1
Mianning County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, at 10:00 a.m. on September 17, 2021, after walking on the Yanggu Trail for more than two hours, Yu Chengming and his party finally reached the edge of the cliff at the top of the mountain.
Standing on the edge of a cliff hundreds of meters high, Yu Chengming looked down cautiously with his head probing, and the soles of his feet were the bottomless Yalong River.
Looking further down, the nest nest in the middle of the Qianling Cliff is impressively visible. Yu Chengming knew that this was the target of their trip, Yandong.
After all the preparations were done, Yu Chengming tied the rope tied to his waist, and then put the snakeskin pocket on his back to hold the bird's nest, grabbed the rope and turned around and began to slide down.
His partner, Zhao Zhicheng, stood on the edge of the cliff, staring at him intently, and then slowly lowered the rope down.
"The person who climbs the rock is the apprentice, and the person who puts the rope is the master."
Putting a rope is not a simple job, it is very exquisite, in yu Chengming's words is two words: accurate, stable.
"Quasi" means that the rope should be placed properly, and if the rope is shortened, the person who goes down the cliff will not be able to enter. If it is released, people who descend the cliff may crash into the rock wall, ranging from injury to danger to life.
"Stable" means that the partner on the cliff should always look at the situation of the person on the cliff to grasp the speed of the rope.
Yu Chengming was "whizzing" down at this time, when he reached the mouth of the cave, he stomped on the rock wall, and then slammed hard, and "flew" into the Yan Cave at once, a series of operations can be described as thrilling.
After entering the cave, Yu Chengming did not have time to think much, and immediately turned on the lighting miner's lamp, because the black hand in the Yan Cave could not see the five fingers.
Zhao Zhicheng was crouching on the edge of the cliff at this time, looking intently at the rope, knowing that this was related to the safety of the people under the cliff.
An hour later, the rope sounded, and Zhao Zhi stood up on his horse and pulled the rope.
After a while, Yu Chengming climbed up, but Zhao Zhicheng found that Yu Chengming who went up the cliff this time looked different from usual...
Zhao Zhicheng understood that his partner was sighing. They all know that it won't be long before the industry disappears completely.
The flowers blossom and fall, the bucket turns to the stars, Yu Chengming and other last "bird's nest pickers" have witnessed the glory of this industry, and will soon witness the decline of this industry.
2
A sign of the decline of the industry is that no one wants to work in this industry anymore, even if the price of bird's nest has been rising.
When Yu Chengming was a child, bird's nest was only 2 yuan a or two; in 2010, it rose to 200 yuan a or two; today, it has reached 2,000 yuan a or two.
That kind of first-class goods (good quality), one or two even sold to 2600 yuan, that is, a pound of 26000 yuan.
Yu Chengming sighed and said that in the earliest days, there were still five or six bird's nests in their village, but now, no one did it, only he was left.
It is said that the skill of digging bird's nest has existed since the middle of the Qing Dynasty and has been passed down to this day.
Because of the living habits and distribution area of the swallows, this unique local skill has supported the residents here for generations, but now the only one who can still pick bird's nest in Yandong is Yu Chengming of Haizi Village 2 in Qingna Township, Mianning County.
Yu Chengming's height is only about one meter and seven meters, which is not very tall among local men, but his arms are longer than those of ordinary people.
Yu Chengming said with a smile that everyone has said that they are like a "monkey" since childhood, and he also learned to pick bird's nest when he was a teenager, climbing back and forth on the cliffs, and may be born to eat this bowl of rice.
But he definitely did not expect that his own harvest would be decades.
Speaking of the whole process of digging bird's nest, Yu Chengming sighed and said helplessly: "I also know that going down once is a fight for my life, but there is no way, the life of the poor is not worth much." ”
Every time he came back from digging bird's nests, his whole clothes were soaked.
"It's also difficult to climb a cliff, and you often have to use your fingers to buckle the rock cracks, and your nails can't grow." As he spoke, Yu Chengming held out his calloused hands
But fortunately, in recent years, the price of bird's nest has gradually risen, and it is not worth his every thrilling climb.
