Walking in Meili (1) - Yubeng
On November 11, I went to Yunnan and looked at the snow-capped mountains. Specifically, I went to Yubeng Village in Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, to see Meili Snow Mountain and the nearby Ice Lake Divine Waterfall.
Let me first show off the relevant background knowledge I have temporarily learned:
Meili Snow Mountain is a sacred mountain in the eyes of local people. Although in the eyes of ordinary people like us, the mountains and rivers in the western part of the motherland are endless, and all the snow mountains are similar, equally spectacular and quiet, but in the hearts of Tibetans, these snow mountains have different statuses. Meili Snow Mountain is One that enjoys sacred status. It is known as the four sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism together with Mount Kailash in Tibet, Animaqing Mountain in Qinghai, and Gaduo Juewo. Its lofty and sacred status has always called the Tibetans around it who are protected by it to come and make pilgrimages day and night and go through hardships. Even today, when transportation is so developed that it can travel thousands of miles a day, the custom of reaching the sacred mountain on foot, bending down and prostrating, has not been simplified. This time I also saw local people with their families, old and young, crowded among a large number of tourists, going to the sacred waterfall to kowtow and worship.
Later, due to the major mountain disaster that occurred here and the law prohibiting climbing, Meili was cast into a mysterious and taboo color. In 1991, a Chinese and Japanese mountaineering team encountered an avalanche while climbing Kawabog, the main peak of Meili Snow Mountain, killing 17 people in the team. It was not until 1998 that the relics of the mountaineering team were discovered by villagers grazing cattle on nearby farms. Local people believe that Kawagbo is the abode of gods and should not be touched by humans. Once humans reach the top of the mountain, God will leave them; Without God’s protection, disaster will strike. In 2000, the local government issued a decree prohibiting climbing Kawagbo, leaving Kawagbo untouchable and independent in the world.
What about Yubeng Village? Yubeng Village belongs to Deqin County in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is a small village at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain and a must-pass on the route to the Meili Mountain. Yubeng has many beautiful descriptions in the eyes of literary and artistic young people: "The body is in hell, the eyes are in heaven", "There is heaven above, and there is Yubeng below", "If you don't go to heaven, go to Yubeng", etc. wait. This small village at the foot of the snow-capped mountains is like a paradise. The snow-capped mountains in the distance are silent and beautiful, the white clouds are flowing with the wind, the sky is within reach, the sun is as hot as fire, and all the huge themes do not seem far away; The stream is flowing nearby. The green grass is humming, the cattle and sheep are relaxing, the wooden houses are scattered, and the smoke is curling up. All the trivial details must not appear cluttered. Finally, I think what makes Yubeng different from other villages around the Snow Mountain is that it is still not accessible by road and cannot be easily accessed by large numbers of tourists, so large-scale commercial development has not yet been carried out here. In the past, Yubeng was not only closed to traffic, but also to electricity and internet. Tourists basically had to carry the supplies they needed by themselves. Once you enter the village, you enter another world isolated from the rest of the world. So Yubeng attracts a large number of hiking enthusiasts with its charming natural scenery and perverted masochistic conditions. Nowadays, although there are still no roads here, the hardware conditions are no longer what they used to be. Ordinary people can also go up the mountain by horseback riding or off-road vehicles. The once quiet small villages are gradually becoming lively.
Let’s briefly talk about some thoughts on the road.
Traffic is still a headache when traveling in Yunnan. In recent years, I have been to Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Ruili, Tengchong and other places. This may be my fourth time in Yunnan. This time we visited Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri-La's Feilai Temple, Yubeng Village, Tiger Leaping Gorge and other places. It didn't take long but it was a lot of work. In order to save money, I didn’t fly directly to Lijiang, so I went to Kunming first, then took a sleeper from Kunming to Lijiang to meet everyone, then took a bus from Lijiang to Feilai Temple in Deqin, and then took a bus from Feilai Temple to Xidang Village. At this time, I had just started hiking. start. It felt like I had already used up half of my energy before I even started. When I arrived in Lijiang early that morning, I couldn't help but sigh: If you can still work hard while you are young, you are using your physical strength to supplement your financial resources. When you can no longer work hard, you will have to rely on your financial resources to supplement your physical strength. In Yunnan, the most convenient means of transportation today is still the car. Wherever you want to go, it takes several hours on the winding mountain road, which is really disappointing. The only good thing is that the scenery on the road is good, with great rivers and mountains, and you can have a panoramic view of them. Driving through the mountains and ridges, and between the peaks and valleys, from time to time I have the illusion of soaring clouds and mist, as high as the sky, as if I am the unparalleled hero who stands tall and tall.
