Autumn View of Populus euphratica Northwest Journey (October 13-October 18, 2021)
About 10 years ago, a colleague of mine who loves photography came back from his annual vacation and brought a group of photos to hang on the wall of the canteen of the unit for everyone to enjoy. The dead trees stood stubbornly straight, lying or obliquely in the desert. The pictures made of yellow-leaved trees were like oil paintings, and I was shocked by them. A colleague told me that this is a "poplar tree", which grows in the desert in the northwest. It is resistant to cold, drought, salt, alkali, wind and sand, and has strong vitality. There is a saying that "you can live for a thousand years without dying, die for a thousand years without falling, and fall for a thousand years without being immortal". Since then, it has become my plot to see Populus euphratica once.
In order to have a glimpse of the Populus euphratica forest, in the golden autumn of October, I invited several classmates and friends to sign up for a travel agency in this city. On October 13, we set off happily!
On the 13th, Hefei-Yinchuan. The local tour guide picked us up and went to the western film and television city of Zhenbeibao. Arrive in about 1 hour, after lunch (eat a bowl of beef noodles near the scenic spot), enter the scenic spot for sightseeing. Zhenbeibao Western Film and Television City is located in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It is one of the three major film and television cities in China and the only famous film and television city in the west. It is a national 5A-level tourist scenic spot, also known as "Oriental Hollywood". It enjoys the reputation of "Chinese films go to the world from here".
Now it has become the best location for filming and television films with western and ancient themes. In the past, it was just a frontier fortress. In modern times, it has been transformed into a film and television base by the writer Mr. Zhang Xianliang. The place is huge and divided into three parts. The two cities of Ming and Qing Dynasties and Yinchuan Old Street. We went in for a free combination, and there were free explanations, but there were very few explainers, so we occasionally listened to a paragraph.
Many famous movies, such as "A Chinese Journey to the West", "Dragon Inn", "Red Sorghum", etc., are filmed here. According to the commentator, it is free for the crew to come here to film the scene, but the props in the film and television must be donated here, so it is quite a place here. It became a film and television museum. Through the creation of film and television bases, the ruins of the old city are protected. This is Mr. Zhang Xianliang's wisdom and another masterpiece of his.
In Mingcheng, I was particularly impressed that there was a cultural wall from the 1970s and the scene of the rostrum of the venue, which had a sense of age. The companions in the same company were all born in the 4050s and 60s, and they are still very familiar with this scene. Because of the glittering portrait of Chairman Mao hanging on the background wall, everyone can't help but think of "I love Beijing Tiananmen", and feel very cordial. So they imitated the scenes and actions of the 1970s and took pictures, as if returning to the fiery youth. In Qingcheng, the Zhang Xianliang Memorial Hall is particularly impressive. The memorial hall is a garden-style courtyard that combines Chinese and Western styles. The furnishings are divided into six main exhibition rooms, which are distributed in each room of the courtyard in chronological order in the form of objects, pictures, words, audio and video, etc., reviewing the legendary life of the writer. Visitors here can also buy Zhang Xianliang's works as souvenirs. At the end of the tour, after dinner, drive to Alxa. Overnight at Alxa League Huadu Hotel
On the 14th, take a bus from Alxa to Ejina Banner to visit "Weak Water Populus, Black City, and Strange Forest". Arrived at three o'clock in the afternoon. After entering from the gate of the scenic spot, the first is Ruoshui Populus euphratica forest, which is known as the drunk and beautiful Populus euphratica forest scenic spot.
The main channel of the Ruoshui River has the natural advantage of being 10 kilometers long and 800 meters wide on both sides. The islands, lakes, forests and other natural landscapes derived from it perfectly combine Populus euphratica forest with deserts and lakes, preserving its original ecological beauty. Under the sunshine, the scenery is beautiful and magnificent. The blue and yellow Populus euphratica trees and the water surface against the blue sky and white clouds are reflected immediately, like a beautiful picture scroll, walking in it is intoxicating! As we walked and took pictures, we forgot the time. "Weak water is three thousand, I only take a scoop to drink", we can't be too greedy,
Heicheng is an important military town in Xixia, and it is also the most complete preserved disabled ancient city on the Silk Road. But what we are visiting is not the ruins, but the black city that is rebuilt for tourists to watch according to 1:1. According to historical records, when Xixia was destroyed by Mongols, it was very tragic. The city was massacred and the clan was wiped out. Even the writing was not left, and the writing of Xixia was lost.
In order to hurry up, we quickly passed through the black city, walked out of the city gate and took the shuttle bus in the scenic area to reach the strange forest. When I approached the strange forest, I was a little surprised. Due to the cessation of the Ejina River, large dead Populus euphratica tree trunks are lying here and there. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the entire forest is like an ancient battlefield that experienced a desperate struggle, with broken arms and limbs, giving people a sense of heaviness and depression.