Some people may wonder, since picking bird's nest is so dangerous, why not change jobs?
Yu Chengming also knows the dangers of picking bird's nest, but there is no way, picking bird's nest earns more.
The whole family counted on him to support himself, but he worked hard in the fields for a year, and only earned a few thousand yuan.
But now according to the market of bird's nest, the annual income can also be 50,000 or 60,000 yuan.
When it comes to the market and price of bird's nest in recent years, Yu Chengming suddenly became interested.
He laughed and said that the quality is different, the grade is also different, and the good bird's nest is really valuable.
The price of an ordinary bird's nest is a few hundred yuan, and those first-class goods can sell for 2600 yuan, that is, one pound and twenty-six thousand.
"Don't look so expensive, now basically I haven't gone to pick, there are already guests booking."
The bird's nest picked by Yu Chengming is introduced by customers to each other to buy, and there are them everywhere in the country, and they are basically not sold in the market.
3
Seeing this, many people may say, isn't it the spit of the swallow, is the bird's nest worth so much money? Selling so expensive is all hype.
Not really.
"Swallows go and return, which means it's a good place." Since ancient times, swallows have always been regarded as auspicious representatives.
And bird's nest, bird's nest, as the name suggests, is the nest built by swallows.
A nest made up of saliva secreted by some swiftlets and several swiftlets, mixed with other substances such as down feathers.
In the eyes of the ancients, this is a good "tonic".
The main ingredient of bird's nest is protein, which contains a variety of minerals and amino acids needed by the human body, which has the effect of prolonging life, nourishing the face, and strengthening the body and bones.
The reason why bird's nest is so expensive and scarce is because bird's nest can only be collected manually, and the quantity is really limited, which cannot meet the needs of the market.
Moreover, not all swallow nests have nutritional value, and people need only a few.
Speaking of picking bird's nests, Yu Chengming's 33-year-old eldest son, Yu Zheng, shook his head and said: "The cliffs are at least more than 100 meters, it is really too high, just standing on the edge of the cliff, the legs are straight and soft, let alone going down." ”
Since childhood, Yu Zheng also knows some rock climbing skills, and he also thought of climbing on the cliff like his father, but he couldn't do it at all.
Moreover, now everyone's life has become better, three hundred and sixty lines, the line can make money.
Even if you work a casual job, you can take care of your livelihood and don't have to do this "fighting" work at all.
Yu Chengming's second son, Yu Zhenghua, thought about the same thing as his eldest brother Yu Zheng.
His father, Yu Chengming, also taught him for a while, but in the end he couldn't.
But if Yu Chengming watched the skill of picking bird's nest disappear, he was really not willing.
In fact, he also made an effort to "toughly" let his two sons inherit the skill.
But after calming down and thinking about it carefully, he had "fought" his life on this cliff for half a lifetime, and no one knew the dangers of picking bird's nest better than him.
I can return home with a full load every time, and hard-working is only one aspect, and in the final analysis, it is still inseparable from the ingredients of luck.
This kind of thing can't be seen and grasped, it's so vain, no one can guarantee it, and good luck can also befall his son every time.
In addition, when he talked about allowing his two children to inherit the skill, her wife was also opposed.
In his wife's view, Yu Chengming's idea is more of his own unwillingness.
She also understands her husband and knows his unwillingness, but in the face of this major trend of scientific and technological development and rapid development, a small individual is no different from a mantis arm as a car, which does not play any role at all.
Because of this matter, the couple has quarreled many times, but each has its own reason, and has never quarreled.
But quarrels turn to quarrels, the life of a large family will continue, and the family members will have to rely on Yu Chengming to support themselves.
4
The next night, after briefly explaining to his family, Yu Chengming embarked on the road of picking bird's nest again.
This time, Yu Chengming called his brother-in-law Zhao Zhicheng and two other partners as usual, and the three of them set off from Haizi Village, and after driving over a large mountain, they walked along the banks of the Yalong River, which crisscrossed the ravine.
