Tibet trip (4)

Four

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Tibet trip XI ZANG XING

Because it is a high altitude area and the distance is long ,

Therefore, I had doubts about whether I could go to Tibet and see it in this lifetime.

Nanyigou

After passing a border checkpoint and a scenic spot management station, our tour bus drove along a riverside road toward the mountains. There are tall trees all the way, which makes people feel that this is not in Tibet, but in a subtropical area. Indeed, although this place belongs to Tibet and is in the Brahmaputra River Basin, it is located in a valley. The warm and humid air currents from the Indian Ocean can blow to this southeastern Tibet area, thus forming a completely different scene from the west and north of Lhasa. If the scenery to the west, north and even southwest of La Salusa is majestic, magical and desolate, then the Nanyigou area in Linzhi shows beautiful and primitive beauty, with lush vegetation and many types. To borrow a popular saying now In other words, it is to enjoy the green "visual feast".

However, what fascinates us the most is a section of primeval forest scenery. Generally speaking, scenic spots are basically created and managed manually. But in Nanyigou, the primeval forest scenic area we visited basically maintained its original form, except for the plank roads that are convenient for tourists to visit, a few cabins that look like hunters, and the roads leading here. The tall trees cover the sky and close the sun, the winding forest creeks gurgling and flowing, bringing a bit of sparkle to the forest, the green fungi clinging to the surface of the tree trunks, the dead or lying ones lying on the ground. The broken trees, the green and flat grass, the blue water in the small pond, are very similar to Jiuzhaigou in northern Sichuan, and the tourists wearing bright clothes walking on the plank road... constitute the poetic and picturesque scene here. Living here, enjoying the "visual feast" and greedily breathing the oxygen rich in negative ions is a rare enjoyment in life.

There is also an amazing Yin-Yang tree in Nanyigou. The so-called yin and yang tree is a big tree that is both yin and yang. The male reproductive organ grows on the trunk one meter high. The small trunk stretches forward in an exaggerated way, and underneath it is a naturally formed black hole, and there was a clump of grass growing on the edge of the hole, which looked like female genitals. The management department of the scenic spot specially built steps to surround it, and also set up a wooden sign on the edge. A brief introduction: The local Lhoba people regard it as a sacred tree, and they dance around it every festival. Genital dance to pray for the prosperity of the human population. It is a pity that we did not have the opportunity to watch this dance of the Lhoba people.

Stone pot fish and Tibetan pig

When we arrive in Tibet, most of us have to taste butter tea, eat highland barley cakes, and drink highland barley wine. However, what impressed me the most was Linzhi’s stone pot fish and Tibetan fragrant pig.

Most of the pots we usually see are metal, with iron pots being the most common. Of course, casseroles and ceramic pots are also common. As for stone pots, I didn’t hear about them until I arrived in Linzhi, Tibet. I have never been interested in the things that tour guides recommend for consumption. Many of them are exaggerated, and they basically cooperate with merchants to take money out of tourists' pockets. Therefore, when I travel, I generally do not follow the tour guide's encouragement to shop. But when I heard that there was a stone pot, my eyes really lit up. No matter what the taste or nutrition of the dishes cooked in the stone pot was, or the price of the stone pot fish, I ordered a stone pot with others. Pot fish. The reason for this order is that I also considered that most of the fish eaten in the mainland are fed with feed in fish ponds. The feed may contain hormones, and the fish in Tibet are most likely to be wild because Tibetans do not eat fish. , now that it has been cooked in a stone pot, the taste should be different from usual. In the evening at a restaurant in Linzhi County, we tasted the stone pot fish with gusto. When the waiter brought the hot stone pot like a rice bucket, we saw that it was a pot made of bluestone, and the dishes were inside. When you eat it, the taste is indeed relatively fresh. Is it because it was cooked in a stone pot or because some seasonings we don’t know are added, or because the fish is wild? We don't know. Although the food in this restaurant is expensive, the portions are abundant, and it is more than enough for three or four people to eat one pot.

