On June 23, 1980, Xinhua News Agency sent a message to the whole country: "Peng Jiamu, a famous scientist and vice president of the Xinjiang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, disappeared during an inspection tour of Lop Nur in Xinjiang and has not been heard from for the seventh day." ”
This was Pengam and his team's third expedition to the Lop Nur area. The news of his disappearance quickly caused a shock at home and abroad; the Party Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission urgently organized aircraft rescue, and the People's Liberation Army also launched a "comb-hair" search for the desert hundreds of miles away at the first time. However, Pengam never appeared again.
Pengam's sudden disappearance has always been a mystery, some people say that he fell into the swamp of Lop Nur, some say that he was abducted by the enemy, some people speculate that he was buried by the wind and sand or injured by wild beasts, and even imaginative speculations such as Pisces Jade Pei, aliens and so on. This also reflects from the side that the people of the whole country at that time were very concerned about this matter, in that era when there was no mobile phone and network, people used very little information to always watch the development of the situation and worry about the safety of Pengam.
It is said that the disappearance of scientific and technological workers who conduct scientific investigations in no-man's land is not an isolated case. In the face of nature, human power is too small, even top scientists and explorers, may disappear because of such accidents. Why is pengam's disappearance causing great concern from the central government to the small people in the city? Who is this Pengam, and how did he mysteriously disappear? What happened to him at that time?
Born in Guangdong in 1925, Peng Jiamu graduated from the College of Agriculture of the Central University and worked in the Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Xinjiang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After coming to Xinjiang, he regarded it as his second hometown, from the Alta Mountains to the Tarim Basin, from Turpan to the Ili River Valley, leaving the footprints of his scientific expeditions.
Under his meticulous cultivation, Xinjiang's scientific and technological team has grown rapidly, and many academic papers with scientific value have been published in domestic academic journals, all of which are full of his painstaking efforts. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has publicized his advanced deeds many times and called on the vast number of scientific and technological workers to learn from him. Guo Moruo, then president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, once wrote a poem praising him: "Riding the frontier is more ambitious, daring to teach the Gobi good fields everywhere." The living tiger and the dragon are patriotic, loyal and courageous, and often fight."
In May 1980, as usual, Pengam led a team of geographical, chemical, meteorological, soil, desert and archaeologists to conduct a scientific expedition from north to south to Lop Nur .
Lop Nur is a place full of mystery. Located on the east side of xinjiang's Tarim Basin, it was once the largest saltwater lake in China. Later, due to the diversion of the Tarim River flowing into the lake, Lop Nur gradually dried up, becoming a salt layer and a barren desert. In the Uyghur language, "Lop Nur" means to go in and out of the desert.
On May 9, Peng jiamu and the expedition team took three cars and faced the wind and sand and entered the center of Lop Nur area. On May 13, they braved the 48°C heat to come to a salt-shelled area. Pengam found large pieces of salt crystals here, and he excitedly wrote them down in his notebook: "Here are all treasures, if you develop them, they will be of great use!" ”
On this day, they left a marker with a red ribbon on this salt-shelled land and set out again.
On 16 June, Pengam led a scientific expedition to a place called Kumukuduk in Lop Nur and stopped there.
These days, the average temperature in the Lop Nur area is more than 60 degrees Celsius, and the scientific expedition encountered many unexpected difficulties along the way. Because the temperature was too high, the car had to stop to cool the water tank for a few kilometers, and the daily journey was less than 60 kilometers, which was much behind the original plan. Kumukuduk, where they are now, is more than 400 kilometers away from the destination of the scientific expedition" "72O" station. And their oil and water can only last for two days.
In the evening, the expedition began to set up tents in preparation for the camp. Peng Jiamu took his assistant Chen Bailu with him, drove a Beijing jeep, and left according to the Bayi Spring marked on the military map. If this spring water can be found, the difficulties faced by the scientific expedition team will be solved.
According to the labels on the map, Bayi Spring is located on the Shule River Ancient Road. The Shule River, a river originating in the Qilian Mountains, was once the source of water for Lop Nur but has long since dried up. However, there are still many springs left on the Shule River, and Bayi Spring is one of the larger springs.
