Life and Death in Tibet: The Dream of Chenye Chen

Chapter 12 Arriving in Qaidam
The few of us were very grateful to the Tibetans for their kind hospitality to Hu Yulin, so we took out ten yuan Tibetan coins and gave them to them. The Tibetans were all overjoyed and couldn't stop thanking them.He also called all his partners over, brought tents and hunted wild donkeys and sheep, and rebuilt the tents on the spot, and made a lot of pasta, beef and mutton to entertain us.Look at the prey they captured, there are a lot of lynx fur, fox fur, and antelope horns.There are also noodles, ghee, milk cakes, beef and mutton and many other foods.The dried noodles they brought out were of good quality, and after inquiring, they learned that they were bought from faraway Xining.Put some beef and mutton in the noodle soup and steam it, and then taste the taste, it is incomparably delicious.It's just that our group has been eating lightly for a long time, and it's the first time we tasted salty.On the contrary, I already feel that my throat is bitter and strange, and it is difficult to swallow.In the end, everyone still asked to eat and drink without salt, so that they could eat and drink lightly.By that day, we have all lived in the wilderness for four months.Suddenly eating the bread of the world and living in a tent again, I am not used to it, as if everyone has become immortal!I can no longer regard good things as delicacies, and wish to recognize the Tibetans in front of me as the best relatives in my life.For a while, everyone was extremely tired, so they rented a few cows from the Tibetans to ride on their backs to move forward.The cow is blue in color, very simple and simple, it looks small in size, but its strength is astonishing, no worse than those yellow calves in the countryside in the interior.None of us could speak the dialect of the Qinghai area, so we had to gesture with our hands and talk for a long time before we were able to provide each of us with our daily food.Each ox is sold for eight taels of silver.We all thought it was a good deal, so we paid them 50 yuan in Tibetan coins first, because there are still 15 days to go to Qaidam from here.

So, in the early morning of the next day, everyone set off together.We rode on the backs of green cattle during the day, and slept in tents at night. The daily food was provided by Tibetans, which was very rich.Everyone is very happy.Along the way, we passed more than 16 rivers, and the further we went, the deeper the rivers we met.There are no roads on land and no bridges on the water. If it were not for the guidance of these Tibetans, we would have no way to go out, nor would we go so fast.The only trouble was that the feet of the soldiers and I were frozen by the river water, so that once we got into the river and touched the raw water, they were so swollen and painful that we could hardly walk.The forests along the way are green and the trees grow tall and dense.The road is twists and turns, and it is impossible to tell east, west, north, south. It passes through a large forest for a while, and comes to the middle of the cold river for a while.Although the climate is very cold, the surrounding scenery is quiet and hazy, which makes each of us feel at ease.In this way, he walked bridle for [-] days and finally arrived at Qaidam.I saw countless yurts in that place scattered on the endless wilderness.With so many residents, it looks like an inland town!
Qaidam, translated as "Qaidan", used to be the seat of Qinghai's royal court.In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the 10,000+ soldiers and horses that General Yue Zhongqi attacked Luo Buzangdanjin were located in this place.Historically, it has always been an important transportation hub for Outer Mongolia and Xinjiang to enter Tibet.There are three roads going north from Harawusu, the middle road and the east road can go to Xining, and the west road is to Qaidam. It takes about a thousand miles to reach Xining.This section of the road is very long and tortuous, and it has to pass through the Qiangtang Desert. The road is deserted and the journey is very difficult.If you take the east road, there will be miasma and plague all year round along the way.The Northern Expedition armies of the Wei, Jin and Tang dynasties all encountered miasma and had no choice but to retreat there.On the road to the east, there is a famous stone castle, which is famous as a natural danger.Therefore, the Tubo troops in history have always wanted to occupy it, and then attack the land of China from there.Looking at the history of China, I have never heard of a place with such a dangerous terrain in my experience.

