45 million years ago, the Himalayas were a strait between eurasia and the Indian plate. With the movement of the plates, this place forms the highest place on Earth. Today, this young mountain still rises at a rate of 1 centimeter per year.
With the growth of the mountains, after thousands of years, the plant communities here have also undergone amazing evolution. The biodiversity here is extremely rich, with 118 species per square kilometre, 15 times that of North America and 11 times that of Europe. The complex and changeable alpine ecology has created a variety of unique plants, including "yellow and green" that have a profound impact on the lives of locals...
How can plants produce "sunscreen"?
In the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra River, in the depths of the mountains of south-central Tibet, in the Shannan region, a dry and ripe seed falls from a dry and broken stem.
The seed comes from a plant on the cliff face, rhubarb, called "churo" in Tibetan.
It is a plant that grows at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level, at the end of the mountain forest. Its hundreds of compatriots fell one by one before the harsh winter came, and if these seeds wanted to survive, they had to find a place with moderate humidity to gain a foothold.
Located 10 kilometres from the Brahmaputra, the altitude has risen to 4,700 metres, but the meltwater of the icebergs that flow through it has created a unique microclimate environment in which the mountain stream is cold and humid. Winter turns to spring, and the temperature rises. After a winter of dormancy, the seeds of rhubarb begin to germinate, and the nutrients stored in the grain germinate to provide enough energy.
The first thing that "stands out" is their young roots.
They need to be rapidly stretched into the soil layer to draw the necessary water and nutrients for the growth of the shoots wrapped in the seed shell. This is the most fragile stage of their growth, relying on only a single rhizome, and the slightest change in temperature and humidity will die. Nearly 80% of rhubarb dies prematurely at the seedling stage.
Rhubarb is not only grown in highland areas, but the average annual sunshine in Shannan is more than 3,000 hours, which is one-third higher than that in inland areas.
To protect against intense plateau UV rays, they produce a richer "body sunscreen" than other regions – natural anthrathrol, an antioxidant.
It is also a rich natural pigment ingredient.
Dawa, a villager in Yajie Village, is about to take his daughter to collect mountain goods, and what they are looking for is this "yellow".
Locals have found that rhubarb rhizomes can produce pure natural yellow pigment after a long period of drying and storage. Combine this yellow with the rich black and red of the walnut peel, combine it, and then dilute it to get the big red that is most represented in Tibetan clothing.
The Himalayan region is high in the west and low in the east. In the early years, western nomads came to Shannan with the traditional clothing cloth of pure wool weaving, hoping to exchange them for handmade utensils and crops from eastern farmers. In the long run, in the Shannan region of central Tibet, a handicraft tradition of printing and dyeing xenon cloth has been formed.
In order to have this natural yellow color for a long time, villagers who collect mountain goods like Dawa will follow nature and keep the rhubarb that is still growing in the mountains.
Unlike the silent rhubarb, another color is spread all over the plains of Tibet...
The least suitable place to grow
At the foot of Mount Everest, the plateau barren rocks above 5,000 meters above sea level have approached the limits of survival for both humans and plants. With years of strong winds, no rain throughout the year, and an average temperature of no more than 10 °C, it seems impossible to plant large areas of crops on this mountainous white rock beach.
However, a barley seed in the soil is struggling to germinate.
July, the rainy season in Shigatse, is the perfect time for barley to grow rapidly. The sun shines brightly during the day and the thunderstorms are mixed at night. After more than two months of growth, barley has entered an important stage of jointing and panicle extraction.
A night of wind and rain, moisturizing 10,000 acres of barley fields.
As a suitable crop for growing on the plateau, high altitude, strong radiation, and low temperature promote the accumulation of more nutrients in the barley grains.
Quzong Village, the closest village to Mount Everest. In order to survive, the villagers here create a precious field in a ravine one kilometer outside the village.
The foot of Mount Everest is cold and dry, and the barley grows more slowly. So the villagers remodeled the river channel, diverting the meltwater of the iceberg, and constantly pulling grass and irrigating. As a result, the harvest of barley has increased year by year, which has exceeded the income brought by herding cattle and sheep.
The more than a dozen acres of fertile land cultivated by the ancestors in the mountain pass are one of the highest farmlands in the world and the greatest wealth of villager Tashi. Experiencing the snow in the spring, the rain in the summer, the barley to receive the final baptism of the sun.
Only by meeting the annual sunshine of more than 3200 hours and the frost-free period of more than 120 consecutive days can the spring barley complete the final ripening.
Barley, also known as bare barley. After thousands of years of selection, it has become an iconic crop in the highland region.
At the end of August and the beginning of September, it is the harvest season of barley. On the roof of the world, below 4,500 meters above sea level, the area suitable for cultivation is less than one-third of the surface area of Tibet.
糌粑, a transliteration of the Tibetan word for "fried noodles". It is a flour that is polished after being fried in barley and eaten with butter tea, which is not only easy to store and carry, but also rich in nutrients. Paired with air-dried beef and mutton, it has become an efficient staple food for the Tibetan people to feed their hunger and withstand the harsh environment of the plateau.
In the most unsuitable places for cultivation, human beings are looking for opportunities to survive and creating miracles of life. Barley is no longer a simple food, but the hope of people here for life.
The once vast sea, after thousands of years of crustal movement, has become the top of the world today, and has also bred a rich variety of species. The seeds here are small but tenacious, and have been associated with this land for hundreds of millions of years, and the lifeblood is connected. It's so fragile, but it's so varied...
May 16-18 Record the Big Times
The Plant Kingdom of the Third Pole
Three episodes in a row, so watch it
Shanghai University Shanghai Film (Shanghai) Co., Ltd
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Editor: Wang Dingyao