From Baokang to Yaozhi River, walking in the mountains and canyons in the snow, I was surprised to see ink paintings
Yaozhi River is located deep in the mountains of Maqiao Town, Baokang, Hubei, bordering Shennongjia and Shiyanfang County. If we go back 30 years, this place would be an isolated place, except for Baokang Apart from locals, almost no outsiders know of its existence. Even people outside Maqiao Town where it belongs do not know much because there are neither roads nor electricity. In 1988, its appearance was still about "eating and supplying food." Wear shabby clothes, light kerosene lamps, and live in a shabby thatched hut."
In the past 30 years, it has also experienced three major turning points. In the first ten years, it opened mountains and cut roads, patrolled mountains and prospected for minerals, stored water and built dams, and set up factories. It became rich in one fell swoop and became Hubei's 500th In the intervening ten years, it has developed into a large-scale enterprise group integrating mining, hydropower, wine, tourism, catering, etc., and villagers have become workers; in the past ten years, with the backing of green mountains and clear waters, the tourism industry has been launched, and every family has bought a car and lived in it. A villa, a farmhouse for tourist meals, and farmers as bosses. Yaozhihe, who was once raised in a boudoir and unknown to anyone, finally became famous all over the world.
So, rather than saying that I went to Yaozhi River to covet the mountain scenery, it is better to say that their inspirational history is more tempting.
In the past ten years, I have been here three times. In the winter of 2010, I took a bus from Xiangyang for 6 hours and did not arrive at Yaozhi River until 1 o'clock in the afternoon. We didn't have a chance to visit, we only visited the Phosphate Mine Museum and then returned in a hurry. In the summer of 2015, I rode a long distance to Baokang and once again chose Yaozhihe Village for a crossing. I left a hard and sweaty journey here and felt the greenery and coolness here, but I still felt that I still had more to learn. In the last month of 2020, I decided to visit Yaozhihe for the third time. I knew in advance that it was going to snow in the mountains, so I drove here anyway.
I arrived in Baokang the night before. After a simple dinner, I planned to drive overnight to Maqiao Town or Yaozhi River. Because the whole county here is a mountainous area, there are more than 90 kilometers of county roads from Baokang to Yaozhihe Village, and most of them are walking in the canyons. It takes at least three hours to walk. Walking at night can save you time on the road during the day. Look at the scenery. It turned out to be the opposite. As soon as I left the city, I kept encountering rumbling large trucks filing in. The dazzling headlights made it difficult to see the canyon passing by. I was so frightened that I quickly returned to the county town to stay.
The next morning’s itinerary proved that this decision was extremely correct.
From Baokang County to Maqiao Town, it is 65 kilometers. The entire mountain road has two lanes, many peaks and sharp turns, and heavy traffic. Along the way, we saw the flags of the 12th Bureau of China Railway waving, the high-speed construction battle was in full swing, tall reinforced concrete pillars rising from the ground in the canyon, engineering vehicles one after another on the construction site, and the majestic viaducts. Intermittently, skilled craftsmen led the Iron Man men on construction sites in canyons, using their wisdom to turn the evil mountains into roads.
The continuous entry and exit of large trucks has changed the normal right-hand driving rules on special road sections. In some sharp right-turn sections, large trucks have long bodies and must stay left and go outside to turn, which forces people coming from the opposite direction to Cars can only go on the inside. If the driver reacts slowly or drives at night, accidents are very likely to occur. Even if he can barely miss the car, he will definitely break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he didn't set off last night.
On the way, you will pass Wudaoxia, a 5A scenic spot, and Hengchong International Ski Resort. There shouldn’t be much to see in Wudaoxia at this time of year, but the ski resort is quite good. If you don’t want to ski, at least you can enjoy the snow scenery. We stayed for a while by the Tianchi inside. The altitude here is high, and it snows three to four months a year. The surrounding slopes are covered with thick snow. Although the mountain forest is desolate, this large area of pure snow The snowy land still gives people endless reverie, not to mention there is an exquisite and small Hengzhong Tianchi in the mountain recess. The frozen lake reveals the turquoise water, and there are villa-style cabins and power-generating windmills on the top of the mountain, giving this piece of pure white. The world adds smart elements.
When we left Hengchong, the forecasted light snow had already begun to fall. As we walked towards Yaozhihe River, the snow became heavier and heavier. It was obviously a moderate snowfall. When we arrived at Yaozhihe Village, there was already snow on the ground. Driving Risks are also gathering.
Yaozhihe Village is located deep in the mountains with an average altitude of 1,800 meters. It usually snows on rainy days, and driving on the mountain road is dangerous. Generally, there will be no tourists in this kind of weather. Just like today, There were snowflakes in the air and the visitor center was deserted, not even an administrator to verify reservations.
There are two bifurcated roads in the visitor center. One leads to Yaodishen Gorge to the left, and the other goes straight through the archway and continues up the mountain. The two routes are actually a large loop, and finally meet at the Phosphate Mine Museum on the top of the mountain. , you can visit most of the scenic spots in Yaozhi River along any line. For example, if you enter Yaodishen Gorge, you can see the Demon-Conquering Garden, Health Valley, Huanglong Temple, Phosphate Mine Museum, Farming Garden, Laolong Palace, and Geopark along the way. , Botanical Garden, Gantry Square, and then back to the Visitor Center, and vice versa.
I went straight up the mountain from the village archway. The snow was getting heavier and heavier. When I arrived at Longmen Square, both sides of the road were already white. The surrounding peaks only showed gray outlines. The neat rows of houses at the foot of the mountain were even more beautiful in the snow. It seems hazy, people return to their houses, birds enter their cages, and the world is silent except for the rustling of snowflakes.
On the high mountain cliff near the Agricultural Museum, a huge "dragon" character is carved, as if flying in the air.
At the foot of the mountain, a large sculpture group is under construction. It should be a newly developed attraction. The dozens of meters high statues of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are majestic and lifelike. They look more majestic and dignified in the vast white snow, like a statue. The true god travels through time and space to protect his people.
Walking up the winding mountain road, there were no traces of people or vehicles. After a few twists and turns, we reached the top of the mountain. Although I was worried that I would not be able to get out of the mountain, I missed the snowy scenery in the mountain village and couldn't help but take it. The car parked in a safe area, stood on the cement guardrail on the roadside, and took another look at the rare snow scene of Yaozhi River.
In the canyon at the foot of the mountain, built against the mountain and neatly arranged on both sides of the highway, are the residential areas of Longmenkou. At this moment, they are all shrouded in white snow, like a deserted snow countryside, with the surrounding mountains covered with snow. The mountains and forests are hazy and the snowflakes are misty, just like the scenery of the north. At this moment, the world is quiet, the canyons are pure, the mountain villages are peaceful, and everything in front of you is as beautiful as a painting. I finally understood why Yao regulated the river three times. It turned out that it owed me an ink painting.