According to the map, Pengam quickly came to the location of Bayi Spring. But what they did not expect was that this year was particularly dry, and the Bayi Springs had dried up. Pengam searched the neighborhood for a long time, trying to find other springs, but all failed.
Unable to find a source of water, Pengam had to drive back to the camp. Halfway through, he spotted a few wild camels and was immediately dazzled. He said to Chen Bailu, "There are wild camels here, which means that there must be a water source here, and we may find spring water." Tonight we have a good rest, tomorrow we will continue to look for water....."
That night, Pengam summoned the expedition team members for a meeting. Although the discovery of the wild camels made the team members regain their confidence, everyone still thought it was necessary to find water and send a signal to the outside world for help, so that they could be foolproof. Peng jiamu then drafted a telegram according to everyone's opinions: "We are short of water and oil, and we request emergency support for 500 kilograms of oil and water." ”
In Pengam's heart, he was still very eager to find a source of water. Because he knew that rescuers had only one way to replenish them with water and fuel, and that was to airlift them by helicopter. And the cost of helicopter airlift, let alone several thousand yuan, at that time the country's financial resources were limited, if you find a water source, can not help the country save money? And in his experience, where there are wild camels, there must be water nearby.
The next morning, the expedition received a telegram from the Xinjiang garrison, asking them to provide the coordinates of the camp in order to airlift supplies for them. The team members were relieved, and everyone was very tired for several days, and they all went into the tent to rest. Only Pengam is still worried. Because he is considering that the cost of helicopter transportation of materials is too high, if he can solve the problem of water sources by himself, he can not only save a lot of money for the country, but also mark the new water sources on the map, and it is not more convenient for the next scientific expedition?
So Pengam set off alone without anyone telling him. He left a note with only a brief sentence: "I'll go east and look for the well." Peng. 10:30 on June 17. ”
Seeing the note, the comrades of the entire expedition team panicked--everyone knows how dangerous it is to act alone in this extreme environment. And Pengam's travel bag containing cameras and lighters was missing, indicating that he was going some distance from the camp, not nearby.
The leader of the expedition immediately made a decision and decided to drive the car to chase according to the directions indicated by Pengam. Hiking in the desert for two hours doesn't take long, and you should be able to catch up quickly by car.
At first, the expedition team sitting in the car could still see the very clear footprints left by Peng jiamu. They followed the direction of this footprint, searching and advancing.
After chasing for three or four kilometers, the expedition came to a saline land, where Pengamu's footprints became shallower and shallower, and soon disappeared. Although the expedition drove back and forth to look for it, it saw nothing. Everyone found that it was getting dark and had to return to the camp.
That evening, the expedition held an emergency meeting to report to the base camp on Pengam's disappearance and to arrange the route to be searched the next day.
This night, everyone did not sleep well. The expedition gathered all the cars on a high sand dune, turned on the headlights every half hour, and lit several bonfires next to the cars. Everyone hoped that Pengam could see the lights and fires and follow the instructions of these fires to return to the camp.
The night passed, and everyone did not wait for Pengam. As soon as dawn came, the expedition began to search again. Everyone drove slowly along the old road of the Shule River, looking carefully with binoculars. Several times, I found a dark shadow in the distance, and everyone was very excited, and even ran over to check to see if it was Pengamu. But every time everyone was disappointed, under the "dragnet" search, there was still no shadow of Peng jiamu.
Regarding Pengam's disappearance, everyone's views are more consistent. Everyone knew Pengam very well, knew that he must have found something on the way to find water, and had the idea of investigation, so that he broke away from the original water route and lost his way. It's just that everyone has been searching for two or three days, and no trace of Pengamu has been found, and in the extreme environment of Lop Nur, pengam's safety is the most worrying thing for everyone.
After receiving rescue from the expedition team, the helicopter sent by the PLA also took off from the Maran base 400 kilometers away and arrived at the camp of the expedition team to participate in the search. The helicopter flew over the Taklamakan Desert along the way, and the pilot is also a veteran pilot with thousands of hours of flight experience, who has participated in desert search and rescue activities many times.
