, so that the mutton skewers and grilled fish have the unique aroma of red willow; they cover the roof with dry reeds, or Make it into a courtyard wall, or weave it into a hat and so on. Dear Xinjiang, if there were no Populus euphratica, red willows and reeds in the villages of the Rob people, would the Rob people build houses and settle here?
After visiting the village, we began to climb the Taklamakan Desert. Instead of riding a camel up the sand dunes, Ah Li and his friends took off their shoes and climbed barefoot. Although it is very strenuous to walk in the soft desert, the intimate contact between the soft yellow sand and the feet gives people a very comfortable feeling, and what you see in front of you is an extremely comfortable beauty: endless The undulating sand dunes, the camel caravan appearing on the sand dunes in the distance, the Tarim River flowing quietly in the desert, the tall Populus euphratica trees standing on both sides of the Tarim River like guards... Dear Xinjiang, Ali and his companions have nothing to do Did not feel tired. We kept walking and shooting on the continuous sand dunes, until the sun baked the sand until the feet were a little hot, then we left the sand dunes, went back to the village, and put on our shoes.
It was lunch time, and Master Feng took us to a local restaurant. The four of us only ordered one dish - grilled lamb chops, no rice. During the roasting of the lamb chops, Ali was very worried that one dish would not be enough to eat—everyone had played all morning, especially after climbing the dunes, they were all hungry and didn’t eat, okay? Ah Li couldn't help asking for an extra bowl of rice, but the boss refused: the grilled lamb chops are enough for the four of you, no extra rice! Dear Xinjiang, the owner of the restaurant actually refused the guest's request for extra meals. Ah Li has never encountered this before! However, when the lamb chops were served, Ah Li knew that the boss was right: this big pot of lamb chops with a strong aroma, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside is really enough for the four of us to eat to our heart's content! Dear Xinjiang, the people here are really sincere!
After eating the lamb chops, we returned to Korla and visited the Korla Museum. Because it is almost closing time, we only had a quick glimpse of the most distinctive mummy exhibition hall in the museum, and we didn't understand it in detail, leaving a little regret. However, dear Xinjiang, this regret did not last long: when we returned to Urumqi after our trip to southern Xinjiang, Ali and his friends went to the Xinjiang Museum in the city and carefully watched "The Dead Over a Thousand Years— —Xinjiang Ancient Mummified Corpse Exhibition” exhibition, I learned about the mummified corpses excavated in various places with many tourists, especially witnessed the legendary Loulan beauty. Dear Xinjiang, Ali only knew that there were mummies in Egypt, but I didn't expect you to have mummies here too! It is true to see a lot to know a lot!
On June 17, we visited Bosten Lake in the east of Korla. Bosten Lake was called "West Sea" in ancient times, and it is said that Yaochi, the place where King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West had a date, is here. It is the largest inland freshwater lake in my country, with a water area of 1,640 square kilometers. The water source is the Kaidu River, which was once painted randomly on the Bayinbuluk prairie. It has 600,000 mu of reeds and is one of the four major reed producing areas in my country. , with an annual output of 300,000 tons of reeds; it also has 100,000 mu of water lilies, which is the largest wild water lily base in my country; it has more than 30 species of fish, and is the largest local fishery production base; it is also the source of the Kongque River, the mother river of Korla ——The Kongque River flows out from the west of Bosten Lake, crosses the urban area of Korla from east to west, and forms a scenic tourist belt of the Kongque River about 10 kilometers long in the urban area.
There are many scenic spots in Bosten Lake, and we only went to three of them: Lianhua Lake, Lianhai World and Yangshui Station. We admired the blue water of Bosten Lake under the blue sky, the large water lilies with various flowers in the blue lake, and the large green reeds in the blue lake; we also took a speedboat in the Lianhua Lake scenic area to shuttle through the endless reeds In the game, I experienced the thrill and excitement brought by the speed and passion! Dear Xinjiang, these are things we have never experienced during our trip to Kanas Lake and Sailimu Lake during our trip to northern Xinjiang. Can we not be excited? Can we not linger?
After visiting Bosten Lake, we returned to downtown Korla. After viewing the Peacock River Scenic Tourist Belt in the car, it was already around five o'clock in the afternoon. The guy from Chengdu got out of the car and waved goodbye to us. Dear Xinjiang, our two-day tour of Korla is over, and we are about to start a one-day tour of Kuqa!
Kuqa was called Qiuci in ancient times. It is on the west side of Korla. It takes about four hours to drive there from Korla. Master Feng took Ah Li and his three partners to continue driving westward, heading towards Kuqa along National Highway 314 in the brilliant sunset. Along the way, the continuous Tianshan Mountains always accompany us on the right side of the national road, and from time to time there will be a few antelopes looking for food in the desert on both sides of the national road. Dear Xinjiang, why is the Tianshan Mountain we see now bare? Although it is full of ravines, why doesn't a blade of grass grow? This is completely different from the Tianshan Mountains we saw in northern Xinjiang: the Tianshan Mountains in northern Xinjiang are densely forested and have many streams! Also, dear Xinjiang, the antelope looks so smart, agile, noble and elegant, how could they live in such a harsh environment?
