On October 1, 2018, more than a dozen friends of Zenker took a high-speed train to Yunnan,The South of the Colorful Clouds. As soon as we got off the train, we went straight to the 100-year-old rice noodle restaurant on the banks of the Dianchi Lake. Each person ordered a bowl of authentic crossing-the- bridge rice noodles,with ten kinds of ingredients,tasted good and looked fine. The bowl of the steaming chicken soup made of the old chicken were difficult to resist. When the wild goose returns, the city of Kunming in the plateau already is autumn, chilly in hazy drizzle, with only 12 degrees.
That night, the Zenkers stayed in Chinese coal workers sanatorium of Haigeng. Professor Wu Rui, an old friend of the Zenker, had been waiting here for the children for a long time. Professor Wu, who has served successively as president of six universities in Yunnan, is a famous cyclist who once rode alone to Tibet, Southeast Asia, and through China to the very northern point of the Mohe River. He shared with the children with his experience, feeling and significance of riding. "Cycling requires persistent spirit and strong perseverance," he said. "you can't just give up when it comes to difficulties. Anyone who becomes a big person in ancient and modern times must be a strong-willed one,as Mr. Liang Qichao said: Without a strong will, life is impossible to succeed. " He encouraged children to be brave, strong, confident and happy in their riding.
At 8: 00 a.m. on October 2, the rental mountain bike and other equipment reached the residence, and everyone was eager to show off his skills. Zhou Shangfeng, the youngest child, had just eight years old. Because she was not tall enough, who could not touch the ground after riding on the bike. She needed a hand every time as she got on or off the bike. Professor Wu was led by his son, Xiao Wu, a university student studying in Australia. Xiao Wu led us ride through busy urban roads from The Coal Workers' Sanatorium to ride around Dianchi Lake clockwise. In accordance with the initial formation, everyone rode orderly in a long line, with Zhou Shanglin, Zhou Qianqi, Wang Pei Mao-yu, Li Sai and her mother in front, Zou Zeyi, Song Qiuhao, Zhao Quansong, and Mr Zhang in the middle,Mrs Jiang and I in the end. Along the riding way, Gelsang flowers, Persian chrysanthemum, canna, dahlias and other flowers competed for wonders and beauty. We passed through one wetland park after another, taking a nap by the lakeside of blooming flowers, roaming along the banks of the water, which were overgrown with tall and dense forests. This scene reminded me of Populus euphratica forest in the Ejin Banner, which I saw more than a decade ago. In the morning, we also rode past Kunming's largest amusement park-the Happy World of South of Clouds. But because of the cycling task, the children could only took pictures at the gate, and then left quickly.
At noon, we cycled into Jinning County, and came to the mountain villa along the roadside for lunch and rest. As soon as we entered the gate, we were greeted by a red curtain.When touched the curtain,you would find it was made of the real vines. The boss told us that this kind of climbing rattan plant called Jinping rattan, which could not exposure to sun directly. The children leaped excitedly between the red hangings, and were too excited to be tired. We have enjoyed the delicious food of Yunnan here, including many unknown vegetables, wild edible mushrooms.
The trip in the afternoon was relatively easy, we rode all the way across the silver beach of Dianchi Lake, through the 3 km wetland park, to the end of the fishing village to play. Here were the beautiful scenery. a hundred miles Dianchi Lake liked an endless sea. Nearby rows of trees stood in the water, like sentries guarding Dianchi Lake.
That day, the weather was good which just rained lightly half an hour in the morning, then followed by the cloudy day.In Jinning County, the sun also shyly shew a pink face behind the clouds. Cloudy days was suitable for Yunnan cycling, facing the cool autumn wind of Dianchi, accompanied by beautiful flowers along the way, which was really a beautiful day. Everyone sweated clothes,with sweat wet-to- dried, dried-to-wet, but we’re tired and happy.However,the children were quite great, none of them cried because of tiredness, no one left behind, completed the first day of 80 km bike ride in their life. In the evening, the guests stayed in the four-star Jinshui Bay Garden Hotel in Jinning County .
