Chapter 418 Heavenly Realm Qilian
Guo Yang met Lian Cun again in Zhangye.

It was freezing cold, and the trees along the airport were covered with layers of frost. Lian Cunyi, who was only in his twenties, seemed to have aged several years when he smiled, with his skin dark and cracked.

Being a seed hunter is not that easy.

"boss."

Guo Yang stepped forward and patted Lian Cun on the shoulder, "Have you eaten?"

"I ate it on the plane." Lian Cun thought for a moment and said, "The fruit after the meal was the rose honey scent from Guangxi Province!"

Guo Yang was surprised for a moment, but then he felt relieved when he thought that he was the one who arranged a first-class cabin for Lian Cun this time.

"Okay!"

"Very good, all the passengers on the plane praised it highly."

"That's good." Guo Yang nodded and said, "Can we go to Bayi Glacier soon?"

Lian Cun smiled and said, "Yes, but we have to check the weather forecast and wait for the other team members. It's safer with more people."

"Okay." Guo Yang said, "Let's go around Qilian for the next two days and take a look at the situation of the fir and stipa."

These two varieties were cultivated by Guo Yang last year for high-altitude and cold regions, with the purpose of being planted on the edge of glaciers.

When plant communities reach a certain scale, they can significantly increase air humidity, form local water cycles, and increase humidity and precipitation in high-altitude and cold areas.

This will help protect glaciers and may even increase their thickness and area, thereby ensuring water sources for downstream rivers.

But now both plants are still in the cultivation stage.

Starting from Zhangye, drive along National Highway 227 towards Qilian County in the Qilian Mountains, from north to south and then west.

Along the way, Guo Yang released a drone to record the scenery along the way.

Lian Cun looked at all this with curiosity. Having climbed in the mountains and rivers for a long time, he never expected that the drone technology has developed to this point.

"Try it." Guo Yang handed the controller in his hand to Lian Cun.

Lian Cun scratched his head, trying to reach out to take it but finally retracted his hand, "Forget it, I don't know how to do this. It won't be beautiful if I break it."

"What are you afraid of? If it breaks, it breaks." Guo Yang said without waiting for Lian Cun to refuse, "Give the seed collection team a few more in the future. When you have time, take more videos of the beautiful mountains and rivers and post them on the Huinong website."

"This..." Lian Cun wanted to refuse, but which man can refuse a drone!
"Take it." Luo Xiu, who was driving, said with a smile: "The boss wants to cultivate more high-quality content for Huinong.com and take advantage of your labor for free!
Think about how you climbed the plateau, went down the canyon, crossed the rapids, waded through the mud, and went into the desert... When you rarely want to rest, you still have to edit the video. I feel tired for you. "

"How could that be? Sometimes we take a month-long vacation and we just have nothing to do."

Lian Cun finally took over the drone, and after Guo Yang's guidance for a while, he was able to operate it skillfully.

The road from Zhangye to Qilian is part of the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop. Even in the cold winter, the scenery along the way is very beautiful.

The three of them did not rush on their journey, but walked and stopped, enjoying themselves along the way.

After passing Minle, you will enter the territory of Shandan Military Horse Farm. Guo Yang has been thinking about this place for many years.

Jiahe has established cooperation with the military horse farm a long time ago and is also part of the alfalfa industry cluster.

Degraded grassland management, alfalfa and silage corn, spring rapeseed, barley, agricultural machinery... the cooperation between the two sides has already penetrated into all aspects.

Guo Yang had passed by here many times but never stopped once. Now he finally fulfilled his wish.

Shandan Military Horse Farm was founded by Huo Qubing, a general of the Western Han Dynasty. It is located in the middle part of the Hexi Corridor, on the Damaying grassland at the northern foot of Lenglongling in the Qilian Mountains. It spans the two provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, with a total area of ​​329 million mu. It is the oldest royal horse farm in the world.

After the dissolution of the Don River Stud Farm in the Soviet Union, it became the world's largest stud farm.

The drone flew over the grassland, and the horses foraging in the snow were unaware of the uninvited guest.

Several people leaned against the front of the car, watching the scene with great interest.

