"I'll go east and find the well." This is the last sentence left by Pengam before his disappearance, and the date marked in the notebook is 10:30 a.m. on June 17.
Peng Jiamu is a well-known biologist on the mainland, born in 1925 in Panyu County, Guangdong Province, and since the founding of New China, he has been working at the Shanghai Institute of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
From 1964 to 1980, he arrived in Xinjiang 15 times in order to investigate the vegetation of Lop Nur .
In June 1980, he arrived in Lop Nur for the third time to investigate, and after leaving a sentence in his diary, his figure disappeared into the depths of the desert.
The state has sent several groups of personnel to search and rescue, but pengjiamu is still missing, no one alive, and no dead body.
To this day, netizens are still concerned about where he went, and former colleagues are also secretive about this matter.
The mysterious Lop Nur is full of rumors
The Lop Nur region is a closed continent in southeastern Xinjiang, China, where the climate is unusually arid and there is almost no grass.
The environment here is extremely unsuitable for human habitation and life, and people know very little about the situation there.
Because of this, there are many folk rumors about this "land of the dead", and it has become one of the favorite scenes used by the authors of tomb robbery novels.
Once a fertile body of water, Lop Nur is the lowest-lying place in the Tarim Basin.
The rivers that develop from all sides are rushing and eventually gathered here, and according to historical records, the area of Lop Nur can reach 10,000 square kilometers at its largest.
The ancestors of the Loulan people traveled a long way through the Gobi and the desert, saw the lush vegetation in the vicinity, and decided to settle here.
It can be said that Lop Nur once nourished a prosperous ancient civilization, and the Loulan people have mastered irrigation and textile technology here, they advocate mysterious beliefs, and like to make wooden figurines of life-size.
As soon as the time came, the tribesmen gathered to perform ancient religious ceremonies.
Most of the women in Lou Languo have amazing beauty, they have deep eye sockets, tall figures, and like to decorate beautiful costumes with colorful feathers.
However, those beautiful legends about the country of Loulan can only exist in dreams, and due to the continuous deterioration of the natural environment, the area of Lop Nur has been shrinking year by year.
Soon, the grassland, which was once rich in water and grass, became a desert, and the residents of Loulan country could only leave the land where they once lived to find new water sources.
The extreme climate of Lop Nur, once associated with religion and death, has aroused constant speculation.
Folklore has it that there is a plant virus, and the plant virus in the mouth of the common people seems to be a miracle drug, they say that the virus can replicate humans, but also create super soldiers.
It was rumored that there was once a group of people who went to Lop Nur to look for treasure, and it didn't take long before they encountered a fierce wind, and after the wind and sand dissipated, a strange person appeared in front of them.
The man was covered in sand, he couldn't see the expression on his face, he didn't have a heartbeat, he didn't breathe, and when he saw a living person, he rushed up and bit it.
The person who was bitten was like infected with a virus and lost consciousness, and little by little transformed into a "sand man" like him.
Looking at such a rumor today, not many people will believe it.
In the 1960s, after the founding of New China, researchers set their sights on the mysterious soil of Lop Nur .
The state has selected top talents in various industries and formed a joint expedition team.
Through their unremitting efforts, they are determined to add a strong color to the geological research of the motherland.
Pengam is also well known among this group of ambitious scientists.
In order to study plant viruses, three times in and out of Lop Nur
In 1957, Peng Jiamu was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his chest cavity, and he had to give up his work and return to Shanghai for treatment.
In March 1958, Peng jiamu underwent surgery to control his condition, and the doctor told him to take good care of his body, otherwise there would be a high chance of recurrence.
At that time, Peng Jiamu dragged his weak body and insisted on being on the front line of work, and he worked at the Shanghai Institute of Biology, which was the first staff member to join the party in the institute.
In order to investigate what the so-called plant virus is, he went to Lop Nur three times to investigate.
In March 1964, Pengam first stepped into the Lop Nur area, and because of his lack of experience, he did not dare to act hastily, so he circled around the outside of Lop Nur with other researchers.
Some water samples and mineral specimens were collected and brought back to the laboratory for study.