Still in this restaurant, we tasted Tibetan Xiang pig pork. Tibetan pigs are different from pigs in our mainland, mainly in two aspects: 1. Pigs in the mainland are basically raised in pens and grow up on feeding swill and feed; while Tibetan pigs are free-range and rely on food in the wild. Weeds grow. When the tour bus is driving on the rural road, we can see Tibetan pigs leisurely on the roadside from time to time. 2. Pigs in the Mainland generally weigh more than 200 kilograms when they are slaughtered, and some may reach 500 kilograms; while Tibetan pigs are much smaller, often weighing around 30 kilograms when they are slaughtered, or even smaller, only a dozen kilograms. . However, the meat of Tibetan Xiangxiang pig is indeed very fragrant, tender and tastes good. It’s no wonder that the price is very expensive. In Tibet, it is said that many materials need to be transported from the mainland, so the overall price level is much more expensive than the mainland.

Xiuba Castle

Xiuba Castle. The name of the castle was originally a place name, which in Chinese feels a bit poetic and soft. However, this is a Tibetan name, and its meaning is very scary. It means "peeling" and is bloody. Regarding this place name, there is also a popular local legend. A long time ago, this place was not called Xiuba. There were monks from two different sects living here. They each had their own temples. The Yellow Sect in the east and the Bon Sect in the west. Because of their different religious sects, the two temples had a fight. At that time, the Bon religion was more powerful than the Yellow religion here. After a fierce battle, the monks of the Bon temple imprisoned the abbot of the Yellow temple and skinned the latter alive, so the place was named "Xiuba" . Then, the ancient castles built here are also called "Xiuba Castle".

On the morning of July 14th, we took a bus to visit here. The castle complex is built on a relatively flat highland, with mountains on the right and flat land overlooking the left. It is said that these castles were built in the Tang Dynasty mainly for monitoring and reporting enemy situations. There are seven castles in each. If you look here from the mountain, the castles are arranged according to the Big Dipper. Due to the gloomy weather and dense clouds, the ancient castle built of stone barriers looked particularly eerie. The tour guide guided us to pay attention to the fact that some of these ancient castles have cracked, forming zigzag gaps like lightning, and some have collapsed tops, but they are still standing without any tilt, and they have been standing for more than a thousand years. We walked along the gravel corridor between the ancient castles. There were many peach trees growing on both sides of the road. It was probably the season. There were no bright red flowers on the trees, only dark green and wet leaves, and the trunks were dark. Mani stones remain between the branches of many tree trunks. After passing this corridor, we came to a dilapidated ancient castle, with a large number of buildings left over from more than a thousand years ago. The fort is about 20 meters high and square, like a broken sword pointing to the sky. Entering the castle, it's a bit dark, with only the top showing light. However, from here, we smell the bloody breath of history.

On a platform near the ancient castles, there is a stone with the words "Gesar Observation Deck" engraved on it. It seems that this ancient castle group has some connection with the mythical hero Gesar in the Tibetan epic.

Yamdrok Yumco

Yamdrok Yumco

Yamdrok Yumco is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. On July 15, the Shigatse tour I participated in passed by Yamdrok Yumco and enjoyed the beautiful natural scenery here.

That morning, when we set off from Lhasa, it was raining heavily. I estimate that such weather is not common in Lhasa, but I am worried that such continuous rain may not only affect our itinerary, but also affect our appreciation of the natural beauty. Fortunately, about an hour after we left Lhasa, the weather turned cloudy. By the time we reached the winding mountain road, the weather became sometimes sunny and sometimes cloudy. The car drove on the winding mountain road for about 20 minutes, and finally reached the top of Gangbala Mountain from the foothills. The car stopped in the parking lot at the top of the mountain. When we got off the car, we saw a large lake unfolding in front of us on the other side of the mountain.

Looking down from the top of the mountain, Yamdrok Yumco shows its unique beauty. It is neither as endless as the Namtso and Sailim Lakes I saw before, nor like the mirror-like Tianchi in Xinjiang. Instead, it has an irregular shape, shaped by the mountain ridges, just like a map of the coastal area. . The water in Yamdrok Yumco is not as green as the water in Basong Co, nor is it as deep and dark as Namtso. It is more blue like the sea, perhaps because of the reflection in the sky. Looking down at Yamdrok Yumcuo was like viewing Tianchi in Changbai Mountain in Jilin three or four years ago. The water in Tianchi was like blue wine, intoxicating her, but the view there was not wide enough. What made people feel more heartbroken was that a certain prodigal son He brazenly ceded more than half of the Tianchi inherited from his ancestors to North Korea. Now when I come to this mountain to watch Yamdrok Yumco, I have a very wide view. The mountains on the ground are far lower than the mountains at my feet, and this plateau lake is like a child lying quietly in the embrace of the mountains. Although the sky at this time was covered with thick clouds from time to time, and the wind was freezing on the top of the mountain, the mood was still good.