On the evening of June 17th, we arrived in Kuqa smoothly. The next morning, we started the last day of the journey in the first section of the southern Xinjiang trip - the trip to Kuqa. Master Feng first took us to visit Kuqa Tianshan Grand Canyon National Geopark. The park is about 70 kilometers away from Kuqa County, and is located beside the Duku Highway. Dear Xinjiang, do you still remember that during our trip to northern Xinjiang, we took the Duku Highway from Nalat to Bayinbulak Grassland? Do you still remember that when we went there, we were fascinated by the tall and straight snowy spruces on both sides of the road, and when we came back, we were fascinated by the snowflakes flying all over the sky and the mountains full of jade trees and Qiongzhi? Ah Li really did not expect that we, who have enjoyed the scenery of the northern section of the Duku Highway, can now enjoy the scenery of the southern section of the Duku Highway; The scenery in this section is completely different! We started from Kuqa County and went north along the Duku Highway. The color we saw was basically red! red! red! The high peaks are bare red! The low hills are bare red! The little mound is still bare red! Of course, there are also things that are not red: the water of the Kuqa River is not red, and the plants on both sides of the Kuqa River are not red! Dear Xinjiang, the Duku Highway is really a magical road! No wonder it is called the most beautiful landscape avenue!
After we arrived at the Tianshan Grand Canyon National Geopark, what we saw was still a red mountain, but the shape was more colorful than the ones on both sides of the road just now. It can be transformed into cities, giant beasts, gods, etc. according to everyone's imagination. . Due to the water flow in the canyon, there are still some plants growing at the foot of the mountain, and these plants are hurrying to bloom and bear fruit.
In the afternoon, we visited the Kizil Grottoes. It is also known as the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves. It is a Buddhist grotto. It was excavated on the cliff on the north bank of the Muzhat River in the 3rd century AD. There are 4 grotto areas in the Kizil Grottoes, and there are 236 officially numbered grottoes. Now only a small number of grottoes are open to tourists. It is a pity that most of the statues and murals in the Kizil Grottoes have been damaged.
Dear Xinjiang, the Kizil Grottoes have high artistic value, and some people compare it with the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. It's a pity that Ah Li is a layman, and he doesn't have a strong interest in grotto art, but he has a strong interest in and deep feelings for the three kinds of mulberries in the scenic spot! Pick it up and eat it, so reluctant to part with it that it seems that there is still that soft and juicy sweetness in your mouth! Ah Li used to only know that ripe mulberries are red and black, but I didn’t expect that you have not only red and black mulberries, but also white and pink mulberries.
Not long after we entered the Kizil Grottoes scenic spot, Master Feng pointed to a big mulberry tree on the left side of the road and said to us: "This is a white mulberry tree, you go and pick it." We immediately surrounded the mulberry tree to find its fruit, Master Feng took advantage of his height to pull down the mulberry branches that we couldn't reach for everyone to pick. The green mulberry is immature, and its color and taste are the same as our inland ones; while the white mulberry is ripe, pick it off and put it in your mouth, its sweetness is much higher than our red and black mulberries, it is comparable to honey . It was the first time we ate such sweet mulberries, we were all overjoyed and couldn't bear to leave, but Master Feng reminded us: "Don't eat too much, there will be more in the future." So we went on the road again, and after a short walk, there appeared I built a small mulberry garden, with red and black mulberries, white mulberries, and pink mulberries! Pink mulberries are even sweeter than white mulberries! Dear Xinjiang, you are such a magical place! There are even three kinds of mulberries!
After visiting the Kizil Grottoes, Master Feng led us to a scenic spot that was not on the itinerary: Kuqa Yardang Landform Concentration. Here, countless strangely shaped and colorful hills roll up and down, bare and lifeless. However, in this desolate wilderness, it is actually covered with electric wires; every other section of the road is also traversed by electric wires - in order to prevent vehicles from being crushed, the electric wires are covered with protective pads. Master Feng said that this is the line laid out by local oil prospectors to detect oil and gas reserves. Dear Xinjiang, how much energy and time will it take to cover such a vast and complicated wilderness with electric wires! Ah Li would like to pay high tribute to these workers on the wasteland!
Dear Xinjiang, after seeing the Kuqa Yadan landform, our trip to Kuqa is coming to an end. We are going to Kuqa Railway Station, take the train to Kashgar that night, and prepare to start a three-day trip to Kashgar. We were all a little bit reluctant, and didn't want to end this trip so soon, so we asked Master Feng to show you the old town of Kuqa County. Master Feng drove the car slowly, letting us admire the buildings with ethnic characteristics in the old city. He also stopped in front of a shop selling naan. Naan like a washbasin is served as dinner.
Xinjiang, Xinjiang, dear Xinjiang, our trip to Korla and Kuqa is over. Although there is a lot of reluctance, when we think of the trip to Kashgar, we are full of longing.
Xinjiang, Xinjiang, dear Xinjiang, what will our trip to Kashgar be like?
looking forward!
September, August 2019
