Diebu, Locke’s plant kingdom

Ding Haixiao

Diebu is a square-style county town, and the central square forms the core of people's lives. There are banks (usually Agricultural Bank of China and Gansu Rural Credit Cooperative in Gannan), large and small hotels and various restaurants. In terms of physical space, there is an equal walking distance from the central square to all parts of the county.

To the south of the central square is the Bailong River, and the riverbank is ideal for urban expansion. Diebu County is building dams along the Bailong River, extending the town to the banks of the Bailong River. There are no houses on the south bank of Bailongjiang River, and it is densely covered with towering spruce trees.

In 1935, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army crossed Diebu twice and won a key victory in the famous battle of Lazikou. It was also the most critical battle in the Red Army's long march into Gansu. From then on, " "Red Lazikou" has become one of the business cards of Diebu Tourism.

A bird's eye view of Diebu County from Damo Temple. This article is all pictures of Ding Hai's smile

Diebu County is located in Dianga Town, located on the north bank of Bailong River, surrounded by trees and with a main street of Lazikou. The street runs east to west. The Dianga Temple of the Yellow Sect is at the western end, and the Lalu Zuocang Temple of the Bon Sect is at the eastern end. The branch roads on both sides of the main street are all up and down slopes, and cars park along the slopes, giving it the feel of a small European town.

There are no buses in the county. A taxi costs two yuan to go straight and three yuan to make a turn.

Zhuoni to Diebu

Although Zhuoni and Diebu were both Zhuoni chieftains in history, from Zhuoni County to Diebu County, you have to go through Min in Dingxi City County transfer.

In fact, the territory of Zhuoni Chieftain not only includes Zhuoni and Diebu, but also includes part of the mountainous areas of Lintan County and Zhouqu County, as well as the Tibetan areas at the junction of Sichuan and Gansu. Its scope is slightly smaller than Switzerland of land area. This is a Tibetan-Chinese blending area. It seems to be a Tibetan area, but there are many Han habits in life. In addition, there is Bon belief in Diebu, and most of the Bon temples in Gannan are located here.

My university teacher, Mr. Yang Zheng, is the eldest son of the last Zhuoni chieftain. His family’s relationship with the famous American botanist Joseph Locke is quite legendary. In 1925, Yang Zheng's grandfather, Yang Jiqing, the 19th Zhuoni chieftain, took Locke into Zhuoni Zen Temple and helped Locke complete his inspections in Zhuoni and Diebu. In two years, Locke took nearly a thousand photos and left a large amount of written materials documenting local society and nature.

The undulating terrain of Zhagana Village in Diebu

Diebu has sufficient water resources, large altitude differences, and extremely rich plant resources. Today, many of the Chinese plant specimens collected in American museums were collected by Locke in Diebu. Locke discovered at least 10 species of spruce in Diebu, and there are only 17 species of spruce in China.

Locke’s travelogue of that year, "Life at the Zhuoni Monastery," was later published in National Geographic. Some people infer that writer Hilton wrote the novel "Lost Horizon" based on these pictures and descriptions, and his fantasy oriental secret land-Shangri-La caused a sensation in the Western world.

Eleven years ago, there was only one bus every day from Minxian to Diebu. This bus had to cross the Tiechiliang Pass at an altitude of 3,200 meters and enter Lazikou. There were many passengers boarding the bus along the way, and the aisles were filled with small benches. I especially remember that the driver tried to throw my companions and me at the Tiechiliang Pass in order to avoid traffic police inspection.

Today, except for the cedar forest on the opposite mountain, the Diebu County in my memory has completely changed, and everything has become neater and more orderly. The influx of investors and construction teams from Gansu and Sichuan provinces has also brought catering brands from the two places. New hotels and restaurants are built around the central square to welcome tourists who come to Zagana. There is also a Diebu County Museum built near the central square, but based on personal experience, in the northwest county, it is a matter of luck whether the museum will open.

Re-walking Locke’s path

Locke once stood in Zhagana surrounded by clouds and fog and said: "I have never seen such a gorgeous scenery in my life. If the author of "Genesis" Having seen the beauty of Diebe, I would place the birthplace of Adam and Eve here... Diebe is so stunning that I would have felt a sin not to photograph this wonderful place.

”

The stone walls of Zhagana form a natural fortress

Zhagana is only 28 kilometers away from Diebu County and consists of four natural villages: Dongwa, Yeri, Dari and Daiba. It is composed of a Lasang Temple, surrounded by spectacular stone walls, like a large-scale palace, and like a complete ancient city built on a natural rock wall. Influenced by Feng Shui, Zhagana faces south and is surrounded by mountains on the left and right. At the same time, they follow the Tibetan tradition of living near a temple.

The couch house in Zhagana

The buildings in Zhagana village are also very special, usually two-story or two-story. The three-story "couch house" has a roof made of pine boards arranged like fish scales. The first floor is a livestock pen, living room, living room or sutra hall, and the second floor is a sunbath and storage room. However, most of them have been converted into inns now. . Because of the undulating mountains, you can see the unique Shicheng landscape from the windows of different rooms.

Zhagana was once an important station on the Tadie Ancient Road. This place once became an inaccessible and dangerous place.

From Zhuoni over Guanggai Mountain to Zhagana in Diebu, it was once a classic route for Locke to conduct plant, bird and geographical surveys, which was later known as It is the "Locke Road"

The starting point of the hike is "Yixiantian"

The starting point of the "Locke Road" is a long and winding canyon tunnel, which was used by herdsmen. Horse teams and backpackers walked on muddy trails with waterfalls and streams on both sides.