Although the top of Gangbala Mountain is more than 5,000 meters above sea level, the parking lot is almost full of cars and there are naturally a lot of tourists, and there are also many Tibetans selling souvenirs here. Some Tibetans lead Tibetan mastiffs, yaks and horses for tourists to take photos. Therefore, the top of the mountain is bustling with people, not desolate, and is similar to a farmer's market in an ordinary market town.

After viewing Yamdrok Yumcu on the top of the mountain, we got on the bus. The tour bus went down the mountain along the winding road from the lake, so we got closer and closer to the lake. When the car was driving, the tour guide suggested that we should pile a pile of Mani stones with our own hands after the car stopped by the lake, pray for ourselves and our relatives and friends, and then go to the lake to get close to the water. After the car stopped at a parking lot by the lake, we got off the car and went to the lake to pick up a few stones to build Mani stones. At this time, I realized that something that seemed very simple was actually very difficult to do. When I put the second stone on the first stone, I found that it was not easy to find its balance point. When I stacked the third stone, my pile of Mani stones seemed very unstable and crumbling. . I think this may be because I didn't choose the materials well when I was stacking rocks. After some thinking, I finally stacked four or five stones. Then he put his hands together and bowed twice to his work. When I was building piles of Mani stones, I discovered that the stones by the lake were a little different from those in other places. Many of the stones here are milky yellow, and still have some jade luster after being washed in the lake water. There are also several small holes of different shades and uneven layouts on them. I think they are very artistic, so I picked two pieces. I washed it in the lake and put it in a plastic bag and brought it back. Later, I named a piece of it "The Fountainhead" and gave it to a writer friend of mine.

Carla Manor

In the travel itinerary organized by the travel agency I participated in, the only activity with political overtones was a visit to the Kara Manor on the way from Lhasa to Rirose. It is said that this is the manor of the serf owners left over from the "old society". When the tour guide said he would take us to this manor, I thought we would receive some political and ideological education. After all, during the 10 days we came to Tibet, we almost forgot about the so-called politics. However, after visiting this manor, we tourists were not aroused to any class hatred, because the explanation of the manor has diluted the inherent ideology in our minds. The person who gave us the explanation was a Tibetan man. When he introduced himself to us, he told us that he was a descendant of serfs.

Kara Manor is not big, only about 2,000 square meters, with a courtyard and a J-shaped two-story building. The windows of the room downstairs are relatively small, there is insufficient light inside, and it is relatively dark inside. It is said that it is a place where debris is piled. We asked if the serfs also lived in these rooms, and the narrator said that they basically did not live in the manor, but lived in their own houses nearby. Only those who had no place to live lived here.

The focus of our visit is on the second floor. We stopped in front of a picture and learned about the torture methods used on serfs in old Tibet, such as chopping off feet, chopping hands, and gouging out eyes. The commentator just said that it was a punishable crime and took us to visit other places.

Entering the house on the second floor, we felt that it was not only very spacious, but also very bright. At this time, the explanation of the explanation was also very enthusiastic. He not only talked about the manor owner's introduction of Western wine and various utensils before 1949, but also introduced his interactions with Tibetan high-level society, and his tone was full of admiration. He also told us that after the "peaceful liberation", the manor owner's accountant served as a member of the CPPCC of the autonomous region.

In the exhibition hall on the second floor of the manor, we saw flutes made of human bones and lamps made of skulls. We had already heard about these two objects, as well as the thangkas drawn with human skin, and felt that Tibetan serf owners were too cruel. However, after listening to the explanation of the tour guide, we finally understood some of their religious significance. According to the narrator, the flute was made from the girl's leg bones. The girl was 18 years old at the time and died after falling off a cliff. With the consent of her parents, the girl's leg bones were donated and made into flutes. The girl was therefore able to dedicate some part of her body after her death, and her family felt honored. It's a pity that the flute is stored in the display cabinet. I don't know what the sound played by this human bone flute is like. I really can't imagine it.

