One
It's a little train that's unique in the world, and it stops like a taxi in town. The local people call the small train a lifeline, and it is inseparable from it to catch up, carry goods, transport livestock, and visit relatives and friends.
The Ulanhot Forest Railway, which began in 1953 and was funded by the Ministry of Forestry, was built with traction locomotives and bus bodies made in China. For more than 50 years, together with the hot springs of Arshan and the forest and grassland of Arshan, they have built a unique landscape of Arshan Scenic Area.
The 28-ton steam locomotive has a top speed of 35 km/h. There is a front and deputy driver in the car, and two drivers. The tracks of small trains are less than one meter long, and each track is only 10 meters long.
The forest railway starts from Ulanhot to Arshan, with a total length of more than 200 kilometers. It not only transports timber, but also ensures the completion of the tasks of production, living materials and passenger transport of farmers and herdsmen. In the early 1990s, as timber production decreased, transportation costs increased, and roads opened, forest railways slowly began to be dismantled until they disappeared.
It is said that when it first started, the silent mountain forest suddenly boiled over. People came from all over to watch and ride on this "foreign gadget" that "eats coal and spits smoke".
This living fossil steam train, which marked the era of the Industrial Revolution, has been steaming slowly for forty years between the picturesque landscapes of Ulanhot and Arshan. It seems to come from history, but finally it returns to history...
As a symbol and symbol of the means of transport in the past, the steam train is like a living specimen, showing us a long history and life. When you come to Xing'an League, whether you are a person who is nostalgic for the past or a person who seeks new ideas, as long as you spend a few yuan, in the roar of the whistle, in the choking coal ash, in the rocking and bumpy carriage, it will bring you endless aftertaste and infinite interest.
When I first saw the steam train, it was like entering a time tunnel and feeling an ancient civilization that traveled back in time. The small train shows its unique charm everywhere, the ancient steam engine, the high-pitched and rough whistle, the narrow tracks, the slow and slow speed, the rickety carriages, the driver with a soot face... People are surprised and shocked, they touch the small train with their hands, or take photos next to the small train.
Low, narrow carriages, two rows of wooden benches for twenty people resting on either side of the carriage, with goods stacked in the middle. Each carriage is closed, it is not possible to pass between the carriages, and the carriages with mixed passenger and freight are often crowded.
In the mid-1980s, I experienced first-hand what it was like to be gray-headed. "Uh huh... Uh-huh..." in the whistle, in the "Boom... In the rhythmic sound of the movement, the little train shows its presence in its own peculiar way. Breathing heavily, dragging the old carriages, and taking the old steps, it slowly drove out of the old station and slowly passed through the forest and grassland. The simple carriage shook and jolted as if it were about to fall apart, making a harsh noise. Still, travelers are as curious as I am, occasionally sticking their heads out the window to watch. Stunning natural scenery is all over the place along the way.
Regrettably, such a beautiful historical landscape has come to an end. Originally, it had every reason to declare it a World Heritage Site and let guests from home and abroad come here to hunt for curiosities. If the declaration is successful, its value is like the Arshan Hot Spring, which will bring a steady stream of tourism revenue to Xing'an League.
I've talked to many friends in big cities about small trains that stop and go, but there are very few believers. Some people even say extremely:
"You're talking about dreams, right?" Can the train still be stopped? ”
"If you're standing in the middle of the tracks, it's going to stop!"
"In the future, you don't have to go to the airport on a plane, you beckon, it will come down and pick you up!"
Ha ha!
Two
In the 1980s, Ulanhot had another scenic spot, that is, "donkey's". The "donkey's" is a flatbed cart pulled by a small donkey, specially designed to transport guests in the city. Because its efficacy is no different from that of taxis in big cities, it is called "donkey's". The little donkey was dressed up in red and green, the bell around his neck was crisp and pleasant, and a bright blanket or felt was laid on the flatbed, and the cart sat in front of the car to catch the car. At that time, the money was really valuable, and in the city, no matter how many people sat, no matter where they went, it was two dollars.
The descent from the bottom of the hill to the Temple of Genghis Khan was a big uphill step, and at one time five of our colleagues squeezed into a car up the hill. The little donkey was thin and tugging hard, beads of sweat all over his back. The hairs were all wet, and the car was still beating its ass with a small leather whip.
Some colleagues are not used to it, and count down the car: "You don't hit it, it can't talk." If you could talk, you would have been scolded! ”
Some colleagues said, "Is this your own animal?" Why don't you know how to feel sorry for it? You should go down and pull it up! ”
So, I took the initiative to propose that everyone get out of the car, follow the car, and tell the owner that we will pay for the car.
After many years, the experience of riding a "donkey" is still unforgettable. I suspect that the car guy has been abused since childhood, or how can he be as hard as iron? Anyway, later I went to Ulanhot again, and when I sat on the "donkey's" uphill, I came down early.
I haven't been to Ulanhot in years, is there still "donkey"? It is estimated that it has long been history.
postscript:
In the early years, there were donkey carts in Beijing. There is a difference between a station and a running car. The station entrance is a chartered bus waiting to be hired in a certain place, in case one person or family hire, which is similar to the meaning of a taxi now. This kind of car has a shed, which is warm in winter and cool in summer, and it is not easy to be seen by the employer in the shed. In the book "Wang Feng" written by Ding Licheng during the Qing Dynasty, ding Licheng said: "The emperor of the Beijing division, prepared his own donkey cart, went to Tongqu Avenue, and rested at the mouth of the hutong, so as to wait for the guests to take the seat, and there was a fixed place, which was called the station mouth." ”
Now when it snows, taxi prices may increase privately, as was the case in the Qing Dynasty. During the Jiaqing period, a certain scribe lived in Cangzhou on a snowy day. Originally, A donkey cart was hired on the ground in Cangzhou, which cost only four hundred yuan a day, but because of the snow, the price of the car doubled. The scribe sighed: "It is not easy to hire a donkey to wash the snow, and the daily cost is eight hundred yuan." "Sometimes I double the price of a car, and I don't necessarily get a car, because the business of the driver is excellent on snowy days." The snow called for a long time, leaning against the door and calling for leg numbness", which is very similar to the situation where citizens can't get a car when they go out on snowy days.
Recently, on the streets of Nanning, Guangxi, a group of electric bicycle drivers wearing fluorescent green coats and wearing Little Red Riding Hoods appeared, which was very eye-catching. It is understood that these drivers are from a platform called "Donkey's Travel", and they use their electric vehicles to provide citizens with passenger services similar to online ride-hailing. Because it is similar to Didi's model, this "donkey's travel" is jokingly called Didi hitting a donkey. (Author Han Liming)