Big dead Populus euphratica trees stand, lie down, fall down, or hug each other tightly. Some seem to be screaming up to the sky, some are like bowing their heads and drawing swords, some are swaying furiously, and some are angry. Some seem exhausted, some seem hoarse ---they use various unique postures and silent language to interpret a kind of heroism, tenacity and fearlessness. Either because I have just heard the story of the demise of Xixia, or saw the silhouette against the setting sun, the strange forest in my eyes is tragic and desolate. Even the husband and wife tree where people took photos to commemorate it, all I saw was poignant and beautiful.
(Life can exist if there is water, and it will disappear without water. The reason is simple but difficult to do!)
When the sun was about to set, we climbed up to Shapotou to watch the setting sun. It was really magnificent and resplendent. It reminded people of the poem "The setting sun is infinitely good, but it is only near dusk".
Dinner Ejina Banner Tourist Buffet Restaurant Meal and Accommodation Ejina Banner Populus Populus Town Hotel
On the 15th, Juyanhai watched the sunrise. I got on the bus at 5:30 in the morning and arrived at Juyanhai in about an hour. Unexpectedly, dozens of buses had already arrived. In order to see the beautiful scenery at that moment, tourists also worked hard. Juyanhai is a large lake. The most beautiful moment here is at sunrise, when reeds, seagulls, and the sun form a beautiful picture. The tour guide bought tickets for us and took the scenic bus to the viewing platform. Walking to the boardwalk and viewing platform, tourists who love photography have already set up long guns and short cannons, and more tourists are holding mobile phones, waiting for the moment of sunrise. A few teammates and I hurriedly found a gap that was convenient for watching and taking pictures, and waited. It was really cold in Juyanhai in the morning, but luckily we all wore down jackets.
At around 7:20, a ray of light shone on the sea surface, sparkling, and then a round of beautiful red sun suddenly jumped into the camera, and the golden ray of light in the sky shone in the light blue sky in an instant, and people were shocked in a low voice. Shouting, admiring, for fear of affecting the normal sunrise. The sun rises slowly, and the reeds under the red sun are golden and golden, which is very gorgeous. Seagulls fly by from time to time, and a casual photo is a landscape painting. Some tourists tease the flying seagulls with small food such as bread crumbs, and people take pictures to their heart's content. Some tourists even climb over the railings regardless of the danger and the regulations of the scenic spot, with the purpose of getting closer to the seagulls and taking a more perfect photo. An hour later, the sunrise was half a pole high, and the tourists slowly dispersed. Perhaps because we want to leave more time for the core attractions of Populus euphratica, some of our group members have returned to the car ahead of schedule.
At about 10 o'clock, we arrived at the gate of Populus euphratica Forest Scenic Area. According to the tour guide, we are going to visit the Populus euphratica forest of Yidaoqiao, Sidaoqiao, Sidaoqiao and Qidaoqiao, and the desert of Badaoqiao. The tour time is about 7 hours, with Chinese food buffet, and we will gather at 6 pm. Entering the scenic spot, compared with the weak water Populus euphratica, the leafy Populus euphratica here is more spectacular, and the slightly thinner Populus euphratica forest is more enchanting.
Populus euphratica trees are everywhere in the scenic area, and each tree has its own unique personality, showing different looks from different angles and under different lights. There are beauties in beautiful clothes taking pictures everywhere, especially the beauties in red walking through the Populus euphratica forest. Against the background of the blue sky, turquoise water and soft desert, they are particularly poetic and picturesque. My companions and I naturally took pictures and laughed happily. Even my nearly 80-year-old mother posed for pictures with her young companions. Most of the time passed, and we hadn't walked out of the third or fourth bridge, so we speeded up and browsed the Qidao Bridge, then transferred to the Badao Bridge. Poe and camels have been commercialized at the same time, including desert sports cars, camel riding, paragliding and other projects. When it was almost time to assemble, we quickly took a few photos of the desert and left.
The same is to visit the Populus euphratica Forest Scenic Area. Today, there is no dullness and depression in the strange forest. It turns out that for Populus euphratica, death is a warrior who kills the enemy and a strong man who defends the country; life is the beauty of a woman and the majesty of a man. I like this tree species more and more. Its charming demeanor, stubborn character, and ill-fated fate have inspired people's poetic and philosophical thoughts. Throughout the ages, Populus euphratica has become a kind of spirit and has been worshiped by people.
After dinner, stay at Ejina Banner Populus Populus Town Hotel.
On the 16th, take a bus from Ejina to Zhangye. Because China's manned spaceship No. 13 was launched on the evening of the 15th, it is expected that the route will be closed. Passing by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Base in the morning, there was a mission at the launch center, and the road was closed for an hour. Seeing the closed straight road, a white median line on the asphalt road is clearly visible. It was an excellent shooting location, so I called my partners to get out of the car and take pictures. Our fun-loving beauties got out of the car carrying colorful silk scarves and sunglasses despite the cold wind. On the closed asphalt road, a few beauties jumped, jumped, and screamed wantonly, throwing their silk scarves high. I kept pressing the shutter. Although the shots were not good, they were really good. Crazy again! In the evening, have dinner at Shuxiang Garden and stay at Zhangye Shanghui Hotel.
