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Reporter Liu Donglai
Starting from the State-owned Forestry Administration bureau in the east of Xinjiang's Tianshan Mountains, the asphalt road is bright and clean, and it is bypassed from the front of the Houxia Forest Management And Protection Office of the Nanshan Branch of Urumqi, like a streamer winding into the depths of the Tianshan Mountains, and the snow rhymes and pine waves add a little agility. Sometimes, Director Habidullah would stand on the side of the road, reconfirming that there were no heavy trucks roaring by. "The cars are all coming out of the back gorge, and the road is like a lasso strangled around the neck of the mountain. ah! It seems like it was yesterday, but it's been a few years. Habidullah pointed to the valley behind him, "After the gorge comes alive again." ”
The hustle and bustle of yesteryear in the depths of the Tianshan Mountains
January 10, 2022, sunny. On the G216 line, the occasional trolley rides like a beetle worm. Under the cliffs on the side of the road, flying flowers jump on the ice from time to time and run to Urumqi, a hundred kilometers away. It was the largest city within a radius of 1,500 kilometers, hence the name of the Urumqi River.
The car smoothly drove to the depths of the Tianshan Mountains, 21 kilometers away, less than half an hour away, and an open river valley of about 13 square kilometers appeared in front of the eyes. "Before this is put on hold, you can turn it upside down, and it may not be an hour." Zhao Xiaolin, secretary of the party committee of the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau, said, "The road is terrible, and we have to avoid the big car." Factories and living areas fill the river valley. ”
But reporters couldn't imagine the scene. At this moment, in the sunny hilly area of the river, the pale yellow winter grass is warm. Shady slopes, dark green spruce trees are layered on top of each other towards the mountainside. Further up, the summit meets the sky, and the clear blue seems to flow down from the top of the mountain. In the valley, there is nothing but forest shelters and a few scattered buildings on the side of the road, and there is no one to see.
Today Houxia is a tranquil valley. Photo by reporter Liu Donglai
The vacant lot in front of you used to be full of factories. Photo by reporter Liu Donglai
A corner of the back gorge. Photo by reporter Liu Donglai
In Houxia, the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau and the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau manage the mountain forests on both sides of the Urumqi River. On a sunny hillside, the Houxia Forest Management and Protection Station of the Wunan Branch is where ecological steward Yelken Arakazi stands at the top of the slope and points to the empty valley of the Ichima Ping River.
"This is a calcium carbide plant, that's a power plant, that ditch is a coal mine, and in another ravine is a limestone mine. In the distance, by the river is a dozen residential buildings in the living area, and there are post offices, banks, oh, schools in front... Simply put, there is everything. In the empty river valley, a busy and crowded industrial area was constructed in Yelken's memories, and the history of the coexistence of glory and regret in the Houxia gradually emerged.
In the 1950s, due to the needs of national defense and other construction, the state established an industrial base at the site of Houxia, and established the Yuejin Iron and Steel Factory of the Production and Construction Corps of the Xinjiang Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which was later restructured into Urumqi Huanpeng Co., Ltd.
During the prosperous period of the base, there were 9 factories and mines, more than 30 workshops, 3 middle schools, 2 hospitals, Huanpeng Company alone had more than 7,000 employees, and nearly 13,000 family members also lived here. For decades, the Houxia Industrial Base has become a gathering place for traditional chemical, coal, coke, iron ore and pig iron smelting in Xinjiang, and has made important contributions to the construction of new China.
However, at the beginning of the construction of the base, an irreconcilable contradiction had emerged and intensified. About 40 kilometers away from the Houxia Gorge, The No. 1 Glacier bred by Tiangel Peak has a history of 4.8 million years, and the Urumqi River formed by it is a drinking water source for millions of residents in Urumqi. Between the glacier and the city, on the banks of the Urumqi River in the valley, there is a Houxia industrial base with tens of thousands of people. Around Tiangel Peak, mines and coal power enterprises are dense, and the production of domestic waste far exceeds the local environmental carrying capacity.
The sky was not spared. The Houxia Forest Management and Conservation Center of the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau was once a chimney lined up. Director Huang Haihong has been here for 12 years, "Before I went out, I never looked up at the sky, as soon as I looked up, the dust would fall out of my eyes, and at night I watched the surveillance camera, and the screen was like snow." ”
Former Houxia industrial base. Network information
A corner of the former back gorge. Network information
3 kilometres away, Adili Khayisha's home is halfway up the hillside, and in 1984 he moved into the Houxia and built a house on the hillside. The herders have eagle-like eyes, but in 34 years, Ai's eyes were full of smoke and dust, and he could never look far, until 3 years ago, he saw the opposite hillside clearly from his yard for the first time.
Today, Adili Khayisha can easily look out over the opposite hillside from his front of his house Photo by reporter Liu Donglai
In 2017, in order to protect Glacier No. 1 and the source of drinking water in Urumqi, the people's government of the autonomous region made a decision to completely close the Houxia Industrial Project. In September 2018, the site closed all industrial projects and relocated personnel as a whole. Since 2019, the facilities of the Houxia Industrial Base have been completely dismantled and the ecological restoration project has been launched.
A huge "industrial city" disappeared in this way, which made Huang Haihong feel like a world away. "I never thought houxia could be as beautiful as it is today."