From Qaidam to Xining in Qinghai, there are still more than 500 miles.Among them, more than 300 miles are full of saline-alkali land along the way, so it is necessary to change to a camel.So we had to live in this area for a while.On the second day, I met a lama and hit it off with me.He himself said that he was from Datong in the north of Gansu, and he had been in Qaidam for ten years.He knew that we were all Han Chinese and had risked our lives back from Tibet, so he tried his best to praise the miracles of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, as if the Buddha had reincarnated.I really don't know anything about Tibetan Buddhism, so I can only respond casually.The lama was so excited that he seemed to have more to say, so he invited me to drink tea at his residence.I took Nishihara with me.In a yurt, which is where he lived for many years, he first entertained us with milk tea and sugar cakes, and then slaughtered a fat sheep. We told him not to spend such money, but he didn’t listen. In the end, he took off his coat and hand Use a knife to cook.Delicious cooked meat and pasta were served quickly, and I got a plate of garlic spicy from somewhere. I haven't tasted this garlic spicy in my mouth for almost half a year, and it has always been my lifelong hobby.After eating this meal, the whole person was really hearty, which made me remember the taste of being a human again!I am really grateful to the host for his kindness, which made me forget all the hunger and suffering in the north for the first time since I set off!
The next day, a day off.I just bought some pasta and hired the camels needed for the journey.The lama also attracted a businessman from the Danggar hall to see me. The so-called long-time merchants of the Han people are landlords, and told me: "This man will return to Danggar tomorrow. You can go together. He will be your companion. There is no need to hire another guide.” The businessman’s surname is Zhou, nicknamed Yaoqing, he is about 40 years old, he said that he has been doing business all the time, and has been traveling in Qinghai for more than [-] years.I am very familiar with walking everywhere.So I was overjoyed and made an appointment with him to leave after breakfast the next morning.In the early morning of the next day, an enthusiastic lama came to see me off. I saw him take out a packet of garlic from his pocket, which made me grateful and ashamed.After saying goodbye to each other, we set off on the road, and after walking forty miles forward, we entered the vast saline-alkali land.The ground is potholed and difficult to navigate. From a distance, there is no end at all. Weeds grow everywhere, barren and inhabited, with no rivers and no livestock.Looking at the ground, the surface seems to be very solid and thick, and when two feet step on it, it sinks down.I could only prop myself up on the ground with the butt of my gun, and stretched my hand down to feel for it. It went down four or five inches in a flash, and the water gushed out immediately.Therefore, it is unimaginable to travel on such saline-alkali land without camels.

The water in the saline-alkali land tastes salty and contains toxins, making it undrinkable at all.But every day or two you walk forward, you will inevitably come across a freshwater pond, or in the middle of the saline-alkali land, or next to a certain tree, and you can't see any springs or wells.If you bend down and look carefully, it is no different from other saltwater pools.If it is not for people who are used to traveling in this area, they will not be able to recognize it at all.Therefore, most of the people who pass here along the way have to use leather bags to hold fresh water and put them on camels to carry them before they dare to go on the road.I saw that the Tibetans who walked with us killed two sheep, removed the meat and saved the skin, sewed up the hole in the sheep skin, and filled the sheep's throat with fresh water. It was very convenient, and I had to admire it. They're smart.I heard a businessman surnamed Zhou say: "In the past, when the Hui people invaded Qinghai on a large scale, how many horses were all trapped in this saline-alkali, unable to gallop, and finally returned in a big defeat. Those soldiers even drank the salt in the saline-alkali The water was all poisoned to death, and since then, they have not dared to touch a hair in Qinghai..."

Five days later, we walked out of the saline-alkali land and entered a wide grassy plain. The mountains along the road became less and the road became more winding. From time to time, we could see three or five yurts scattered along the road at the foot of the mountain.One day we camped in a small lamasery. There were many yurts outside the temple, which looked like a cottage. From time to time, businessmen from inland Shaanxi passed by here, buying sheepskins everywhere.So we witnessed with our own eyes how the Tibetans slaughtered sheep with knives. That kind of quick skill of criticizing gaps and guiding orifices really opened people's eyes...In about an hour, more than a dozen sheep were all slaughtered!It reminds me of Pao Ding's magical skills in ancient times.