After the laboratory tests of the researchers, they brought a surprise news.
The waters of the Lop Nur River are extremely rich in potash and minerals, and in addition to this, there may be a wealth of heavy water resources.
The news excited the scientists, and Pengam made up his mind to make several trips to the Lop Nur area to conduct a detailed investigation.
In 1979, the Japanese side pointed out that to shoot a film about the Silk Road in China, they pointed out that they would go to the Lop Nur area for filming.
In order to ensure the safety of the Japanese staff, the Chinese side decided to send a vanguard team to the Lop Nur area to investigate to ensure that the Japanese side could complete the shooting task on the determined route, so Pengam began his second trip to Lop Nur.
At that time, there was very little information on domestic research on Lop Nur and people always fantasized that it was a mysterious place.
Researchers need to go through fieldwork to unravel the strange legends about desert salt pools.
The trip was led by Mu Shunying, who also hired Xia Xuncheng as a consultant, and Peng Jiamu was also on the expedition as a special invitee.
Mu Shunying, then director of the Xinjiang Archaeological Institute, was familiar with the topography of the Lop Nur area, while Xia Xuncheng was a geographer who had long been engaged in desert geology.
Pengam specializes in plants, and the expedition he participates in can investigate the vegetation cover in the Lop Nur area.
Plants that can survive in the desert are very rare, and studying their living habits is conducive to artificially growing some drought-resistant crops.
Before several people traveled, they looked through a lot of information, and they found that the Chinese side had left very little information on the research institute of Lop Nur before, and some sporadic records were recorded by foreigners.
They were determined to conduct detailed research on the special topography of the motherland through their own strength and justify the research ability of the Chinese.
Pengam once said: "I have the courage to take a road out of the wilderness, and I want to regain the right to speak for the motherland against Lop Nur." ”
He entered the desert area in November 1979, and Mu Shunying, as the leader, led them from Yumen Pass, along the Great Wall all the way west in the middle, and finally reached their destination Houkeng.
The joint expedition thus entered the "no man's land" of the Lop Nur Desert, and the expedition members acted according to the road map drawn up early in the morning.
They had to hire experienced drivers, equip the cars with plenty of gasoline and drinking water, and the tents and cooking ingredients stationed in the field should also be carried by the staff themselves.
The "no man's land" covers an area of about 450 square kilometers, and for the first time, the group crossed the cordon, breaking the record of Lop Nur from north to south.
In the harsh environment of the desert, the slightest carelessness can lead to death, and researchers have to risk their lives in order to obtain reliable data.
The operation was very fruitful for the experts, and several people accidentally discovered the legendary ancient city of Loulan.
When the researchers finally saw the true appearance of the site in front of them, they excitedly shouted in the same place: "The Chinese archaeological team successfully discovered the ancient country of Loulan!" ”
Everyone's face was full of joy, and everyone almost forgot the hard work of the long journey.
They successfully surveyed the ancient tomb of the "Loulan Beauty", and also brought out some cultural relics from the ancient city that had been weathered by wind and frost.
The second expedition brought fruitful results to China's archaeological cause, and after the group left the desert, they immediately discussed and discussed the next research plan.
This time, Xia Xuncheng, who understood the situation in the desert area, wanted to go to the United States to attend the sand control conference during the inspection, so he missed this operation.
He helped Peng Jiamu complete a lot of preparatory work, and before leaving, he also advised: "This trip must pay attention to safety, do not do risky things." ”
Take the initiative to find a water source and disappear into the desert
Pengam already had two trips in and out of Lop Nur and became the most anticipated captain.
During this expedition, the researchers collected many biological and soil specimens in the basin of Lop Nur Lake, laying a solid foundation for the comprehensive investigation of Lop Nur on the mainland.
The group successfully reached the core area of Lop Nur and on June 17, 1980, the researchers set up tents near Kumukuduk, intending to survive here for one night and continue the road the next day.
Peng Jiamu was the leader of the expedition, while most of the other personnel followed were from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with 3 drivers and a radio transmitter.