Lian Cun smiled and said, "Actually, the scenery in August and September is the most beautiful, with cattle and sheep crawling, horses galloping, lush water and grass, green grass, and rape flowers and wild flowers blooming everywhere."

"Winter has its own unique charm," Guo Yang commented: "Thousands of miles of snow, and a bright moon."

Luo Xiu said: "This horse is not bad, strong and sturdy, strong and powerful, it is obviously a good horse at first glance."

After staying at the military horse farm for a while, the group continued on their journey.

Qilian Mountain is a land of heaven with magnificent sacred mountains, canyons and glaciers.

Wetland sand dunes, river valleys, forest grasslands, glacial lakes... the tens of millions of forms of mountain, water, forest, field, lake, grass and shaved ice blend together to nourish all living things here.

Qilian is the name of a mountain and also the name of a small county town.

Babao Town is where the county seat is located.

The beautiful Babao River runs through the town, and two sacred mountains, Zhuoer Mountain and Niuxin Mountain, stand around the town.

This place is full of snow-capped mountains and beautiful natural scenery. It is the area in the world where the original ecology is most intact so far.

As beautiful pictures appeared in front of the camera, an idea in Guo Yang's mind became stronger and stronger.

"How about making a documentary about Qilian!"

Lian Cun looked at him in surprise, "Documentary?"

"Yes, a documentary about aerial photography." The more Guo Yang thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. "Horse herders have seen it, right? It's a movie shot at the Shandan Military Horse Farm!"

Luo Xiu shook his head, "I haven't seen it."

Lian Cun asked, "Is there the one with Xu Lingjun?"

"Yes." Guo Yang smiled and imitated, "Lao Xu, do you want a wife? As long as you open your mouth, I will send one to you later."

"Oh, so that's it!" Luo Xiu laughed and said, "I've actually seen this before, but I didn't expect it was filmed at the Shandan Military Horse Farm."

Lian Cun also said: "This is the first time I know this too. So this documentary should be possible to make, but I don't know how to do it!"

Guo Yang laughed and said, "I didn't ask you to shoot it. We will definitely hire a special director team to shoot it. Well, it's best to communicate with the local cultural tourism department."

Guo Yang was thinking about it, and Lian Cun and Luo Xiu also helped to come up with ideas.

Alpine meadows, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, rivers and streams, grassland pastoral songs… Shandan Military Horse Farm, Heihe Grand Canyon, Qilian Deer Farm, Wild Ox Valley, Bayi Glacier, Tianjing Holy Lake, one point after another was mentioned.

Guo Yang also made up his mind to make a movie called "Heavenly Qilian".

Not only must the beauty of the Qilian Mountains be captured in the photos, but also its fragility... Healing the Qilian Mountains is a hurdle that Tianjing Qilian cannot avoid.

The Qilian Mountains are an ecological barrier that protects China's water tower and conserves the Hexi Corridor.

At the same time, there are rich mineral resources here.

However, it is precisely the over-exploitation of mineral resources that has brought serious ecological disasters here: vegetation destruction, permafrost fragmentation, a sharp decline in wildlife, and good pastures turned into black soil beaches...

Sometimes, Guo Yang also used drones to capture scenes of illegal and irregular activities.

The damaged mountain slopes and the carelessly dumped slag and gravel have muddied the river water and torn apart the grassland.

In unknown corners, the earth has long been covered with shocking patches of cowhide.

...

After traveling for a few days, Guo Yang and his two companions arrived at a river valley called Baoping Village in the northwest of the county. This river was the Heihe River.

The main crops in Qilian are barley, wheat and potatoes, and the rest are mostly contiguous pastures.

In the valley, Guo Yang saw Tianhe’s alpine plant nursery.

The nursery is not small, covering several hundred acres. There are also several greenhouses for growing seedlings and a simple management room. The managers hired are also local villagers.

Guo Yang went straight to the fir nursery.

The seedlings, which are only one year old, have been transplanted to an open-air nursery. They are about fifty centimeters tall, which is considered to be growing very fast.

Under Lian Cun's puzzled gaze, Guo Yang walked back and forth in and out of the nursery, squatting down from time to time to carefully look at the trees and play with the soil.