The dream of traveling across China with a mobile phone seems to be just around the corner. Walking all the way, no matter how remote the place is, I don’t know if it counts dozens of cities and counties. Basically, you can use WeChat or Alipay to pay. Even going to the roadside toilet at an altitude of several kilometers can be solved by scanning a code. . I brought some cash with me in case of emergencies, but I didn’t have much chance to use it along the way. Within a few years, WeChat and Alipay have been installed on everyone’s mobile phones, replacing cash transactions and becoming the most important means of payment in people’s daily lives. From the rapid popularity of smartphones, the extensive establishment of communication networks to the commercial promotion and technical support of enterprises, and people's willingness to accept and try new things, many factors have contributed to the prosperity of China's mobile payment market today. Sometimes people have to lament that we live in an era of rapid technological advancement, new things emerging in an endless stream, and a China that is changing with each passing day and developing rapidly. A few years ago, who would have thought that one day we would be used to paying by mobile phone, and people across the country seemed to have acquiesced to it overnight.
The illusion of narrow-mindedness. Living in an urban forest made of reinforced concrete, we are surrounded by the masterpieces of human beings. They built buildings on the top of the mountain to overlook the world, they circled the roads to open to large numbers of traffic, they built underground transportation networks to solve ground congestion, and they reclaimed land from the sea. To alleviate the scarcity of land, they installed constant-temperature air conditioners to ignore the comings and goings of cold and summer, they densely deployed base stations to maintain high-speed communications at all times, and they required plant forms and types according to the plan. The city is a kingdom that humans have built for themselves, so much so that there is an illusion. : Human beings are the masters of the world. But when you walk into the vast rivers and mountains of the west, you realize that only nature, which turns its hands to make clouds and turns its hands to make rain, is the master of the world in front of you. However, humans have to put on short sleeves under the scorching sun and face the cold wind. Wearing a jacket, a raincoat in the heavy rain, and a down jacket in the wind and snow, the pampered human beings appear fragile in front of the vast and unpredictable nature. Even an unpredictable strong wind is enough to blow down the human beings walking in the canyon. Cliff, and the gust of wind will never stop to express the slightest sadness. When we struggle to breathe the thin air and try our best to step on the ground under our feet, the earth does not leave any traces. Between the heaven and the earth, we are just spectators of this magnificent world. That night I sat at the door of the inn. The outline of the snow-capped mountains was clear in the night. When I looked up, my eyes were full of stars. In my ears, I could hear the sound of melting water. I thought this might be the happiness of a spectator. I clearly remember that Su Shi once said with emotion: Only the cool breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains can be heard by the ears and made into colors by the eyes. They can be taken without restraint and used inexhaustibly. This is The infinite treasure of the Creator.
The other side of life. Many friends are curious about why I choose to go to such a difficult place to suffer. Since I had a waist problem, I have rarely participated in outdoor activities. The various outdoor equipment I once purchased have long been scattered. I don’t know where to go. I forgot that I had briefly been involved in the outdoor scene. The reason why I wanted to give it a try this time is that regular places are either too expensive or too crowded, so I can only find such remote places to avoid being ripped off. Secondly, I like the feeling of walking in the mountains, the feeling of being tired and happy, the feeling of being exhausted but still trying your best. You have to overcome the pure fatigue from the body, which leaves the brain with no time to think about anything. Things, all attention was forced to shift to the feet. And the relaxation and joy after reaching the end is so real and strong. It is a kind of complete relaxation and release. The contrast between one picture and one relaxation is extremely gratifying. Finally, people always need to feel the other side of life from time to time. For example, you have to endure dry toilets that cannot be flushed and are in terrible sanitary conditions, you have to endure inn rooms with basically zero soundproofing, you have to endure poor public toilets and bathrooms, and you have to endure the inability to take a shower and wash at any time as you wish. You have to endure panting while walking and the difficulty of going uphill due to lack of oxygen at the plateau. By the way, you may have to get used to bringing trekking poles with you when you go out for a walk. If necessary, you may also have to endure the unsophisticated locals who sit on the ground and ask for help. In short, life has both convenience and comfort, and the possibility of hardship and harshness. People should also have this kind of resilience that can go up or down.