The local residents all live as nomads.They put up tents when staying, wear furs, eat cattle and sheep, and walk with mules and horses. When they see water and grass, they go there. When the water and grass are gone, they roll up their tents and go to other places.Throughout the year, they have no fixed place to live, no hostels to travel, and the standard of their wealth is also quantified by the number of cattle and horses in each family.It hasn't changed for thousands of years.Wealthier families all have thousands of cattle, sheep, mules and horses by the side of a tent.There are at least hundreds of them in poor families, because without them they cannot live.One day, we met a family of Tibetans migrating on the road.Hundreds of cattle, sheep, mules and horses came over. Behind the animal team were men, women, old and young, all riding on the backs of mules and horses.The rest of the food and clothing, pot tents and utensils were jingled all the way and let the cattle and horses carry them. Those animals followed the people and never needed to be driven.Behind them, I saw three or five sheep wandering around, grazing everywhere. If you chase them, you should run farther away. If you don't chase them, you will fall behind the team.We also saw a lot of Tibetan beauties, all with bare arms and holding long whips, walking with the team, shouting and taking care of them all the way, and there are more than a dozen famous Tibetan mastiffs, at least four feet tall, looking ferocious and fearsome , back and forth, to do their guardianship.All the sheep are afraid of them, and when the Tibetan mastiff comes, those sheep immediately return to the team and obediently obey.As soon as the Tibetan Mastiff left, the sheep escaped from the team and gnawed grass on the ground, because the nature of the sheep is naughty and playful.After we entered the salt-alkali land, the bison and mule that used to be there were completely extinct.Sometimes you can still see groups of elk passing by on the hillside, and running away when they see people.When our group was about to enter Qinghai, the mountains gradually increased.Often have to cross rivers and streams.One day the procession entered the valley.Walking along a stream, I met a group of deer drinking water by the stream. Seeing our shadow, they immediately ran to the top of the mountain, and fled quickly.That mountain was also several miles high, and they reached the top of the mountain in the blink of an eye.The soldiers picked up their guns and tried to aim, but the bullets couldn't hit them...

After walking for more than ten miles, the road ahead turned around and a large plain suddenly appeared.Standing in front of the hillside, looking at the Milky Way in the distance, lying in the middle of the vast world, I wondered at first whether the river was frozen somewhere, but the businessman said softly: "This is the famous Qingyan Sea! "

No one knows how big and how many miles wide Qingyan Sea is.The businessman and others got off their horses solemnly and unloaded, and they were ready to pitch their tents and camp at the nearest seashore.It was still very early at that time, so I curiously followed them to the beach to have a look.The businessman turned around and said, "We need to get some salt from the sea, so we camp early." I saw that the ice in the sea was several feet thick and as hard as rocks. Go in very far.The thumping of sea water under the ice can be heard.I asked him where is the salt?The businessman said with a smile: "After the meal, you will naturally know."

Everyone walked back together. After dinner, the businessman started to work—bringing a bundle of leather bags and a bundle of pegs and pestles, he came to the seashore. Hit it hard with the iron pestle in your hand, and the broken ice splashed everywhere. After a long time, a small hole was made, which was two or three feet deep, and the ice layer was pierced. In an instant, a line of sea water gushed out from under the ice layer When it came out, it spewed out several feet of ice.The businessman quickly spread the leather bag and pressed the surrounding area with ice cubes, and the work was completed.We got up and walked back again, I have no idea where the salt he got was!Sorry to ask again.Early the next morning, everyone got up and followed the merchant into the sea to fetch salt. When they got there, they saw that the grass sack laid yesterday had stood on the ice like a big living person. Filled with high-quality green salt, the grains are like beans, clean and shiny, and the color is slightly green, which is exactly the same as the green salt I saw selling in the market in my hometown!Put a little bit in your mouth and taste it, the taste is stronger than the refined salt of the hometown, this is a real natural product, it is a pity to let it lie in the desert like this!

After the salt was packed, we set off, only to see that the sun was almost noon, so we didn't go far that day, and we stayed in a yurt, where the Tibetans treated us very hospitablely.There was also a lot of polite gossip kept on to the merchants.I heard that we are all Han Chinese. We just ran out from Tibet not long ago, and our expressions became even more cheerful.He told us: "I have been here for a long time, and I have been selling cloth, wheat flour, porcelain, ironware and other things from Xining to various parts of Qinghai to exchange leather, deer antler, and musk with others." I can almost understand him. After speaking Tibetan, I asked him about the route to go forward, and what he said was roughly the same as what Zhou Yaoqing said.He also took out a tin of exquisite cigarettes and gave it to me, saying: "I have never smoked, and this is also given to me by a friend-forward it to you." I was very happy, and quickly took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a few sips, I feel dizzy and almost fainted to the ground...It's all because I haven't smoked cigarettes for more than five months, and I can't get used to it when I suddenly start smoking again.