This behavior seemed a little strange to him.

He admitted that this fir species is somewhat unique in that it can tolerate the high cold climate.

But this is a river valley, the natural conditions are relatively good, and people take good care of it, applying fertilizer and watering it, so even though the temperature is low, the fir trees look good.

But you wouldn't have to stay there for two hours. Are there so many other species that you don't need to see?

After walking around again, Lian Cun asked, "Boss, what are you looking at? Can I help you?"

Guo Yang stopped. His whole body was covered in a thick down jacket and hat, and he kept walking, so he didn't feel that cold.

“Do you feel any difference between inside and outside the nursery?”

Hearing this, Lian Cun and Luo Xiu frowned and thought for a while, then shook their heads at the same time.

Guo Yang gave some tips, "Pay attention to the soil and the contrast between the plants."

So the two of them followed him around again.

Luo Xiu still shook his head, Lian Cun seemed to be thinking about something. After walking around again, Lian Cun also found a wooden stick and pried up the soil in the ground.

He noted down the appearance of the soil here, and then went to the nursery to start prying the soil, but the soil here was frozen very hard, and it took him a lot of effort to pry it open. When he saw the soil, Lian Cun was stunned.

After comparing them several more times, Lian Cun said in surprise: "I know."

"What did you know?" Luo Xiu asked curiously, and Guo Yang also looked over.

Lian Cun met Guo Yang's gaze, "The soil moisture is different!"

As a seed hunter, he should have noticed the difference long ago.

The soil on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a significant temporal variation trend, with summer being the wettest season and winter being the driest.

But there is a clear difference inside and outside the nursery.

Yes, increasing vegetation coverage helps conserve water and increase soil moisture.

But this is too obvious!
Moreover, the farmland outside the nursery where the soil was just pried up was also covered with some straw, but the humidity was still very different.

Only then did he slowly squat down and look at the fir trees in the nursery, and this also took him quite a while.

Even though the Qilian Mountains will turn into a white world after the snow, a few days later, the places where there are Qinghai spruce will still be full of green.

So at first, he subconsciously ignored the differences in the firs in the nursery.

But at this moment, from the angle with the filter, he was deeply attracted. The small body of the fir tree seemed to possess great magic.

Seeing all this, Guo Yang smiled, and then continued to appreciate this masterpiece.

Only Luo Xiu was standing there in confusion, but he didn't dare to continue asking questions, so he started to figure it out on his own in the nursery.

humidity?

soil?

fir?

One word after another popped up in Luo Xiu's mind. After careful observation, he gradually felt the difference.

It seems that staying in the nursery would make the body more comfortable?
Can altitude sickness be suppressed?

Or is the air cleaner?

The three of them stayed in the nursery until the temperature started to drop, then they returned to Babao Town. Lian Cun took the two of them to a restaurant.

"The yak bone strengthening soup and boneless meat are the best here. A bowl of boneless meat with a bowl of hot soup is the perfect combination for high altitude areas. The kang pot lamb with local potatoes is also good."

Lian Cun was quite familiar with Babao Town, which was a stronghold of Tianhe and was surrounded by the source areas of many rivers in the Hexi Corridor.

If Jiahe wants to protect the water source of the Hexi Corridor, Qilian Babao Town is an unavoidable point, and the Qilian Mountain area has always been a key work area for the seed collection team.

After ordering the dishes, Luo Xiu, who still had many doubts about Leng Shan, asked directly.

"I feel like the fir tree can cure diseases. The altitude sickness I experienced in the nursery has been alleviated a lot."

Guo Yang and Lian Cun looked at each other and laughed at the same time. Guo Yang said, "That's because fir trees release more oxygen, so it feels more comfortable."

Luo Xiu was surprised, "There are trees like this?"

"All green plants can release oxygen, but the amount varies." Lian Cun smiled and said, "Generally speaking, large trees such as camphor trees and pine trees have high photosynthesis efficiency due to their luxuriant branches and leaves and vigorous metabolic activities, so they release more oxygen.

I just didn't expect this little fir tree to have such ability, maybe it has strong vitality!"