On the 17th, visit Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon. The Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon is known as the Chinese version of the Colorado Grand Canyon, 60 kilometers away from the urban area. It takes about 60 minutes to drive from downtown Zhangye to the Grand Canyon.
When choosing the route in the scenic spot, we chose an in-depth tour with three means of transportation that saves effort and time and allows you to see more scenic spots. The price is 198 yuan per person at your own expense. Because there are off-road vehicles, camel carts, and camels in the transportation, the staff worried that my mother would not be able to ride a camel, but my mother trotted all the way to the staff and said "I can do it"! The staff actually said "How can there be 76 years old"? (In fact, my mother is 78 years old). So far, all members have successfully used the tools at their own expense to realize in-depth travel. The in-depth tour takes a full bus, a special off-road vehicle, a camel cart, riding a camel, and finally climbing the steps. It usually takes 3-3.5 hours. We stop and go, and it takes about 4 hours. Personally, I think it is shocking and worth watching.
Take the scenic bus for about half an hour to arrive at viewing platforms 1, 2, and 3. We were lucky and the sun was shining. Standing on the viewing platform, the view is wide, the red mountains are undulating, like the waves of the sea, the waves are magnificent.
From far to near, the ravines are vertical and horizontal, the colors are gradually changing, and the layers are distinct. Lovers Peak, General Stone, Crocodile Head and other strange mountains and rocks are more artistic and beautiful under the sunlight. Walking to the special off-road vehicle that can seat more than 10 people, several staff members in camouflage uniforms, dark skin and sunglasses were waiting. In the wide valley, after the off-road vehicle passed through the sand and gravel Gobi, amidst the cries of the passengers, the sand and soil were flying, and the ride was exciting and experiential. Although there is no imaginable danger, there is still a bit of thrill at the slightly steep corner.
Get off the car and climb up to a viewing platform to watch the pictographic patterns formed by the mountains, some like the Potala Palace, some like forests --- in fact, it is mainly based on imagination. After taking a few photos, go down the boardwalk until you reach the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Walk 500 meters and change to a camel-drawn cart, referred to as a camel cart. Six people can be seated on both sides of the car, and 12 people can be seated in one car, which is very stable like the donkey carts in the countryside before.
After getting off the camel cart, they walked 200 meters and then rode a camel. This was something the team members were both afraid of and looking forward to. Entering the camel station, dozens of camels lay docilely on the side of the canyon, as if telling us, "I have been waiting for you for a long time". Even so, our teammates were a little scared when they saw these behemoths. But the bow is on the string, so I have to ride it, so I asked the administrator which one is gentle? Which is the smallest? Wait a minute, when I heard the answer of "all the same", my teammates bit the bullet one by one, not forgetting to get close to the camel with condoms. Seeing the lovely teammates, I couldn't help laughing. I believe that with the first experience, everyone will no longer be afraid of riding a camel. In the process of our camel ride, in order to leave a rare experience, I made a video for them, although the effect of riding on a camel is not very good.
Get off the camel and watch the sky on foot. Going deep into the bottom of the valley, looking up, there is a line of blue sky, thousands of walls standing, the valley is deep and the sky is high, and I feel the power of nature. A dozen of us carried small backpacks and walked on the Gobi Gobi with one deep foot and one shallow foot. Looking from a distance, it felt like a long-distance expedition expedition team, with a strong sense of experience. Then, there are more than 300 climbing ladders on foot, and the ladder is steep at about 60 or 70 degrees. We are proud that our team No. 1 and No. 2 families met at the bottom of the valley and walked together. Everyone encouraged each other and shared limited food, which was touching. Among them: our No. 2 family has two poor health and an old man whose actual age is 78 years old. With the encouragement of everyone, he insisted on climbing to the top of the mountain and challenged himself, which is admirable. So far, I have changed three means of transportation, crossed the bottom of the valley, walked through a line of sky, overcame tiredness, thirst, hunger and other difficulties and climbed 300 ladders with bare hands and finally reached the top of the valley. Go up to the viewing platform No. 4, look at the mountains and the blue sky and white clouds, and feel refreshed and happy. There is not only the sense of accomplishment of challenging oneself, but also the sense of satisfaction of "being the top of the mountain and sweeping all the small mountains".
Chinese food is served in a restaurant near the scenic spot, and in the afternoon, take a bus to Zhongwei.
Overnight at Jervis Hotel in Zhongwei.
On the 18th, I took a bus from Zhongwei to Yinchuan Hedong Airport in the morning. Because I heard that there was an epidemic in Yinchuan, we settled for Chinese food at the airport and took flight 9C8694 at 2 o'clock to return to Hefei Xinqiao Airport. At 4:20, the plane landed at Xinqiao Airport on time, and at about 5:00, we drove back to our warm home in Suzhou from Hefei. The tour is over!
