51zeng

In 2024, the guest summer camp has entered its eighth year, and along the way, the children have become young and vibrant. What gifting customers can do is to give each new vine an upward thread, allowing them to grow happily towards the sunshine.

In the Baiyang Nature Reserve of Songpan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, stands the main peak of the Minshan Mountains - Xuebaoding. The snow on the mountaintop never melts all year round, and there are four snow capped mountains, big and small, tightly nestled together like four brothers. They are the sacred mountains of the surrounding Tibetan people. At the end of the highway, at the foot of the snow capped mountains, there is a beautiful village - Shangnami Village. It is located behind Huanglong Mountain in Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, with an altitude of about 3300 meters. The territory is densely covered with forests and dense vegetation. Blue sky, snow mountains, rivers, meadows, wild flowers, cattle and sheep form a beautiful landscape, like a fairyland on earth.

Due to the difficult road conditions, this place has been a paradise for foreign backpackers for decades, with few domestic tourists coming. In July 2024, Zike.com led numerous students from Chongqing and Chengdu to carry out educational activities here, interacting and exchanging ideas with local Tibetan students, while also conducting a scientific investigation on the biodiversity of the Xuebaoding area.

On the morning of July 16th, the complimentary business and rescue vehicles departed from Chongqing to Beichuan County. On the long journey, the students rehearsed their science fiction play "A Thousand Year Look Back" for the first time in the car, contemplating the future of humanity, imagining the appearance of the Earth in a thousand years, thinking about how to make AI work for the good, and examining the impact of global climate change on the natural and social environment. Special thanks to Yang Chengxu and Lei Yu for their participation in writing the script for the play.

Along the way, we sang and laughed happily. Our classmates also practiced Han Hong's song "Hometown" and the English song "Five Hundred Miles", preparing to sing with Tibetan children in Tibetan areas. As the lyrics say, we are getting farther and farther away from our hometown, one hundred miles, two hundred miles, three hundred miles

From Chongqing to Beichuan, from 40 degrees to 27 degrees, my mood becomes even more joyful with the change of temperature. After arriving in Beichuan in the afternoon, we visited the Beichuan Qiang Folk Custom Museum. The earthquake resistant monument on the square with the inscription "No difficulty can overwhelm the heroic Chinese people" attracted students' attention.

It started to rain in the evening, and classmates gathered together to play a happy Werewolf game. At the end of the day, all the classmates were completely familiar and became friends.

The next day (July 17th), from Beichuan to Maoxian. At 4:30 in the morning, the sound of rain outside the window woke me up. My classmate Xiao Jian in the same room is still asleep, while I can no longer sleep due to anxiety. I have traveled this route six times and am well aware that starting from Beichuan, we will delve deep into the Minshan Mountains. The road conditions are not very good, and if it rains, there may be rockfalls and landslides, which is the biggest risk of our trip. Turn on your mobile phone to check the weather forecast of the destination Songpan area. It starts with an orange warning and turns into a red warning - heavy rainstorm an hour later. My heart skipped a beat and said, 'What's wrong? We've encountered extreme weather this time.'. After thinking about it, I realized that I had to visit the 512 Earthquake Memorial Hall and the Beichuan Old Town Earthquake Site in the morning, so I had to take one step at a time. At breakfast, inform all students to put on their assault suits and team uniforms, and prepare for the possibility of continuing to stay in Beichuan today. Remind students that starting today, as the altitude gradually increases, it is necessary to add clothes. Otherwise, catching a cold at high altitude may lead to fatal consequences.

Braved heavy rain to arrive at the 512 Earthquake Memorial Hall, but unfortunately happened to be closed for renovation. We can only visit the nearby earthquake science museum. Fortunately, it happened to be the first wave of lectures at 9:30, where students experienced the power of earthquakes and the wonders of nature.

At around 10 o'clock, we drove to the earthquake site in the old county town of Beichuan to mourn. The drizzling rain kept falling, and the air was filled with a solemn atmosphere. I am here for the fourth time. At Old Beichuan Middle School, students saw a mountain collapse, burying the entire school, leaving only the flagpole standing alone in the wind and rain, silently guarding those young souls. Those children who are in their prime have stayed here forever. Their lives were forever frozen at the ages of 16 and 17, withering before they could bloom. After ten years of hard work, they collapsed on the eve of leaving the country, which made the students, who were also 16 or 17 years old, feel regretful! Classmates lined up to bow three times and offer a bouquet of pure white chrysanthemums as a symbol of mourning for the peers who died at Old Beichuan Middle School. A white background with black lettering hanging on the hillside is eye-catching. It was written by a parent of an old Beichuan Middle School on May 12th this year, entitled '50 letters from a mother missing her son'. Dear son, are you doing well? Mom misses you so much. Son, you were 16 years old when you left Mom... "Halfway through reading, some people were already in tears, and I whispered to Jian not to continue reading.