As a seed hunter, Lian Cun has seen all kinds of wonders in nature. Although the fir was beyond his understanding, he quickly accepted it. "The more oxygen it releases, the higher the air humidity will naturally be. This is a tree species that is extremely suitable for the local climate!" Lian Cun said with emotion.

He thought of the sloping farmland on Niuxin Mountain, where loess flew everywhere in the spring, soil erosion occurred in the summer, and the land around the county town was exposed everywhere in the autumn and winter.

At the highest point of the northern slope of Niuxin Mountain, there are a large number of alpine scree beaches. Below the scree beaches are alpine grasslands. In the vast area below are the distribution areas of the plateau's shade-loving and drought-tolerant native plants - Qinghai spruce and Qilian juniper.

After learning that Jiahe was interested in investing in Qilian, the local authorities of Qilian originally suggested using Qinghai spruce and Qilian juniper as the main tree species to be planted.

However, President Bi of Tianhe Seed Academy insisted on using Tianhe's fir species as the main tree species to be planted.

Now it seems that President Bi has his reasons.

With fir trees growing into forests and Stipa grasslands forming plains, these two high-altitude varieties are the main ones, and Tianhe's other high-altitude varieties are used as auxiliary ones, Tianjing Qilian will return to its most beautiful state.

Thinking of this, Lian Cun felt indescribably happy.

Aren't these people looking for seeds everywhere just to breed better varieties?

Obviously, Tianhe did it.

Then their efforts are valuable.

Guo Yang could naturally understand Liancun's feelings. This was also the purpose of bringing Liancun along on this trip. They would need to make great efforts in collecting germplasm resources in the future.

As for the characteristics of fir, Lian Cun was only partially right.

As the most natural energy consuming species at present, it is better for Tianhe’s technicians to discover the characteristics of the fir species themselves.

Luo Xiu also understood at this time and said, "No wonder the altitude sickness doesn't feel so bad anymore. Hey, Captain, how did you deal with altitude sickness in the past?"

"Besides taking medicine, you can only endure it and you will get used to it after a while." Lian Cun said, "But you can't stay on the plateau for too long. Even for those employees of state-owned mining and energy companies, it is best to rest and recuperate for a month after every three months of continuous work. Even so, it is inevitable that your life span will be shortened."

"Loss of longevity?"

"I'm not lying to you. People who work in the plateau for a long time will basically develop chronic altitude sickness." Lian Cun smiled and asked, "I wonder if you and your boss have ever drunk Quanwang's turnip and sea buckthorn drink. That thing is very effective in relieving altitude sickness."

"Ah, did you bring it? I've been feeling a bit under the weather these past two days."

Lian Cun shook his head and said, "No, we only have talents from the seed department and Jiahe Ecology on standby."

"We don't have any drinks, but there should be turnips in Babao Town." Guo Yang narrowed his eyes and smiled, "We'll buy some food later to help with altitude sickness."

"There are turnips in this store!" Lian Cun shouted inside, "Boss, give us some turnips."

Guo Yang added, "You have to give birth."

Lian Cun was stunned for a moment.

Luo Xiu was surprised, "Can it be eaten raw?"

Guo Yang said as a matter of course: "To treat altitude sickness, it is best to eat it raw. The effect will not be so good after cooking."

Luo Xiu looked at Lian Cun, "Is that so?"

"This is the reason."

At this time, the boss came over with a purple turnip that looked like a radish, and also served the yak bone-strengthening soup and boneless meat they ordered.

Suddenly, the table was filled with steam and a fragrant aroma.

Luo Xiu also got the washed and peeled turnip. He felt that it was no different from a radish, so he took a bite of it.

Then, I suddenly felt a spicy and pungent smell rushing straight to the top of my head.

"Fuck, what the hell is this so spicy, I got fooled."

Guo Yang laughed and said, "Hey, hey, don't spit it out, it's such a waste."

However, Luo Xiu refused to eat any more and started eating the meat and drinking the soup.

Guo Yang's gaze lingered on the turnip for a moment longer. The turnip and sea buckthorn beverage researched by Lin Keqing was indeed good.

It not only makes the best use of the efficacy of turnip, but also uses sea buckthorn to neutralize the spicy taste, providing an additional protection for Jiahe's plateau workers.