The personnel in the team are all temporary, and many of them are new to Xinjiang and are not familiar with the terrain here.
After the team members settled down, Peng Jiamu cleaned up the supplies brought by the team, and couldn't help but frown, he thought to himself: "We don't have much gasoline and water, and we need to walk more than 400 kilometers to get to the real destination. ”
If you go to the center of the desert to find that there is no water and oil, the people in this car will not want to live.
He gathered everyone together to discuss countermeasures, and one of the team members suggested: "Why not, let's find the local garrison and see if we can buy some gasoline." ”
Several people felt that this was the only way to go, so they contacted the local garrison and came up with their own ideas. However, the officers and soldiers said: "It costs 7,000 yuan for a round trip." ”
Peng Jiamu frowned again, the state let him do scientific research, although there is funding, but also can not afford such a toss, just a trip back and forth will cost 7,000 yuan, follow-up those experimental supplies should be changed from where.
Instead of immediately agreeing to let the garrison take them to their destination, he said to the radio transmitter, "You send a telegram to the organization explaining the situation." ”
The transmitter followed Pengam's instructions, but the letter only stated that the water resources in the exploration team were in short supply.
The organization quickly replied to them, saying that they would send someone to bring them water, but asked Pengam to send the coordinates of the team.
However, within a few minutes of waiting for a reply, Peng Jiamu left a note and quietly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Everyone waited left and right, did not see the captain's figure, the team members rushed around to check his movements, and immediately told the organization about the matter.
The unfortunate news reached the ears of the central leadership, and the state sent more than a dozen planes and dozens of cars to conduct a carpet search of the place where Pengamu was missing.
According to statistics, there were at least 2,000 staff involved in the search and rescue at that time, and they went in and out of the desert four times, and all they could see was the vast yellow sand, and they did not see Peng Jiamu's figure at all.
Logically, he did not have water on him, would not leave the camp too far without permission, everyone had searched extensively several times, why still could not see his whereabouts.
If Pengam is no longer in the human world, but was swallowed up by quicksand to find the body. How did he disappear without a trace in such a short period of time?
Enthusiastic netizens are very concerned about the whereabouts of scientist Peng Jiamu, which has still set off heated discussions on the Internet despite many years.
Some people have proposed the "Pisces Jade Pendant", and it is rumored that Peng Jiamu found a magical treasure at the Ruins of Loulan - the Pisces Jade Pendant.
This treasure is a strange object similar to the Moonlight Treasure Box, and the person who gets it can travel through time and space at will, so he can leave the sight of everyone in such a short period of time.
It is also said that Pengam, an expert in plant research, discovered the aforementioned "plant virus" in the Lop Nur area, and after swallowing the virus, he turned it into a living, lifeless monster.
Obviously, the above two legends are made up by ordinary people based on folk tales, and they have no credibility at all.
One of the most reliable theories at present is that Pengam had cancer earlier, and when he was anxiously searching for water, he caused a sudden damage to his physical functions.
After a short time, he fainted on the sand and was eventually buried by quicksand, so people could not find any trace of him.
In 2008, Professor Mu Shunying passed away forever, and she and Peng Jiamu went to Xinjiang to investigate, and the materials obtained from Lop Nur were carefully sorted out by her and turned into valuable academic papers.
Mu Shunying
Peng Jiamu's former friend Xia Xuncheng also became an expert in desert management and made outstanding contributions to the national geographic environment.
They had always been concerned about the news of this colleague, and had personally gone to Lop Nur several times to look for his figure, but they did not know where the old friend had gone.
In any case, this great scientist sacrificed himself in the course of his research.
Before his death, he has been at the forefront of scientific research and has made great contributions to the scientific research carried out by the motherland in Xinjiang.
Although his body has never been missing, pengam's spiritual fire has become synonymous with motivating researchers to continue to move forward.
He always maintained a childlike curiosity in the face of science, and his courage and practical spirit of exploration of nature deeply shocked every ordinary person who heard this story.
As an excellent Communist Party member, he guided the contemporary youth with lofty ideals, forged ahead, and contributed his own share of strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.