After walking for another two days, more people and more mountains along the way. Moreover, with such a good partner as a businessman, talking and laughing along the way, I don't feel hard work at all.The mood is getting more and more comfortable and comfortable.We went to a place to stay, where there were at least a hundred families scattered on the nearby plains.The surrounding trees are green and secluded, and the scenery is so beautiful, I only see this one place.An old Tibetan came to meet us, full of energy and a very stalwart appearance.There are five or six lively and lovely children with him. He introduced himself as a native of Xiangyin, Hunan, and he is over 70 years old this year.Early years - When I was young, I followed General Zuo Zongtang's team to go out of customs, and traveled all the way to Gansu, Xinjiang, and finally wandered in all directions, unable to return to the distant inland, so I simply started a family here in Qinghai, married a local Tibetan woman, and gave birth to A son was born, and the son gave birth to a grandson.That's why we all know that those around him are all his grandsons.Beside him was a teenager who turned out to be his youngest son.Because I have lived outside the Great Wall for decades, the Chinese in my hometown has been spoken in a jerky and strange way, and most of them can’t be understood—as if what he told me was a language created by himself.And because I heard that I came back from Tibet after all the hardships, and I was in the same hometown as the old man, so the chat became more and more active.I intentionally asked him about the revolution and political situation in the interior, and all he knew was: "Yuan Shikai is the Generalissimo, Sun Wen is the vanguard of the revolution, and China's current national name is the first year of Guiming." Such hearsay really makes people laugh out loud !He referred to the "Republic of China" as "return to fate"!While talking, he called one of his grandsons to go home and took a dozen eggs, insisting on giving them to me.I had no choice but to give him back four yuan in Tibetan coins. When he saw it, he said that four yuan was not enough, and explained with a smile: "It's three yuan less to use this money to make children's hair decorations." He was given another three yuan.He beamed and went home with a smile.Early the next morning, when we were about to set off, this elderly fellow from the same village came to see me off with a lot of wine and meat dishes.Everyone bid farewell.I finally asked him: "When will the old man return to his hometown?" He stared blankly, sighed and said, "The local accent has been changed, and the temples are also graying. It’s been more than 60 years since I haven’t communicated with each other. Even if I transform into a crane and fly home, I’m afraid I’m already a different person. Well, my children and grandchildren are here and depend on each other. You ask me when I will return, but I have no return date. ——” sighing goodbye to each other.

After bidding farewell to the old man, we walked along the valley. On the way, the businessman suddenly felt sad and sang a Qin Opera, his voice was impassioned and resounding.The tune he sang is the Shaanxi Bangzi tune that people often talk about.A group of us had been traveling in the desert for a long time, and our ears were filled with the sounds of wild wolves and monsters. Suddenly we heard the tones of the Great Wall of Han Dynasty.The ancients said many times: "Music can change one's nature".This time, I really understood it.

After walking in the valley for a long time, I passed a small ravine, six or seven feet wide, with gurgling water at the bottom, and saw a lot of swimming fish, one or two feet long, round and fat, which seemed to be everywhere, and everyone couldn't resist the temptation.So he got off his horse and caught them with a bayonet. He caught four or five, and hung them on the camels first. When they camped that day, they made a fresh fish feast.Because there is no spicy bean paste and green onion, Nishihara and I tried a few mouthfuls, but we stopped eating, and we still ate our raw beef and mutton.The others ate a big meal, and in the middle of the night, they all vomited and made a mess everywhere.On my way out the next morning, I also spit out a little.Nishihara was fine.I am also surprised!Could it be that those fish are poisonous dolphins and cannot be eaten?So the river breeds so much?Or, those fish are all fish that eat human corpses?It was not until later, when I arrived in Xining, that I met a doctor and asked him why the fish in Qinghai could not be eaten, and finally solved the mystery.The doctor told us: "There is no reason why fish should not be eaten. There is only one kind of fish called kun oolit. If you eat it by mistake, you will vomit. Haven't you heard that you can't eat kun oolit?" Then I thought When I got up, everyone was greedy for the delicious meat of one of the fish that day, and it was assumed that they had eaten kun oolit.Anyway, I have never eaten any fish since that time, and it has been many years.