But this is not enough.

Guo Yang plans to do something more with turnips, which is also one of the purposes of his trip, to find the best turnip seeds and cultivate turnip varieties.

In this way, we will be one step closer to breaking through the plateau difficulties, and the obstacles on the road to the construction of the Hongqi River project will be reduced.

After a busy day, the three of them were indeed hungry, so they stopped talking and just started eating the meat and drinking the soup.

Both were delicious indeed.

However, the mutton from the plateau has a slightly stronger fiber texture than the mutton from Long Province, but it still tastes delicious.

The three of them had a hearty meal.

The next day, the three of them still went back and forth to the nursery. In addition to the fir, Guo Yang also had a good understanding of other tree species, which also had certain benefits for the construction of the ecosystem in high-altitude areas.

As for the forage grass, most of them have turned yellow and withered, and only the rhizomes can be harvested.

In the afternoon, with the help of Lian Cun, Guo Yang collected some turnip seeds from the local Tianhe seed warehouse.

That night, he went to the seed store to conduct research, and at the same time, there were other varieties...

Two days later, three more members joined the seed collection team, namely Dai Feng, Du Xiao and Chen Mingjie.

The three also brought a large amount of supplies, including the turnip and sea buckthorn beverage developed by Lin Keqing.

After everyone gathered, a group of six people in two cars, carrying enough supplies and a drone hovering in the sky, set off for the Bayi Glacier.

Accompanying the Black River upstream all the way.

When the Qilian Mountains no longer block the road ahead and gradually extend into a relatively open river valley area surrounded by mountains, we have arrived at Yeniugou.

This is also one of the sources of the Heihe River.

The reason why Ye Niu Gou is called Ye Niu Gou is because it is a paradise for wild animals, among which wild yaks are the majority, so it is called Ye Niu Gou.

In Guo Yang's imagination, this should be a beautiful scene where snow-capped mountains, sky, Black River water, grassland and wild animals are intertwined.

However, reality gave him a heavy blow.

The further we went, the more shocking the sight was: large tracts of grassland had turned into black soil, with almost no grass growing on them. The area was dotted with rat holes and rats were rampant.

The wild animals that originally lived here have disappeared, and the scene of herdsmen grazing is no longer seen.

No matter how you look at it, this is a black soil beach with severe soil erosion.

How to shoot "Heavenly Qilian" with such scenery?
I'm afraid that once the scene before my eyes appears, the filter of Tianjing Qilian in most people's eyes will be completely shattered!
On the side, Lian Cun signaled three team members to say something, and finally, Du Xiao, who had been active in Ye Niugou for a while, stood up.

"In fact, things have gotten much better here in the past two years. Previously, there was almost no grass growing here."

Du Xiao recalled his past memories and spoke slowly.

"I talked to the village party secretary of Dalang Village here. He said that before the governance, Shalong Beach would be hit by black sandstorms every spring, which hurt his face.

Before 2000, the source of the Heihe River was dry for as long as 40 days, with a length of nearly 50 kilometers. The Tengger Desert in the lower reaches also expanded eastward, westward and southward, threatening the Loess Plateau and the Hexi Corridor.

In the 1990s, the province sent a scientific research team to carry out scientific and technological research on the management of black soil beaches. After more than ten years of hard work, they found out the cause and cultivated high-quality forage suitable for local growth.

The alpine forage grass seeds we initially collected came from the expert team here.”

Guo Yang recalled for a moment, then squatted down to look at the few patches of pasture here.

"Qinghai bluegrass?"

"There are also forage grasses such as Elymus nutans and Festuca australis."

Guo Yang suddenly realized that he also used the genes of these varieties when he bred forage grass varieties.

“Is it only the province that is responsible for governance?”

"Yes, the country has not yet participated, so they lack funds, equipment, and materials... and hope that Jiahe's strength can be involved as soon as possible."

Everyone looked at Guo Yang, and Guo Yang also looked at the Heiheyuan Wetland in silence.

The main forces of Jiahe Ecology are in the Shule River Basin, and Niuhulin is also facing great pressure.

Some media have been spreading rumors that there was a lot of noise when the Dunhuang West Lake Wetland project was launched, but for such a long time, there has been no movement in the project area.