Alas, the departed are gone, and the living must cherish life even more, cherish the present, strive forward, and live up to their youth.

By noon, the rain had decreased. I decided to continue moving forward cautiously, but due to landslides and mudslides, I was stuck in traffic for more than 3 hours when approaching Maoxian on National Highway 347. Along the way, the murky Maoxian River, mixed with branches and floating trees, roared down with a crackling sound, cascading from an altitude of 3000 meters to several hundred meters. At around 7 o'clock in the evening, 20 kilometers towards Songpan in Maoxian County, the circuit was cut off again, and we had to turn back to Maoxian County for accommodation.

On the third day (July 18th), from Maoxian to Heishui to Songpan Maoergai Grassland. A few kilometers away from Maoxian County in the morning, there was a traffic jam all the way. Due to the collapse of the road from Maoxian to Songpan for emergency rescue, a truck driver suggested that we detour around Heishui County and take the small path from Mao'ergai to Songpan. The weather cleared up, and the noon sun on the plateau caused skin pain. Lunch at the ancient town of Xier in Heishui at noon, then cross the small bridge to visit the millennium Xier ancient Tibetan village across the river. This ancient village is built on the mountain, and the houses are basically preserved in their original appearance, still looking like they were hundreds of years ago. Ascending the stairs, a strange aroma wafted in, the scent of burning cypress branches and beef. On the small square in the village, men, women, children, and the elderly in the village are gathering together to have a big pot of rice. It turned out that this day was the day they held the Dragon King's Meeting. It was already afternoon when we arrived, and the ritual instruments for worship were still on the steps. The villagers warmly invited us to drink homemade barley wine. Two large pots are cooking delicious dishes on a big stone, making one's mouth water. There's beef, potatoes, ears, chicken and so on inside. The villagers call it 'Dragon King Stew', and a fierce man is vigorously stir frying with an arm long spatula. He says that the recipe for Dragon King Stew is very secret.

We were in a hurry to hurry and said goodbye to the three elders in the village before continuing towards Blackwater. Originally, there was a famous Dagu Glacier in Heishui County, which is the youngest and lowest altitude glacier in the world. However, according to the mobile phone, the road in the scenic area was damaged due to yesterday's rainstorm and has been closed for repair. Therefore, we decided to take the small path that the truck driver said was heading towards Songpan, passing through Mao'ergai Grassland to reach Songpan. After all, it is the place where important meetings were held on the Long March of the Red Army, and the scenery is quite beautiful. The charm of a journey lies in the unknown people and scenery along the way.

But this road can't be found on the mobile phone map at all, so we have to navigate to Maoergai Town. This way of relay navigation is town by town. I used it last summer when I took students across the east line of Tangfan Ancient Road in Changdu, Xizang, and it is still easy to use. After traveling more than 60 kilometers, we encountered another traffic jam on the sidewalk. This time, it was due to road construction, and the road was occasionally blocked by construction. We had to wait for more than two hours. But at this point, one could already see the small path sign of Songpan, as if seeing hope. This section of the county road to Songpan is under construction and has not yet been officially opened to traffic, so navigation cannot find it. The road surface is uneven and extremely bumpy. Many roads are still rough roads. When stuck in traffic, I asked my classmates to pick up pebbles and Mani stones by the river, praying for safety.

Arrived at Maoergai Township at an altitude of 3300 meters at 7:30 pm in the evening. At this moment, the sky is gradually darkening, and it is estimated that there is still a 5-hour drive from Songpan. Many students want to catch the night road to Songpan. But after careful consideration, for the sake of safety, I have decided to take a break for dinner here, because the more than 100 kilometers of mountain roads ahead are all construction sections with many bomb craters. I have suffered the loss of driving at night on poor roads in the plateau for more than ten years. At that time, the entire 318 road was under construction. At 9-10 pm, on a mountain 50 kilometers away from Litang County, my SUV had two tires blown out within an hour. One time, the left front tire was punctured by steel bars on the road, and the other time, the right tire was blown out by a small stone pile on the road in the dark. That autumn, I became the Mountain King alone in the snowy wilderness. Taking students on trips, exploring without taking risks, safety is the top priority, and if necessary, all other demands can be vetoed with one vote.