Stay because of the needs of the people
At 12:00 on September 29, 2017, the No. 1 calcium carbide furnace of Huanpeng Company's calcium carbide factory was permanently shut down, which was shortly after the autonomous region decided to close the Houxia Industrial Project. "It's our 'furnace of merit,' and it's in our 'prime of life.'" Dong Zhong, then deputy director of the calcium carbide factory, said, "But we not only understand the overall situation, but also support it, green mountains and green waters, who does not want it." ”
In accordance with the requirements of the people's government of the autonomous region, all employees of Huanpeng Company have been properly placed, and the company has also achieved better development through industrial transformation and upgrading. People do not give up, because of the emotions that grew up in Si, but the blue sky and green water of the back gorge soothe their hearts. "In the past two years, there have often been employees of Huanpeng Company who come back to see, people, they all have feelings," Huang Haihong said, "when they look at it, they all sigh, 'Oh, good!'" That's nice! ’”
From birth to retirement, Song Lin, an employee of Huanpeng Company, lived in Houxia for 60 years and is now recuperating in Urumqi. "The establishment of the factory in those years was the need of the motherland and the people, and now it is withdrawing from the stage of history, and it is also the need of the motherland and the people." Song Lin said, "Houxia is beautiful, now it is so beautiful!" ”
Some people bid farewell to their homes because of the needs of the people, and some people go into the mountains because of the needs of the people. At the Houxia Forest Management and Protection Station of the Unan Branch, Yelken stayed alone for several months. Yelken was familiar with that mountain patrol, and he had walked it a hundred, a thousand, a thousand times. The ecological stewards and forestry workers of the Tiandong Bureau represented by him trekked through the Linxue River and Stream in the Houxia All year round, tasting the cold and heat. "Our main responsibility is to protect this mountain forest, everyone understands." Zhao Xiaolin said.
Today's houxia summer scenery. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Ecological rangers take a break during their mountain patrol. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Scenery of the back gorge today. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Scenery of the back gorge today. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Forestry workers conduct winter patrols. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
"Now the equipment is good," in the forest management and protection station, Yelken pointed to the large backpack on the frame, "this single soldier backpack has all the materials for rescue, fire fighting, camping, medical treatment, etc., and the communication equipment is better, and I feel that whether I protect the forest or protect myself, my heart is more bottomed." ”
Protection has become the absolute premise of all human activities in Houxia today. This situation has not come easily. In the "noisy era" of Houxia, poachers and pirates have emerged in an endless stream, and the protective force is weak compared with it. "There are 30,000 people here at most, and we have three or four people. You can't look at it with all your might, and you can go in with a ravine. To be honest, the heart is helpless. Huang Haihong said.
But now, the frequency and scale of human activities have dropped dramatically, greatly reducing forest stress and making government conservation efforts more active and effective. "The main contradiction in the serious environmental problem of Houxia has been resolved in just a few years," Zhao Xiaolin said, "the rebirth of Houxia is inseparable from the importance attached to the ecological environment after the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the rapid improvement of the environment really reflects the superiority of our country's system and is deeply touched." ”
Rebirth means beauty and vulnerability
A cloud of crystal snow fell from the spruce branches, "poof" softly scattered into the stream under the tree, the stream was pure and colorless, clanging, and converged on the Urumqi River not far away. The ravine was so serene that the crow's "wow" in the distance sounded like it was in the ear. "It's the darkest here now," quipped Kati Rexiti, deputy chief of the Forest Protection Section of the Unan Branch, "and it wasn't necessarily its turn before, there were more gray and black things." ”
During the conversation, Yali Kati suddenly squatted down, and the reporter looked at it, and a huge feline footprint came into view. "An adult snow leopard," also Likati put a branch to measure the footprints, "walked by a week ago." ”
Quietly, there were more animals in the back gorge. Every evening, Huang Haihong would look at the hillside on the left side of the forest management office, where there was often a herd of Tianshan red deer leisurely, looking at him from afar. Colleague Sun Tianjun raises chickens in the courtyard and fights wits and courage with eagle falcons and weasels every day. "Raise ten nine," Huang Haihong quipped, "he's just making a buffet for the eagle, haha!" ”
When foresters patrolled the mountain, they encountered wild boars running on the mountain. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Infrared cameras monitor snow leopards in the Houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Infrared cameras monitor the northern goat in the Houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Infrared cameras monitor snow leopards in the Houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
The dark-bellied snow chicken detected by infrared cameras in the houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Infrared cameras detect the Tianshan red deer in the Houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Infrared cameras monitor snow leopards in the Houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Infrared cameras monitored the stone chicken in the Houxia area. Provided by the Banfanggou Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
The winter noon sun shines on the body, warm and melting, "the tree has long been banned, because the whole society acts together, and the situation of poaching and digging and mining is basically extinct, but there are new problems." Ma Lihua, chief of the forest protection section of the Banfanggou Branch, said, "Now the road is good, and in the summer, I will drive one after another." In the past, people came to Houxia because of mineral resources, but now they are to enjoy the scenery, and the purpose has completely changed. "April 1 to October 31 every year is the busiest time for the forestry sector, and a large influx of tourists puts a lot of pressure on forest fire prevention and environmental maintenance.
"We have now established a relatively complete fire defense and fire fighting system, after long-term publicity, the herdsmen's awareness of fire prevention and environmental protection has also been significantly improved, and most tourists' ecological awareness is also very good, but the amount is too large." One day there were nearly five thousand vehicles in a single day. Zhao Xiaolin said, "Every once in a while, we will organize forces with local governments to clean up garbage, and once collected 16 truckloads of garbage." The beauty of the back gorge is not easy to come by, and it must be loved and relaxed! ”
The staff loaded the garbage cleared from the Houxia area and transported it out of the mountain. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Staff clean up garbage in the Houxia area. Provided by the Wunan Branch of the Tiandong Bureau
Zhao Xiaolin had good reason to worry. The rebirth of this valley does not mean the end of environmental problems. Deep in the mountains, glacier No. 1 has not stopped. After the gorge, still fragile!