Early the next morning, the businessman told us: "Today we will arrive in Qinghai!" Everyone was overjoyed.At first we passed through some valleys, and then we went down the ravine, and out of the ravine, there was a vast plain.The plain came to an end again, and a vast sea appeared in front of it, boundless and desolate.The businessman said: "This is Qinghai Lake." That day, everyone camped on the world-famous coast.We inquired carefully about the situation of Qinghai Lake.The businessman said: "The loop area of ​​this sea area is more than 2000 miles. Countless Tibetans and Muslims live around the sea. There are two islands in the middle of the sea. There are five or six hundred residents on the island. The island is rich in musk and velvet. In the sea It produces fish, shrimp, and lettuce. Every September, the sea water freezes. People can walk around on the ice in the lake. Until the ice thaws in May of the next year, boats are impassable, and there are very few pedestrians. There are still many on the island. Lama, an eminent monk with supernatural powers. Anyone who wants to visit the islands in Qinghai Lake usually has to bring a year's worth of rations." After speaking, everyone stood on the coast with the businessman and looked into the distance.I saw the hazy haze in front of me, and there was no limit to it.Among the lakes I have seen, Qinghai Lake is undoubtedly bigger than Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake.The water in the lake is formed by the melting of the snow-capped mountains on all sides, converging but not flowing.At this time, several Tibetans who were traveling with us also came to see the sea, and I couldn’t help asking them: “Have you ever visited the island?” The Tibetan replied: “Only lamas often visit this place. Big, it would take 28 days to travel around on a horse. I don’t know if that’s the case. It’s said that the north side of the sea is even more beautiful, but not many people go there.”

the next day.We go south towards the sea.Two days later, the shoreline ended and hills appeared ahead.The terrain began to undulate.When we arrived at a place, there was a small mound on the left side of the road, and there was an old city wall, more than a mile long, most of which had collapsed.But the ruins of the surrounding houses can still be seen clearly.The businessman said: "What kind of ancient city is this place?" It seems to be called "Fuhexie". It has been a long time, and I can't remember exactly.The city was once guarded by thousands of soldiers. Twenty years ago, it was said that there was a Tibetan rebellion.They were all killed overnight." We walked for a long time, and there were houses and Lama Temples along the way, which was a bit bustling. We stayed in a private house next to the Lama Temple that day. There was food there They are all in place. Most of the Tibetans are also proficient in Chinese, so they are no longer as lonely as before. I also met a Tibetan in particular, who speaks Chinese very fluently. I told him about the situation of the revolution in the interior. He also knows about China. We are changing dynasties, but I don’t know that the current president is promoting the Republic. The next day, I went on the road and walked for more than ten miles. I suddenly found that Zhang Min and my servant, the Tibetan baby, had disappeared! Ask everyone, No one knew. After walking for several miles, I couldn’t see anyone following behind. Someone mentioned that they saw the two of them went to the Lama Temple last night and talked with a lama inside for a long time. When I saw the two of them coming back, I probably decided to stay at the Lama Temple and not leave. I felt very sad, thinking that these two people followed me on the deserted road for nearly ten thousand miles. After thinking about it again, they are of Tibetan blood after all. Even if I go back to the mainland, I am afraid they will not get used to interacting with Han people. If there are lamas willing to take them in, it would be a good thing. Thinking of this, I also Worry no more.

Thirty miles forward from the Lama Temple, you will arrive at Riyue Mountain.The height of the mountain is only forty or fifty feet, and it lies in the middle of the road. There are some cultivated fields in the shade of the mountain.The businessman said: "These places have been reclaimed again and again, because the climate is too cold and too unsuitable for farming, so they have to give up..." I climbed to the top of the mountain.Looking far away towards the inland direction, I can vaguely see the scene of mulberry and hemp everywhere, chickens and dogs smelling each other, scaled houses, and pedestrians coming and going.It seemed to me like a living mirage!After passing through Qinghai, everyone felt that the climate was much warmer all of a sudden.Ice and snow are dripping everywhere, and now that Riyue Mountain is crossed again, it becomes even clearer.The residents I saw along the way were all in togas with long sleeves and wearing bamboo hats.Riding a black donkey looks like an ancient dress.The Tibetans beside him said: "After Riyue Mountain, there is another heaven."I took his word for it.After walking down the mountain for twenty miles, I found a place to stay.

At dawn the next day, continue on the road. There are all Han Chinese along the way, with houses, trade, and farming, and you can start to see schools for studying.I could hear the sound of children babbling and reading. I watched and listened, and felt warm in my heart.I was so happy that my knees were weak, and I almost fell to my knees several times.After walking like this for two days, we arrived at Dangar Hall (now Huangyuan City), so we chose a hotel to stay.

(End of this chapter)