The hotel we stayed in is a three story small building, which is the best collector's inn in Mao'ergai Town. Across from it is a forest and grassy area, with herds of cows and sheep leisurely grazing, like a beautiful landscape painting.

The second floor of the hotel is equipped with several billiards tables, and students are all trying their skills.

On the the fourth day (July 19), Maoergai - Songpan Ancient City. At around 6am, Jian Zijun was clamoring to fly a drone to capture the beautiful Mao'ergai. We braved the cold wind and arrived at the lawn opposite the inn. For the first time, the drone was raised, and Xiao Luo from Chengdu also enthusiastically learned drone operation together. In order to pass the construction checkpoint before the road workers go to work, everyone set off on the road at 7:30. More than twenty kilometers away from the town, the car climbed up a mountain pass and suddenly saw a clear view. Among the mountains, there were layers of clouds, like white Hada floating among the lush pine forests, like a fairyland. I told my classmates that such beautiful scenery can only be seen at the right time, place, and weather conditions. At the beginning of the morning sunshine, the water vapor in the forest evaporates and rises, forming a sea of clouds that cannot be seen after ten o'clock.

Due to encountering traffic jams for two consecutive days, which delayed the travel time, some students began to complain. For this reason, I would like to remind everyone that when dealing with unpleasant things during the journey, such as traffic jams, bad weather, etc., they should be accepted with a normal attitude. This way, we won't let unpleasant emotions cast a shadow over our journey. Just like life cannot be smooth sailing, where there is a climax, there must be a trough. A low point is a time to accumulate strength. The loss of a horse is not necessarily a blessing. Although we were delayed due to the diversion, we saw different scenery, such as the Serguzang Village and the Cloud Sea at Maoergai Pass. Even if the road is blocked, there are times when it is clear. Take action when necessary and wait when necessary. As long as the goal is firm and the obstacles are long, the journey will come.

Due to early travel, we hardly encountered any construction traffic jams that morning. Our group arrived at the Qinhe Inn in Songpan Ancient City at 1 noon after 5 hours of bumpy construction on the county road.

The landlady warmly welcomed us, and I was busy apologizing for the hotel reservation I made a few days ago. She generously said, 'This is a natural disaster, it's not your fault. It took you three days to travel from Beichuan to Songpan, which shows your sincerity.'.

In the afternoon, the weather was clear, and we continued north to the Galitai grassland at an altitude of 3800 meters for sightseeing and horseback riding. Encountered two little boys playing rock throwing games on the roadside on the grassland. One is 8 years old and the other is 11 years old. This is a grazing technique that herdsmen must know. There is a small piece of cowhide connected between two ropes about 50 centimeters long. One end of the rope has a small ring. Wrap a small stone in the cowhide, put the ring on the middle finger, and hold the other end of the rope with your hand. After rapidly rotating five times, release your palm and use inertia to throw the stone out, which can be thrown 60 meters away. This can be used to herd yaks. The students who gave gifts to the guests learned stone throwing techniques from two Tibetan children one after another.

In the evening, returning to Songpan County, enjoying delicious Zanjiang barbecue, sharing the story of Princess Wencheng's visit to Tibet with classmates, and strolling through the night view of the ancient city together.

On the fifth day (July 20th), from Songzhou Ancient City to Shangnami Village, after waking up early in the morning, I met a Chinese American four person mountaineering team from Chengdu at the Qinhe Inn. They were fully equipped for mountaineering and were heading in the same direction as us. They are going to climb one of the three snow capped mountains.

The path to Nami Village on the top of Xuebaoding was also broken by debris flow in the extremely heavy rainstorm on July 16. Yesterday, we just got through. There were excavators and trucks in the rescue when we passed by. The 35 kilometer path leading into the mountains this time is also undergoing renovation and widening. After more than two hours of turbulence, we finally arrived at the end of our journey - Shangnami Village at the foot of Xuebaoding Snow Mountain.

Deng Zhengzhaba, the Living Buddha of Xuebaoding Temple, draped a hada for each student and sent blessings.

At noon, at the home of Living Buddha Second Sister, all the food was organic - barley cakes, high mountain potatoes, and high mountain vegetables. My second sister is almost 60 years old and usually lives alone. When she was washing vegetables in the courtyard, the sky suddenly started to rain. Warm man Yang Chenxu picked up an umbrella and ran out of the house to shelter her from the rain, which was touching.