In fact, Jiahe Ecology has always been there. Jiahe knows it, and the local government knows it too, but the focus is on the management of the Shule River.

If the Shule River is alive, the Dunhuang West Lake Wetland will naturally be alive as well.

In fact, Jiahe Ecology has always insisted on using drones to sow grass and tree seeds in the wetland, but it has left its survival to fate.

The West Lake Wetland has also been changing subtly.

But ordinary people don’t understand this, even the local villagers don’t understand. It was agreed that 300 billion yuan would be invested in the Dunhuang West Lake Wetland, so where is the money?

If money doesn’t come, how can some people make money?

Therefore, it is inevitable that someone will fan the flames.

Guo Yang stood there and thought for a while. The people in Niuhulin could not be moved, but Muhe had only carried out desertification control in Gui Province, so some people should be able to be assigned.

Recruit some more local people and teams, ask the mentor for help, and have Donghe Agricultural Machinery get some more machinery to assist, and this should be possible.

Taking note of this in his heart, Guo Yang said to everyone, "Let's go."

The real source of the Heihe River Basin is the Bayi Glacier in the core area of ​​Qilian Mountains, which is also the most important water source in the Hexi Corridor.

As you get closer, you'll see a huge ice body like a city wall separating the sky and the earth, and glaciers hanging down from the mountains like waterfalls.

Guo Yang stood in front of the glacier, and the shock in his heart was difficult to describe in words.

But he knew that there were not only glaciers here, but also rich wild animal and plant resources, and it was known as the "Natural Ecological Museum".

Although he has suffered a disaster now, he came here to use plants to save the melting glaciers.

So, after flying a drone around the surrounding area, Guo Yang led the team to a scree beach where there seemed to be no grass.

Alpine scree is a landform that occurs only in alpine periglacial zones on land.

The periglacial zone is the highest natural vegetation zone on land. It is located above dense and continuous meadows and shrubs and below the snow line of the mountains. It is a nearly barren area filled with rocks and gravel.

Shifting gravel beaches are common in the Qilian Mountains.

After walking for nearly an hour, Guo Yang and others arrived at the gravel beach at the foot of the snow-capped mountains on the other side of the Bayi Glacier.

Next, you need to go upstream and climb to the foot of the mountain.

The environment in the periglacial zone is harsh, with extreme cold at night, strong radiation during the day, large temperature differences between day and night, and strong winds all year round, making it impossible for most organisms to survive, so vegetation is sparse.

Only a few animals and plants with special abilities can adapt to the harsh environment here and settle down here.

Everyone rested for a while at the foot of the mountain, ate something to replenish their energy, and drank turnip and sea buckthorn drink to relieve the discomfort caused by altitude sickness.

It’s true that the effect of sea buckthorn is very obvious. After drinking it for a while, my body felt much better.

Lian Cun advised: "Boss, why don't you let us take care of it from now on? You and Luo Xiu can rest here for a while."

Guo Yang looked up at the huge stretch of rocky beach that almost reached the sky. To be honest, he felt a little scared, but everyone in the seed collection team looked calm.

It seems that climbing this kind of mountain is a common thing for them.

In the past, Guo Yang had simulated plant cultivation in a seed store and achieved many results.

He doesn't have to climb this mountain.

However, looking at the weathered and cracked skin of Lian Cun, Dai Fei, Du Xiao, and Chen Mingjie beside him, Guo Yang had no reason to be afraid.

The world's most magnificent and extraordinary sights are often located in dangerous and remote places, where few people go. Therefore, only those with determination can reach them.

How can we find more, more beautiful and rarer alpine vegetation without climbing to the top?
"Let's go. I'm fine."

The gravel beach is as its name suggests. Except for a few large stones, most of the gravel will flow down like water.

Before my feet could steady themselves on the ground, they started to slip. Before my back foot could catch up, my front foot started to slide down, and it was a very high slope, which was really terrifying.

However, plants of all sizes, such as the alpine fuchsia, the fritillary bulb, and the corydalis, that occasionally emerged from the cracks in the rocks showed him their tenacious vitality.

(End of this chapter)