Early in the morning on October 3, it began to rain heavily, and it looked as if it would not stop for a while. But our destination was where to wait for us, we would not give up because of the weather, I thought of Mao Zedong's poem: "To be higher than sky." When the rain was lighter, we all put on our raincoats and started riding the next day in the rain. Riding for half an hour, the rain suddenly became heavy, the raincoat was invalid, everyone's lower body was all wet by Rain Water. At this time,Longwang Temple in front of the bank of Dianchi Lake emerged , we hastened to the next car shed to shelter from the rain. Children didn't complain, because they felt the charm of riding, that was, overcoming one difficulty after another, to achieve goals, "Grasp every move in life, try our best for our dreams." No one can succeed casually and see the rainbow without going through the storm. "
As the rain was lighter , and we were on our way again. Then,we all rode on the way around the scenic Dianchi Lake.There was no obstructions between Dianchi Lake and us. Green waves in dianchi roll up a thousand piles of snow, which could be said as "500 -li of Dianchi runs into the bottom of the eye." Under a willow tree at the edge of Cheng Yin's water, the white cranes hovered in flocks, and we stopped to have a rest. Xiao Wu,the leader of the team, told the children that there was a four-leaf clover, and who found it would be lucky. The children flocked into the bank and wandered between the banks, completely involved in the beauty of nature.
After the most beautiful section of ride road, we began the most difficult part of the ride. The dedicated cycling lane is over here, and we need to go up a steep slope along the old road to Haikou. The road was badly crushed by the heavy trucks under construction and was flooded with water. Everyone on the muddy road laboured to climb the slope, and fought in the heart,and mouthed: Come on.Once unable to ride,the children came down and pushed their bike up the hill. A construction truck flashed past us, raising mud to hit the children in the face and even in the corners of their mouths. Finally we cycled down the slope. As we know how tired up the slope, how cool downhill. Some girls after yesterday's exercise, has been from the beginning of the fear of downhill in slow slide, into the courage to ride the bike in the middle of the slide. From Haikou to Baiyukou, we climbed two more hills, followed by the support vehicle which twinkled to protect the children. At 1: 00 pm, we finally arrived at Nongjiale in the White Fish Mouth , and ate a delicious Dianchi wild carp, in a pot ,as big as a basin, of delicious fish soup, and everyone ate up. The following ride would be smoother and less risky.
In the afternoon, we continued to ride along the old highway on the edge of Dianchi Lake, resting on the two scenic spots we passed. Along the way, the highway built viaducts in the water of Dianchi Lake, and we passed under the bridge. After 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we rode to pass the west mountain of Kunming, which was covered in clouds and fog, and passed through the cableway, and the rain began to fall again.
More than 5 o'clock in the afternoon, our group finally reached the end of the ride--Daguanlou Park. When everyone took off the riding helmet, and were unclear whether it’s rain water or sweat as the water in the helmet ticked down. All of these strong children , called little heroes, completed a two-day 130-kilometer cycling around Dianchi Lake in the rain, and successfully challenged themselves. Five hundred li of Dianchi Lake surrendered under their bicycle wheels, and the people of Yunnan praised them. They have all received certificates of bravery issued by Zenker network. Please remember their names: Zhou Shanglin, Zhou Qianqi, Wang Pei Maoyu, Li Sai, Song Qiuhao, Zhao Quansong, Zou Zeyi.
Finally, the children visited the chrysanthemum exhibition in Kunming in Daguanlou Park, and also learned the first couplet in the past and the present. At the scene, I explained to the children word for word, and bravely gave the author, Sun ranweng of the Qing Dynasty, a suggestion: if the first sentence of "Thousands of years of past events in the mind" could be slightly changed, It would be more neat with the "Five hundred li Dianchi Lake". My opinion was to change "Thousands of years" to "three thousand of years". Because the earliest emperor, the Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty, referred to by Han Xi Lou Chuan, also had a history of more than two thousand years. Therefore, the words "thousands of years of past events in the mind" should be changed to "three thousand years of past events in the mind" could fully cover the allusions mentioned in the article.
Mountain Zenker , Chongqing, October 6, 2018