This trip coincides with the graduate teaching support team of Tianjin University assisting students in Shangnami Village, with about 20 graduate students participating in this public welfare activity. The leader is a beautiful woman from the Department of Architecture at Tianjin University, a graduate student from the department, and a fellow villager from Shapingba, Chongqing. The "Embrace Nami" public welfare project they launched has been ongoing for 12 years. This time, the children from both Shangnami and Xianami villages gathered in the residential buildings next to Xuebaoding Temple to study. After discussing with the student aid team at Tianjin University, they squeezed out two hours of time from the schedule for us to engage in activities this afternoon. Firstly, Zhong Jiayang and Zhou Yang demonstrated and guided the assembly of radios for older Tibetan students, and provided radio parts to each student. Teacher Liu Hualun, a former worker, and student Yang Chenxu from the guest team also participated in the guidance. At the same time, five female students including Luo Ruoai, Lei Yu, Huang Wanting, Huang Wanyuan, and Liu Yi taught younger Tibetan children how to do handicrafts, play with twisted stick shapes, and also donated books brought by the whole team to Tibetan students. Meanwhile, Jian Zijun was busy using his camera to capture the joyful and moving scenes at the scene.

Next, we sent bookmarks and calligraphy pens to all the students. Tibetan students write blessings in Tibetan, while guest students write blessings in Chinese. Then, through the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, they use handmade lacquer dyeing and coloring to create exquisite works of art, which are given to each other as gifts. We also distributed fans with the Chongqing logo to each student for painting and coloring. Tibetan children have shown great enthusiasm for this activity.

In the evening, classmates took out sleeping bags and laid them on the top of Xuebao to stay in the guest room of Nami Temple. When the students first arrived here, especially the female students, they didn't feel secure. In fact, this place is safer than Han Chinese areas in mainland China. It can be said that there are no lost items on the road and the house is not closed at night. At night, our car can be parked outside without being locked and we won't lose anything. The Living Buddha said that ten or twenty years ago, there were many thefts here. In winter, yaks were stolen and eaten, leaving only one head hanging there. Later, he invited his family to the temple to make a vow, swearing not to steal, which in his words was a commandment. The public security environment has gradually improved, with harmonious families and society. There has not been a single public security case in recent years.

On the sixth day (July 21st), in Shangnami Village. Today is the Sun Mulberry Festival at Xuebaoding. Early in the morning, villagers gather under the snow capped mountain to worship the divine mountain, boil mulberry trees, plant flags, sprinkle dragons, recite scriptures, and have picnics. Some villagers started a 3-day mountain trekking activity, carrying dry food bags, starting from Shangnami, passing through Huanglong and Changhai, and camping on the mountain at night. Many local children also participated in today's Nisan Festival activities. Tianjin University's student aid activities will also take a day off today as a result.

In the morning, students watched the activities of the Japanese Mulberry Festival and visited the 850 year old Xuebaoding Temple. They also conducted a scientific survey on the diversity of Xuebaoding plants, and found nearly a hundred species of plants around Xuebaoding Temple at an altitude of 3300 meters. Wang Linzhi, a student from Bashu Middle School, made the greatest contribution.

In the afternoon, classmates came to Caoban on the other side of the river to engage in activities with local Tibetan children. Firstly, Luo Ruoai will popularize ballet knowledge. She gave up the opportunity to perform aerobics at the Chengdu Games in order to participate in our educational program. Everyone also participated in their favorite archery activity together. The guest team members and Tibetan children are divided into two teams to compete. Finally, we sang the song 'Hometown and Five Hundred Miles' together. I still changed the lyrics: My hometown is in Shangnami, where there is a beautiful river.

Returning to the station, Huang Wanting and Huang Wanyuan once again taught the children how to play with clay sculptures. In the evening, the classmates also tasted tea brewed with Xuebaoding spring water. During this time, the Living Buddha pointed to the Wind Horse Flag and said, 'The wind is blowing this way now, but it will rain later. It won't blow that way.'. In fact, the wisdom of life contains scientific principles. Songpan is located in the transitional zone between the Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The east wind will bring warm and humid air currents from the Sichuan Basin, and it will rain during the rising process. The west wind comes from the direction of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and generally does not rain.

In the evening, I enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at the home of Living Buddha Second Sister, with delicious wild matsutake mushrooms, yak sausages, Tibetan fragrant pork, and wild bamboo shoots; Returning to my residence, I raised firewood on the copper stove, drank tea and chatted, and the whole room felt warm.