From the helicopter, the shule River is surrounded by an endless desert to the south and a large Gobi to the north, with no sign of life at all. From the note left by Pengam, it can be analyzed that Pengjiamu, who is very familiar with the terrain, cannot directly break into the desert or the depths of the Gobi, but will only go all the way east along the Shule River to find water.
This analysis was the most logical and the best option at the time. However, during the search, in order to ensure that the search did not leave dead ends, the helicopter also searched in several other directions. But the results were disappointing, and Pengam was still not found.
During this period, the search and rescue team found traces of a person sitting on the north side of the Shule River, and after comprehensive research, everyone believed that this was most likely left by Peng jiamu. Because this trace is very new, and there is a piece of fruit candy paper on the side, this kind of fruit candy, the same as the one that Penga wood carries with it.
With this discovery, everyone's spirit was lifted, as if they saw hope. The Central Committee and the Xinjiang Military Region have dispatched several more aircraft to repeatedly search around Kumukuduk in a zone of 140 kilometers from east to west and 60 kilometers from north to south. On the ground, the Xinjiang Military Region also sent a 28-person detachment with 6 military dogs with a very sensitive sense of smell to the base to participate in the search.
Some people may ask, why is it that only a small detachment of 28 people is dispatched, and no large troops are sent to search? There's a reason for that. The People's Liberation Army also wanted to send more people to participate in the search, but later, under comprehensive consideration, it was still believed that the soldiers were expensive and not many, looking for people in the desert, an experienced search and rescue team member, not worse than dozens of ordinary people. If there are too many people in action, how to solve the logistical support? Will there be any more accidents during the search process? So the final squad selected 28 desert veterans with rich experience.
Although the veterans of the search were all experienced, Lop Nur showed its power in front of humans. There are no roads here at all, and walking on them is easy to get trapped by sand, and it takes a lot of effort to take every step. The high temperature of more than 50 degrees and the similar environment made many team members unable to find their own direction, and the soldiers' clothes quickly left a circle of white salt stains.
The search operation should be said to be very meticulous, it can be said that it has passed the "comb" over the "grate", that is, a rabbit, and it cannot escape the eyes of the team members. But Peng jiamu seemed to have evaporated in the human world, and there were no people alive, no corpses in the dead.
Even so, many of the people involved in the search and rescue team were still convinced that Pengam was not dead. In particular, the comrades of the expedition team firmly believe that Pengam is still alive, but he has not been found for a while, and he will definitely return.
Why do people have such confidence? Because everyone knows Pengam too well. In the course of scientific expeditions, he often "disappeared", especially when he wanted to examine some details and other comrades objected. Once, during an expedition to the dense forest in Xishuangbanna, Peng jiamu had disappeared for more than a month because of the investigation of the rainforest ecosystem, and everyone thought he was dead, but he did not expect that a month later, Peng Jiamu returned without incident.
However, the Plaster Army involved in the search and rescue does not think so. After all, the environment here is too sinister, it is not suitable for human survival, Pengjiamu is no matter how magical, it is also a mortal fetus with the naked eye, and the body is not good, the possibility of miracles is too small!
In early July, the Gansu Provincial Public Security Department and the Dunhuang County Public Security Bureau set up a new search team to search the Yumenguan area, hundreds of kilometers away from the place where Peng Jiamu disappeared, and xinjiang Ruoqiang, Hami and other places also arranged forces to conduct a search, but there was still no gain.
During the month-long search, more than 170 search teams were dispatched, with nearly 50 cars and 29 planes, covering an area of 4,000 square kilometers. But until July 16, thirty days after Pengam's disappearance, nothing was found. The search had to be declared over.
Before the evacuation, the expedition team erected a cement sign 1.05 meters high and 0.7 meters wide in their camp, on which was written a large line: "On June 17, 1980, Comrade Pengam was unfortunately killed during a scientific expedition here. ”
After Pengam's disappearance, a Hong Kong tabloid published an article titled "Pengam has now fled to the United States." The author of the article claimed to be an old friend of Pengam, and he personally saw Pengam, who dined with several Americans in a restaurant in the United States!