Finally, I will introduce my journey along the way.
D1 Beijing-Kunming-Lijiang train
D2 Wandering around Lijiang
D3 Lijiang-Feilai Temple Car
D4 Feilai Temple – Xidang Village – Yubeng Village The first section is by car, the second section is on foot
D5 Yubeng-Ice Lake Hiking
D6 Yubeng-Shen Waterfall Hiking
D7 Yubeng-Ninong-Tiger Leaping Gorge, the first section is on foot, the second section is by car
D8 Tiger Leaping Gorge-Lijiang-Kunming bus, train
D9 Kunming-Beijing Train
Originally there was no itinerary for wandering around Lijiang on the second day, but due to the sudden increase in National Day and the unavailability of a one-day holiday, I had to spend it wandering around Lijiang. The hiking lasted about three and a half days. The first three days were about 13 kilometers each day, and the fourth day was probably 20 kilometers, but because it was downhill, it was easier to walk. The rest of the time is just heading in and out.
Going from Lijiang to Shangri-La may be regarded as the official start of this Meili-Yubeng trip, although my personal trip started long ago when I left Beijing.
The scenery along the way is not bad, it is common scenery on the plateau, but the scenery on the plateau is about the same. Whether it is beautiful or shocking depends on how long you have been looking at it . I have probably gone through a typical relationship cycle for ordinary people: good, really good, awesome, average, indifferent, just like that, too lazy to look at it...
Jinsha River Big Bend
I don't have any relevant geographical knowledge. I'm just curious about why the Jinsha River, which is the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is so yellow? However, its name "Jinsha River" seems to raise some questions, but the next question is where does Jinsha come from?
The county seat in this narrow gap is Deqin County. Although it looks so inconspicuous, it is also a prosperous place for miles around, with high-rise buildings, streets, shops, and the fireworks of the world.
Feilai Temple is a temple and the best observation point of Meili Snow Mountain. When the weather is good, you can see all the snow-capped peaks of Meili Snow Mountain. Then this is also an important transfer station to Yubeng Village, because Yubeng is not accessible by road, and it is close to the junction of roads and walking routes. Now a commercial area with tourism as its core has developed here, at least that's what it seems to me (I don't know if there are other industries). So when we talk about Feilai Temple, most of us don’t refer to Feilai Temple, the attraction that collects tickets, but to the area around Feilai Temple, and this area does not have a professional administrative division name, which is Dianzang. It is eight kilometers away from Deqin County.
The phone has tried its best
After another hour’s minibus ride from Feilai Temple, we arrived at Xidang Hot Spring, the starting point for Yubeng Village. That day was the most intense day of the entire trip. Firstly, it was because I had to carry everything that might be used in the next three days. Secondly, it was because the ascent was about 1,200 meters. My bag was so heavy that I didn’t dare to put it down casually, because it took a lot of effort and courage to put it back on my back every time; I was really tired afterwards, so tired that I Don't dare to stop at will, because if you stop, you will never want to move again.
At this moment, because I just set off, I still have the energy to take a selfie.
We were walking around the Meili Snow Mountain all the way. Except for Kawagbo, I didn’t know much about which one was the Goddess Peak, which one was the Five Crown Peak, etc.
The two people on the right are a foreign couple who admire Wai Guoren's physical strength and ease in raising children. When we went down the mountain the next day, we met them and they had just gone up the mountain. The couple were still walking easily, talking and laughing, and the child was still sleeping on his father's shoulders...
Once you put this bag on your back, you don’t want to put it down. When you put it down, you don’t want to put it back up.
