1976 We dug up boundary pillar No.8 in Peacock River on the border between China and Nepal.
Li Xinchang
On the morning of July 28th, the bus departed from Hall District and headed for Baja, and soon saw Gangrenboqi Mountain. It is not the highest mountain in Ali. Because of the snow all year round, the peak can emit strange light under the sunlight, and its special mountain shape is very different from the surrounding peaks, which makes people have to be filled with religious piety and wonder, so many Tibetans, Indians and Nepalese trudge to the mountains. From Bagnan to Pulan survey area, passing through the work area of Team Li, Mabangyongcuo. The lake in the orchid is rippling, the distant mountains around the lake are vague, and the sky is clear and multi-level clouds are far away. The shallowest layer is the cloud, where herders graze their creatures. The beauty of nature, with blue sky and lakes as the main theme, echoes in your heart all the time. No matter whether people have seen her or not, and whether they have thought about her after seeing her, she is always swaying or surging there, which is a permanent movement that the whole lake is devoted to. The fresh water lake here is called Shenhu, and the adjacent salt water lake-Fakazzo is called Ghost Lake because people and animals can't drink it. According to records, there are many famous "holy mountains" and "holy lakes" in the world, and the mountains and lakes here are the most famous, so a large number of foreign devout Buddhists come here to worship every year.
At noon, we arrived in Pulan County. The overall impression of Pulan is different from that of other places in Tibet. It should be similar to Zhangmutou Port along the Himalayas (I went to Friendship Bridge in 73), and my impression is somewhat broken. On the one hand, our stay is short, on the other hand, the buildings here are not compact.
The mission of Qin Congyou Group is in Pulan County. Pulan County is the southwest gateway of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is called "the land surrounded by snow-capped mountains" among China, Nepal and India. There are Himalayas in the southwest and Gangdise Mountain in the north. After crossing the steep mountain pass in the Himalayas, Nepal and India will turn sharply. Pulan county is 3900 meters above sea level, and most of the top of the mountain is above 6000 meters above sea level. Snow doesn't melt all year round and is often wrapped in silver. Peacock River, one of the four major rivers in Ali, flows through the county like a jade belt.
Generally speaking, field surveying and mapping is difficult to control, because the distance to climb a mountain is very long, especially in high altitude areas with hypoxia on the plateau. Surveying and mapping is relatively easy, but in border surveying and mapping, surveying and mapping is very important, because it involves the boundary markers in our country, which is our sovereignty and must not be sloppy.
As can be seen from the aerial photos, boundary pillar No.8 on the Sino-Nepalese border is located on the center line of Peacock River in Xierwa village. According to the requirements of the technical specification for surveying and mapping, each boundary pillar point should accurately prick the actual buried specific point in the aerial photograph, so as to determine the accurate position of the national border during aerial surveying and mapping, which is also the legal basis for bordering Nepal, and there can be no mistakes.
"The location of boundary pillar No.8 of Peacock River must be confirmed at the bank of Peacock River." Qin Congyou, the team leader, determined the plan before the start of this lottery. The road from Pulan to Kejia is rather rugged, because there are several streams where snow-capped mountains melt in the rainy season, especially at noon, and it is difficult for people and horses to pass on the road. They set out from Pulan, walked 19 km, and arrived at Koga, which is located on the Peacock River and near the Nepalese village of Yusha. Sherwa is a small village in Koga Town. There are three families living by the Peacock River.
The three of them went to the shore for a long time and didn't see the boundary pillar recorded on the spot? This raises questions? Even if the boundary pillar is destroyed, there should be traces. What the hell is going on here? The sense of responsibility of surveying and mapping soldiers makes them never give up easily.
Team leader Qin lingered on the shore for a long time, analyzing the scene. Why is there no boundary pillar in Peacock River? He repeatedly compared the topography and related reference objects on both sides of the strait, and made a preliminary judgment in his many years of career as a surveying and mapping soldier: because it is the rainy season in Tibet, the river has deepened. Due to the melting of snow-capped mountains every year, the precipitation in rainy season and the accumulation of sand and gravel in the upper reaches of the river, it is estimated that the boundary markers in the river have been submerged. They also learned from the Tibetan Nima around the local area that the boundary pillar was once on the sand dune in the middle, but now it is no longer visible, and it is estimated that it was submerged by gravel and silt branches in the river. They waited until the river receded on the third day. On the shore, they saw that the sand dunes in the middle of the river seemed to have high bulges. Is this the location of the boundary pillar? I must see the true face of boundary pillar 8! Qin Congyou, the team leader, is determined to "never give up until he reaches the Yellow River".
After confirming that the river had receded, they immediately took off their long military trousers outside, and several people helped them wade into the river. The river has passed the knee joint, and the cold snow made their bodies stiff, but they still risked being washed away by the river and walked more than 50 meters to the bulge in the middle of the river. There are no boundary markers on the surface of the land in the raised area. Team leader Qin once again took out aerial photos to compare the position of sand dunes and judge the surrounding terrain. They expect the boundary pillar to be under the raised sand dunes. So they picked up the rotten branches and scraped the sand with their hands. When the three men saw these big stones, they continued to move and dig. Their hands were frozen and numb, but they insisted on digging stones and sand. After more than an hour of fighting, they really lived up to expectations with their determination and perseverance! Boundary pillar 8 finally shows its true colors!
At this time, the heavy stone in Qin Congyou's heart finally fell to the ground. His judgment is right! This is the skill of the old captain. He observed the aerial photo again and compared it with the reference objects on the left and right. He covered his hands with cotton-padded clothes, carefully raised the needle, and accurately stabbed the position of boundary pillar No.8 in the photo. When he finished this historic stab, he said to the two soldiers at the scene: "We must insist on:' Go, look, ask clearly and stab accurately'. This is the eight-character font of field surveying and mapping, which is the responsibility of our surveying and mapping soldiers. Although this boundary pillar is small, it has far-reaching significance. We swear sovereignty on behalf of the country! We are responsible to the party and the people and to the country. "
(Note: The first illustration in this article comes from the Internet, and the second illustration is provided by the author. )
About the author:
Li Xinchang was the instructor of the Third Squadron of the 18th Surveying and Mapping Brigade.