The news was quickly confirmed to be false. First of all, this author and Peng jiamu have never intersected, pengjiamu's relatives and friends do not know this author, and this person even got the name of the restaurant wrong, which is obviously just for the sake of attracting people's attention.
Pengam's disappearance was a matter of concern to the people of the whole country in the early 1980s. Speculation about Pengam's whereabouts is also a matter of opinion. Every explanation is believed, but many more will be questioned. In order to solve this mystery, people have made all kinds of assumptions and speculations, but none of them can fully convince others. Over the years, there have been roughly six or seven speculations about Pengam's disappearance.
The first is the "onset of illness". Those who hold this view believe that Pengam was suffering from cancer at the time of his disappearance, and may have fainted due to a recurrence of illness during his search for water, and was buried by the wind and sand. But Pengam's family, including those of Pengam, opposes this claim. Because although Peng Jiamu is suffering from cancer, he has survived with cancer for 20 years, plus he usually pays attention to exercise, how can he suddenly fail?
The second speculation is the "swamp theory", which holds that Pengamu was engulfed by a swamp. However, the expedition team proved that at that time, Lop Nur had all dried up, formed a hard salt shell, and the plane could land on it, and it was impossible for people to fall into it. So this speculation is unreasonable.
The third hypothesis is the "burial theory", which holds that there are a large number of Yadan earthen bags distributed near Lop Nur that are subject to the blowing effect of the wind and often collapse. Pengam may have gone to hide in the Yadan earth bag to recuperate that day in order to protect the sun or avoid the wind and sand, and was buried by the collapse. However, Peng Jiamu is a scientist who understands the danger of Yadan dirt bags, and usually when the expedition team members approach these soil bags, he will stop them, and it is even more impossible for him to get close to these Yadan soil bags.
The fourth speculation is the "hijacking theory," which says that Pengam was abducted or killed by the enemy. But Lop Nur is deserted, the temperature is as high as 50 ° C, if the agents come here to wait, they may not wait for Pengjiamu, they will be cool first, so this statement is not very likely.
The fifth hypothesis is the "defection" theory. According to this theory, Peng Jiamu was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, and during this inspection, he took the opportunity to "defect". This statement is an insult to Pengam. Peng jiamu had many opportunities to go abroad, and if he wanted to defect, it was a good opportunity, but he pushed it away. Moreover, when he disappeared, the Cultural Revolution had ended, and Peng Jiamu had the opportunity to show his fists, how could he "defect"?
The sixth speculation is the "alien theory", saying that the mysterious "alien" kidnapped Pengam. It is also said that Pengam found the mysterious "Pisces Jade Pendant" in Lop Nur that can reproduce one person into two people, and Pengam's disappearance is related to this. For this kind of speculation, it can only be said that if the inventor's brain hole is really big, this kind of funny and scientific thing is not enough to win the trust.
One of the most acceptable claims is that Pengam may have fallen into the earth sea of the North Gobi. The gravel Gobi Desert on the north side of the Shule River, which looks flat, is actually fake. There used to be a lot of deep ditches there, but then the fine soil blown by the wind filled it. The fine soil, like flour, is virtual, and when people step on it, they are easily buried in it. On the surface, it was a saline field with a layer of dry skin on top, but it was virtual underneath. People who don't know will fall into it as soon as they step on it.
Peng jiamu's soul returns to Lop Nur and his life will forever be cast in the west of China, with the desert Gobi, the snowy mountains and grasslands, and with the cause of science.
Pengam has been missing for more than forty years now, and although his remains have not been found, one thing is certain that he must have sacrificed his life for the scientific research of the motherland. It is enough to know that he was killed in Lop Nur and that whether or not his body can be found is less important than his dedication.
Some say that Pengam belongs to Lop Nur. We have not found him, but we know that his heroic soul has been cast with the desert Gobi, the snowy mountains and grasslands, and with the cause of science.