Starting from the county where I live, I passed Yanqi, got on the expressway, and got off at the high-speed toll station for free. My mood was as clear as the sky in late autumn. After crossing Xiangsihu Bridge, Tashidian Town and Kuluk Mountain, it takes less than an hour to reach Korla City, an important town in southern Xinjiang and the capital of Bayinguoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture. Before I entered the city, I saw a tall sign standing on the roadside: "Only a desolate desert, no desolate life", and several big characters were particularly eye-catching. Today we are going to see the destination of Populus euphratica-Yuli County, which is on the edge of Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you feel how desolate the desert is, so you have more expectations in your heart.
Meet famous songwriters Li Ge, ci writers Tang Guoxing and literary friend Chen Xue in the People's Square of Korla City, turn south along Shihua Avenue and go to National Highway 2 18, and the party head for Yuli County with great interest. The car sped along the wide and flat national highway, and I saw rows and piles of golden shadows in the distance along the way. Teacher Li Ge said it was Populus euphratica. As long as the Tarim River flows, you can find Populus euphratica.
Before I came here, I learned from the Internet that Tarim River is formed by the confluence of Aksu River originating in Tianshan Mountain and Yeerqiang River and Hotan River originating in Karakorum Mountain, with a drainage area of198,000 square kilometers and a total length of more than 2 179 kilometers. It is the largest inland river in China and the fifth largest inland river in the world after the Volga River in the former Soviet Union. The mainstream flows eastward into Peacock River, then into Lop Nur, which is called the sea of death, and finally disappears in the depths of the desert. Because of the Tarim River, Lop Nur has life, which nourishes the desolation of the desert and breeds the prosperity of the desert. Today, it is a happy thing to see Populus euphratica along the Tarim River and appreciate the autumn colors in Lop Nur.
Along the way, along the Tarim River, Populus euphratica, which is far and near, high and low, and has different shapes, flashed by, like a golden Great Wall, extending to endless distances. Amazing and interesting talks all the way to Yuli county, where to go has not yet been decided. Asked the police on duty at the roadside security booth, I realized that there are two good places to see Populus euphratica in Yuli: one is to go to Lop Nur village, which is 40 to 50 kilometers away, and the other is to go to the botanical garden, which is only seven or eight kilometers away. It's past noon, and everyone has unanimously agreed on the suggestion of staying away and shorting.
The autumn wind blows gently, and the guard-like poplar leaves on both sides of the country road are like flying butterflies. The leaves are thickly spread on the road, and no one cares. Passing through the poplar forest belt, clusters of Populus euphratica forests came at us from far and near, which really made people feel beautiful; My friends suggested stopping to take pictures, but when I saw that there were more poplars in front, I gave up the idea of stopping in time. Finally found the gate of the botanical garden and entered along a one-way street. On both sides of the road, large cotton fields seem to have just snowed and covered with white awns. When people in the field saw a car passing by, they just looked up and were busy picking cotton, but they left purple-black cotton stalks behind them, and the cars on the side of the road were piled with hills of raw cotton. Just ask, I know they are all outsiders doing short-term work. Every kilogram of cotton they pick can earn 8 yuan's income and earn more than 300 yuan a day. No wonder their work is so dedicated. Pay more attention. Drip irrigation pipe is scattered among fields, walking under trees and extending to the depths of the dense forest in the Botanical Garden. Botanical garden is actually the focus of Populus euphratica. With the natural terrain, grotesque Hu Yangshu is distributed on high and low dunes. Some trees have long died, but they have become a symbol of fortitude. Some trees are golden yellow, forming a unique landscape in late autumn. It reminds people of its Populus euphratica spirit of "standing for three thousand years, not falling for three thousand years after death, and falling for three thousand years".
Walking on the sidewalk, there are strange scenery and flashing surprises everywhere. Through the dense forest, the eyes suddenly opened up, and the lake came into view, and the water and the sky met, and the blue eyes shocked the hearts of tourists. A column of smoke rises from two or three bungalows, which reminds people of the poem "Big sand and solitary smoke"; An armored boat stopped at the lake. As the lake swayed, a dozen ducks blocked the way of tourists, posing as if it was calm and my site was my master. They rushed out of the shore and swam to the middle of the lake. Everything is quiet and harmonious. Occasionally, a few chirps added infinite vitality to the afternoon lake, so the water swayed, the grass moved, a gust of wind passed, and the leaves fell one after another. Press the camera shutter at the same time, and I am infinitely moved.
Bypass the shore of the lake and climb up the sand dunes hand in hand, with soft cotton and fine sand at your feet, rustling Populus euphratica around you and blue sky above your head; Trees in the distance, cotton fields nearby, quiet lakes under sand dunes, and Populus euphratica tourists in twos and threes set each other off. Climbing five floors, you can see a thousand acres of Populus euphratica forest. Layers of tree peaks, like the sunset glow on the horizon, have been burning far away. In the further direction, the poplar and poplar windbreak belt, which has achieved initial results, divides the barren desert into neat grids and extends to four gais.
Although it is already late autumn, it gives people vitality and the desire to fly their dreams. This is like a poem written by a poet, more like a song in a singer's heart, but for us, it is really a beautiful picture. My eyes are not enough, and my heart can't remember it. I can only take pictures of moments from multiple angles with my camera as a permanent memory.
On the way back, everyone was still reminiscing about what they had seen and heard. I remembered the slogan on the roadside sign "Only the desolate desert, no desolate life". Yes, the desert is barren, but with human determination to conquer nature and bold and innovative scientific transformation methods, the desert will also show a colorful side. In the face of such a scene, can you still say that the desert is desolate, so I actually have my own idea: "Life is not desolate, and the desert is colorful."
In fact, this is not rhetoric, but a real fact. Do not believe, if a friend comes to Xinjiang to travel, I will be a tour guide to accompany you to appreciate the shock of colorful desert again.