On the seventh day (July 22nd), getting up early, there was a small pile of animal feces under the porch at the entrance. The living Buddha said it was a fox that came to visit last night. In the morning, clouds and mist float between the fir forests halfway up the mountain, with a temperature of 12 degrees. Remind students to go out and add fleece clothes. After having the last meal at my second sister's house, bidding farewell to the sacred mountain, taking photos of the snow capped mountains and taking photos to take photos, this is the best viewing platform for the three snow capped mountains. In just half an hour, the sun rose, the temperature warmed up, and the mountaintop was shrouded in clouds and mist.

After dinner, we arrived at the horse racing track at the entrance of Shangnami Village, where green grass and flowers were everywhere. The villagers tightly pulled the reins of the horses, and when they arrived here, it was like they had arrived at the home field. They were very excited, and the sound of their hooves made them want to run. Classmates have fully satisfied their horse riding addiction today and have been playing here all morning. A brave female student from Yucai Middle School galloped on horseback on the grassland.

At noon, we walked out of the mountain ditch and arrived at the town on G213 National Highway for lunch. The small road leading to Shangnami Village has already started construction this year. The extremely heavy rainstorm in Songpan set a record for disastrous weather this year. When we were stuck on the road, Shangnami Village also had a power outage for two days, and we had just repaired it.

I am vaguely worried about road construction. Will the natural and social environment of Shangnami Village, which has been pristine for many years, be damaged by the influx of tourists? But seeing that the economic improvement of the villagers over the years has not been significant, and more and more young people are leaving their hometowns to make a living, it is also necessary to develop tourism.

In the afternoon, we drove straight down 1800 meters from Shangnami at an altitude of 3300 meters to Taoping Qiang Village in Lixian County. Many students feel intoxicated with oxygen. I have passed through here many times without coming in. This time I made a wish. Climbing up to the watchtower of the old Qiang village, one can take a panoramic view of the entire village. The thousand year old Qiang village is entirely built of stones, with a strong ethnic style in its design. Walking between watchtowers is like walking through a maze and a tunnel, with a cool breeze.

In the evening, having dinner in the century old walnut forest of the Qiang ethnic group's old village, the gentle breeze blows gently, creating a magical and refreshing atmosphere. After dinner, classmates rested in front of the hotel and played cards. The temperature was 24 degrees Celsius and the altitude was 1600 meters. The wind gently brushed against their skin, which was incredibly comfortable.

Thinking of returning to the furnace tomorrow and the end of the song, one cannot help but feel a little sad.

On the eighth day (July 23rd), Taoping Qiang Village - Chongqing. On the way back, I reminded my classmates to write a travelogue when they get home, because photos can record the scenery you have seen, but cannot record your feelings at that time. Only words can perfectly present the journey and local customs, record the emotional journey of this trip, and reflect on the inner world of the past you. Years later, as you have grown up, when you look back at that naive you, you will smile and be moved by your past innocence.

Although we encountered extreme weather and mudslides and landslides along the way during our study tour, our classmates overcame numerous difficulties together and finally completed the entire journey safely for 8 days and 7 nights. We also visited the 4A level scenic spots with a history of 2000 years - Taoping Qiang Village and Sergu Tibetan Village, which were unplanned.

Everything in the past will eventually become wealth in life, and some things may only be experienced by those involved many years later. But it has unconsciously nourished your growth!

Returning to Huolu Chongqing, I began to reminisce about this summer, waiting for the children to take the bus to my second sister's house for breakfast under the snow capped mountains in the early morning, and the big boy holding an umbrella for my second sister in the rain. As the song goes, "The dawn and dusk of those long years often make me gaze into the distance, lost in thought

On this trip, Xiao Jian and Xiao Luo showed great interest in photography. I specifically took out a Nikon D700 full frame camera with a 50 fixed focus portrait lens for them to learn and test. I hope they will maintain this passion throughout their lives. Photography doesn't necessarily have to be a profession, but with this hobby in life, it will become richer and more exciting. Your inner strength will be stronger, and nothing will be able to defeat you in the future, because the world is in your lens. At the top of the mountain, looking up, lies the vast universe and the boundless earth, the stars and the sea. What does a person's gain or loss count for? Top photographers ultimately strive for aesthetic cultivation and vision, as well as the spirit and determination to dedicate themselves to art. It depends on whether you are willing to carry a camera weighing tens of pounds and various lenses to climb steep mountains to take a beautiful sunrise photo, or whether you are willing to wait like a sniper in the snow for a long time to take a photo of a snow leopard.