Similarly, lamps made from skulls are also a tribute made by the deceased in his will or by his family on behalf of the deceased. Moreover, the narrator also said that not everyone is qualified to dedicate their body after death, only those with high moral character and high respect have such treatment. Perhaps the deceased had imagined before his death that when the skull lamp was lit in the future, his soul would dance in the fire. The human skin used in thangka is the same as this, which was donated by the eminent monk and living Buddha after his death. From this point of view, understanding something cannot only rely on our experience and common sense. We should put it in a specific cultural background to truly understand its true meaning; otherwise, we may misunderstand it.

polluted Tibet

Tibet is very holy in our minds. In the past, the Tibet we saw from many films and pictures was spotless and very pure. Now that I am on the scene, there is a huge contrast between my previous imagination and reality. Although the pollution in Tibet is still smaller than that in many places in the mainland, it still makes people feel heartbroken when they see it.

On the way to Shigatse, we passed a peak called Naiqin Kangsang. The car stopped and let us enjoy the glacier scenery. We have all seen the beautiful and picturesque glaciers in movies and pictures before. It is very much like a fairy tale world, pure, clear and crystal clear. After watching it, our souls seem to be purified, and the distracting thoughts in our hearts disappear. However, the glacier covered by the Naiqin Kangsang Peak in front of us is really unflattering. Not only is it not beautiful, but it is simply ugly, like old yellow and black cotton wool draped on the mountain peak. Why are beautiful glaciers so ugly? It is said that in order to make a patriotic film about resistance to British aggression, a well-known domestic director went so far as to create an artificial avalanche on the mountain through explosions in order to achieve good visual effects, leaving behind this ugly scene. In fact, according to modern technology, it is possible to use computer animation to create this effect; if not, you can also borrow film and television materials shot by predecessors; if necessary, you can also contact glacier experts to wait for natural avalanches in specific areas. But this famous director chose artificial explosion to create this ugly sight, and the relevant Tibetan authorities actually approved the explosion. Now this landscape has been preserved forever in Naichinkang Sang Peak as a sin of mankind.

One of the important reasons why Tibet attracts many tourists from home and abroad to visit it with the mentality of worship is that in people's minds, this is one of the few remaining pure lands on earth. However, this pure land is now also being eroded by pollution. Not to mention that China’s increasingly expanding material desires and rampant pragmatism may be spreading and eroding the pure land of Tibet. As far as the natural environment is concerned, the problem of pollution cannot be ignored. On the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, all kinds of large trucks are like squids, blowing thick black smoke and heading towards Tibet; in various natural scenic spots, large and small plastic bags are hanging on the treetops like a show off or lying calmly. On the grass;...who doesn't feel sad every time he sees such a scene!

Tibet is very large, second only to Xinjiang in China's territory. Therefore, it is impossible for many people to travel throughout this vast place, even those who often go to Tibet or even live and work there for several years. You may not be able to travel all over Tibet. And I only traveled in Tibet for more than a week (there were still about 10 days on the way to Tibet), which was very short. I didn’t even have a good trip to Lhasa. Besides, I didn’t visit many places in Tibet. , it is only a small part of Tibet, and there are many shocking beautiful scenery, unique customs, mysterious myths and legends, all of which are regrettably missed. However, we are reading this book when we travel anywhere. It is impossible for us to savor every sentence in the book carefully. Many times we read it in a crude way, with only a half-understanding or no understanding. Objectively speaking, we don’t have that much time, energy and financial resources to appreciate all the beautiful scenery of a place in detail and understand all its folk customs thoroughly. We can only take a quick glance at the flowers and skim through the water, and get a little bit of knowledge; from a subjective point of view I often feel that I am a very impetuous person. I rarely calm down when I join a tour organized by a travel agency and be led by a tour guide, and I can't calm down even more. To a large extent, our tour was as the tour guide said: "I slept in the car, stopped the car to pee, took pictures quickly when I arrived at the scenic spot, and when I got home, people asked me about it, but I didn't know anything." In fact, the tour guide led the team and explained, It's just a routine, completing tasks, and most importantly, shopping in bulk can bring him/her benefits. Therefore, I can only say that I have scratched the surface of my trip to Tibet, and I still have many regrets that I will try to eliminate as much as possible when I have the opportunity in the future. Of course, I know better that there are many things that may become eternal regrets that cannot be eliminated in this life. This is how life is. I'm sure there are people who feel the same way as me.

September 5, 2012 in YangzhouCunsiwu

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