Nowadays, the trails have been turned into interval lanes, "ecological plank roads" and cement stone bridges. The most ordinary tourists are not going to buy it. They complain all the way that the scenery is mediocre and they have little interest in history and nature itself. Even if the "Rock Road" is fully developed, it will probably be difficult to please them.

Starting from the "Line of Sky", the section road turns back into a hiker's trail. The waterfall and slick area become magnificent, the cedar forest is dense, and the overhanging walls reach into the sky. When you reach the end of the slick area, you wind along the horse trail. Go up the mountain and arrive at the Shenwang Temple, a pile of stones hung with prayer flags.

Continue walking until you reach a small stream. The road is cut off by a landslide. Water flows across the stream and you walk for a while. Along the stone road, you can see a row of exposed stone forests, like a Gothic-style church. Ahead is the famous Shimen, which is the most prominent landmark of Minshan. It is composed of red limestone and looks like a deep crack in Minshan. .

The Shimen-shaped valley that Locke’s Road passes through

According to historical data, Locke’s team encountered a severe landslide near Shimen and was forced to be trapped in this crescent. He dared not move forward in the canyon, but the surrounding plants attracted him like magic. There were all kinds of rare poppies, aster plants, primulas, and yellow saxifrage plants in different colors. Near the entrance of the village of Zhalugou or Chalugou, the slopes are densely forested, and the streams are rich in deep purple. Rhododendrons and lilac lavender form a natural hedge.

Over the hillside, there is another side that is even more bizarre. The forest is barren, but the pink leguminous plants are as tenacious as cacti.

Poppy is one of the rare flower species in the plateau area. Locke and his expedition team once entered the area where poppies are grown in Tibetan areas. When he climbed over the cliff, he saw a local girl weaving poppy flowers into a garland and bringing them to the mountain. On the body.

Locke’s joy at arriving in Zhagana after all the hardships was beyond words: “The first night in Zhagana was very wonderful, the clouds gathered together, and the peaks piercing the sky looked like they were inlaid in the ocean. An island, with birds singing all around, a breeze blowing by my ears, a quiet forest inlaid on the green velvet grass, and even the air is exuding an intoxicating fragrance..."

Plant diversity brought about by vertical elevation changes

Starting from Zhagana, we followed Locke Road in reverse. The road was still very difficult and dangerous. The altitude rose vertically by 1100 meters in one day. On the way, I The Vibram rubber sole of one shoe completely fell off, so I had to drag the shoe with the missing sole to continue walking. This pair of shoes once accompanied me on a trip around Asia from Lhasa to Cairo, but stopped on the Locke Road.

The remaining wooden bridge on the original pastoral road in Zhagana

The source of the Bailong River

70 kilometers further west from Diebu is Langmusi Temple. The source of Bailongjiang River. According to legend, the name "Langmu" is related to the Fairy Cave in the Bailongjiang Gorge. Tracing up the Bailong River from Diebu is a golden line of the Gannan Ring Road, passing through a section of Sichuan territory on the way.

The small town of Langmusi surrounded by mountains

Langmusi is not just a temple, it is a small town located at the junction of Sichuan and Gansu provinces.

The so-called provincial boundaries are not divided by the Bailong River or streets as described in most information. Instead, the town is divided into two parts along the northwest and southeast. The northeast part belongs to Gansu Province. Qu County, to the southwest, belongs to Ruoergai County, Sichuan Province. There is a Tibetan Buddhist temple on each side, both calling themselves "Dacang Langmu Temple".

There is also a Chinese-style mosque in the Muslim village in Sichuan. Most of the Muslims in Langmusi come from Lintan. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, caravans from Lintan, Linxia and other places entered Sichuan through Langmusi, using Langmusi as a transit point for the exchange of livestock products from Gannan and daily necessities from the mainland.

Pilgrims at Langmugeldi in Dacang

This time I returned to Langmusi and met an old German man riding a bicycle from Huangnan, Qinghai. He had already arrived I have been to Langmusi more than ten times. When the sun set in Langmusi, we looked at the small town surrounded by the smoke from the hills on the hillside. We remembered the old days together and still had tears in our eyes.

More than ten years ago, I once broke into Gannan with my backpack on my back, and went into remote villages and small towns with a group of foreigners carrying the travel Bible Lonely Planet. Later, it became "forbidden" again for a time, then the backpack culture declined, and we witnessed the end of the hippie era.

"Little Switzerland of the East" is not a name for nothing. Langmusi was once a private area for backpackers. At least in that golden age, countless young people from all over the world came here following the guide and sat in front of the main sutra hall. In the square, you can watch monks debating scriptures, trace the source of Bailong River, and climb Huagai Mountain to wait for the sunset.

Langmu Geerdi Temple in Dacang after the rain

Later, the fate of Langmu Temple was the same as that of all small towns discovered by hippies. It was eroded by commercialization and backpackers Visitors gradually stayed away, and after the Jiuzhaigou earthquake, the number of travelers from northern Sichuan to Langmusi decreased significantly. In order to revitalize the tourism industry, Langmusi has transformed into a link on the Gannan Ring Road for group tourists. A large visitor center has been built outside the town. The originally quiet and independent town has turned into a noisy tourist reception point.

Youth hostels are no longer popular. People’s interest in travel destinations is replaced by taking photos and checking in with mobile phones. Tourists’ tastes are dominated by online celebrity stores and rankings. But I still miss the time when, like Locke, I personally measured every inch of the land and identified every plant and animal.

(Contact us/Submission email: sjdl_2020@163.com)

Proofreading: Zhang Yan