When we arrived at Yubeng Village, the most difficult part of the trip was over. Yubeng is divided into upper Yubeng village and lower Yubeng village. Their relationship is as shown in their names: Yubeng village is below, in the mountain canyon. On a flat land, Shangyubeng Village is halfway up the mountain. The distance between the upper and lower rainslides is about 1.5 kilometers. Don’t underestimate this 1.5 kilometers. It takes about an hour to walk up from the bottom. This is without taking the wrong path. In the rainy weather without any signposts, it is easy to go the wrong way and not know where to go. I followed two girls, thinking I could take a shortcut, but unexpectedly I ended up crawling through a forest. The bad road was so slippery and steep that I almost couldn't walk back.
I briefly passed through the entire upper Yubeng Village. Half of the houses should have inn signs, as well as shops serving tourists such as tuck shops, footbaths, and cafes. Some houses are also under construction, and inns should also be built. The tourism carrying capacity of the entire village is very certain, because there are no surrounding areas for transfer or alternatives. During peak periods such as National Day, all resources are equally tight. But in the off-season, business is even more difficult. Surrounding Meili Snow Mountain Tourism and Commercial Development seems to be accelerating, but everything is not so clear. It is still undecided whether to build Yubeng's road to the outside world. Environmental protection is the main reason for opposition. However, local villagers seem to have more reasons to support building the road. This will not only bring convenience to life, but also rely on tourism. The industry brings a lot of income. The benefits of environmental protection will not bring direct benefits to the villagers, but the benefits of road construction are direct and eye-catching. But is the convenience of life of dozens of villagers enough to make humans give in to environmental protection? Or are there other alternatives available? Although there are no roads now, the locals have opened up mountain roads that off-road vehicles can travel on, and can transport people in and out. However, the carrying capacity is limited, and riding is not very convenient. But in the past, it was better to have a car to sit on than to rely on legs. Adds a lot of convenience.
Meili Snow Mountain, which does not look like a scenic spot, charges 55 RMB for admission. In addition to some signboards and a few rest spots, it does not provide any services and does not see any scenic spots. To the staff, it feels like a business where you sit back and collect money, making sure you don't lose anything. I specifically checked the operating unit of Chamei Li Snow Mountain Scenic Area . Meili Snow Mountain Scenic Area originally belonged to a tourism company wholly owned by Diqing Prefecture. Later, the company's management was poor. (I don’t know if this is the real reason ) , Yunnan City Investment Group controls 51%, leaving Diqing Prefecture holding49%, there is no other public information that can be found.
The inn we stayed in was halfway up the mountain , relatively close to Shangyubeng Village. The inn is facing the snow-capped mountains and Yubeng Village. As soon as I entered Yubeng Village, I started taking photos of the houses in Yubeng, at sunrise, sunset, and dark, until I left. I'm still filming, but I feel a little numb from the filming.
The inn where we stayed this time. The inn faces the snow-capped mountains, overlooking Yuibeng and Shangyubeng, sitting and listening to the flowing water lapping at the shore, and watching the sunrise and sunset with a smile.
A rich friend said that he had never stayed in a youth hostel. I said that my stay here was almost the same as a youth hostel, so you could just give it a try, so I took a picture and sent it to him. I didn't expect this unexpected photo, and I seem to be feeling quite emotional now. I didn't seem to sleep much in the first two nights of Yubeng. I don't know whether it was because I was not adaptable to the lack of oxygen at the plateau, or I was too exhausted to fall asleep. Listening to the even breathing of my roommate, my head felt as clear as if I had just taken a cold shower. My body was very tired, but my brain didn't want to rest. Wearing headphones, I finished listening to the book "The Roman Republic" and I was still awake. Then I listened to "The World History of the Great Man" and unexpectedly heard Caesar again. I was still awake. It felt like I was four or five years old. At 1 o'clock, I fell asleep for a while. Until the last day, maybe because I was a little excited to leave, I slept a few more hours.
So tired~
On the first day I went to Yubeng, I didn’t see very stunning scenery. My friends kept hitting me in vain. I also secretly sighed in my heart: It’s hard to say whether my eyes have reached heaven or not, but my body has reached hell first. The scenery in the next two days allowed me to save some face, so please look forward to the scenery in the next article .
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