Because he is a "leader" in local bird's nest picking, Yu Chengming is familiar with the location of more than 40 swallow caves within hundreds of kilometers around.
In April and May of each year, he would go out and pick bird's nest in Ya'an, Ganzi, Leshan and other places.
As the sky grew darker, Yu Chengming and his party arrived in a small town first, where they were ready to rest for one night, eat and drink enough, and raise their spirits.
At five o'clock the next morning, just after dawn, Yu Chengming woke up the two partners, and after a simple breakfast, the three of them set off. After half an hour on the rough mountain road, they began to walk up the hill.
Before each departure, Yu Chengming would carefully examine the bird's nest picking tools packed in an army green bag, especially the ropes for rock climbing.
Yu Chengming said, "The situation of the Yandong I know is different, some use hundreds of meters of rope, but some only use tens of meters, and it is very important to choose a good rope." ”
For bird's nest pickers like Yu Chengming, ropes are not only rock climbing tools, but also life-saving tools.
At the same time, he will also prepare a telescopic sleeve, which is stretched to a length of 15 meters, so that the bird's nest can be pulled out of the cliff wall of the swallow cave.
The road up the mountain was extremely difficult, Yu Chengming carried a snakeskin bag containing tools, and a group of three people walked step by step on this sheep gut trail.
The mountain road was really narrow, and sometimes there was no way to go, they could only drill into the damp, hot, airtight bushes; when there was a road, it was a cliffside path that could only put down half a foot, and the three of them could only concentrate and move cautiously the whole time.
Because as long as you are distracted by taking a wrong step, the next second you are facing a cliff.
After tossing and turning, I finally climbed to the top of the mountain. By this time, the three of them were already sweating, and they were sitting there breathing heavily, as if they were the rest of their lives.
Immediately afterward, Yu Chengming took out the water he was carrying and handed it to the two partners, but both of his partners shook their heads.
They know that the road is still long, and this is not the time to drink water.
After a short break, the three of them set off again, because it was still some distance from where they picked bird's nests.
After another half hour of arduous marching, the three finally arrived at the place where the bird's nest was collected.
Yu Chengming stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down, only to see a deep and bottomless ravine, and the Swallow Cave he was thinking about was in the middle of the cliff.
Yu Chengming carried a snakeskin pocket containing bird's nest on his back, and then tied the rope to his waist, rubbed his hands, grabbed the rope and "whizzed" down, and his partner Zhao Zhicheng also carefully put the rope a little bit.
Sliding to the corresponding position, a violent pedal, Yu Chengming entered the Swallow Cave.
An hour later, he climbed up the rope, his clothes already soaked, his forehead full of sweat, but the harvest was good.
Every year, Yu Chengming has to go through this kind of "fight" several times.
5
Yu Chengming said that every time before going down the cliff to collect bird's nests, he had to worship the "mountain god" in order to be safe and smooth.
"Those of us who rely on the mountain to eat must have a heart of reverence for the mountain." He said with a smile.
At the same time, a swallow cave Yu Chengming only goes once a year, and it is picked before the swallows lay eggs, and when the little swallows grow up, they will never touch them.
"If there are no swallows, where is the bird's nest?" The simple mountain farmer said with a smile.
Yu Chengming, like all the older generation of swallow pickers, understands that the hard work of picking bird's nest is never a reason for greed.
However, Yu Chengming can control himself, what about the pace of the era?
Or this simple peasant man will never understand that something no longer exists, not because it is worthless, but simply because the times no longer need it.
Under the tide of the times that is changing rapidly and new things are constantly emerging, all we can do is to adapt to change, welcome new life, stick to the past, and ultimately hurt ourselves.
What if the bird's nest picking technique is lost?
When he heard such a question, this Sichuan man no longer had the excitement of talking about picking bird's nest just now, he bowed his head and stunned for half a day, smiled, and then said: "If it is gone, let the swallows live well in the future, and it is also considered that we swallow pickers will repay the favor." ”
-Ends-