From Sanmen Gorge, it goes up the Yellow River and enters the mountains after about twenty kilometers. Further on, you will enter the Ganshan Valley, the Snow Cang Mountain, and the Wanmu Xiaoshu. In the valley, there are several ordinary farmhouses, which is Caomiao Village in Shaanzhou District. The surrounding mountains and forests are inhabited by the red-bellied chicken, a national second-class protected animal known as the "nobility of birds".
Ganshan belongs to the Qinling Yumai Xianshan Mountain Range, located at the junction of Yu, Qin and Jin provinces. It runs southwest and northeast, extending from the main vein of the Qinling Mountains to the banks of the Yellow River. The mountains are lush with lush forests and a variety of flora and fauna. In recent years, with the improvement of the ecological environment, dozens of red-bellied chickens have been found at the end of the last century, and it is said that there are more than 3,000 by now.
The red-bellied chicken is endemic to China, also known as the golden chicken, and is a national second-class protected animal. The body length is 59~110cm, and the tail feathers are 38~42cm long. It mainly inhabits mountain forest areas at an altitude of 500~2500 meters. The male red-bellied chicken has bright plumage, silky yellow feathers on the top of the head, rusty red cheeks on the front neck, blue feathers on the back of the neck, and eighteen tail feathers, which are black-brown spots; The female red-bellied chicken is single in color and has a black-brown color.
The red-bellied grousement is generally active in flocks, often in the bushes of broadleaf forests and coniferous forests. Alert, timid, dexterous and good at running. Autumn and winter are active and are the best season to see. In spring and summer, it is difficult to see the litters and broods hidden deep in the mountains. Local villagers say that the red-bellied chicken gives birth in April and will throw away the eggs if they are harassed during the laying process. The villagers brought the eggs home for the hens to hatch, and when the little chickens could fly, they heard the call of the red-bellied chicken, so they followed the sound and disappeared into the mountains.
Sanmenxia Shaanzhou District Zhangbian Township Caomiao Village Hou Tsui, the character "Tsui" is used for place names, referring to the place surrounded by ditches on three sides. There are two families on the mountain, two brothers, Yu Lao 2 and Yu Lao San, who moved here from Zhashui, Weinan, Shaanxi in the seventies of the last century. The two brothers lived deep in the mountains, rising at sunrise and resting, they went up the mountains to collect medicine, clear the land and cultivate fields, and lived almost isolated from the world. In the nineties, the leaders of Sanmenxia City came here to investigate and inspect, and their mobile phones were thrown into the mountains and wilderness. The villagers set out to search, and after several days of hard work, they found not only mobile phones, but also red-bellied brocade chickens perched in the mountains. The city leader lamented the simplicity of the villagers and was determined to change the lives of the mountain people during his term of office, and with his efforts, the mountain village achieved road and electricity communication, and the life of the mountain people was greatly improved.
At first, the Yu brothers did not know the name of the colorful bird, and called it "Little Phoenix" when they thought it was beautiful. Yu Laoer is even more intentional, recording the number of brocade chickens every day, staying time, feeding regularly, and taking care of them carefully, and gradually the little phoenix has increased. Later, after more contact with the outside world, I learned that it is called red-bellied brocade chicken, which is a very precious bird.
As more people came here to watch and photograph, Yu Laoer started a chicken business, in order to avoid the interference of human activities on the red-bellied chicken, built a small shack for photographers to take pictures. Hou Tsui gradually became a bird-watching place for shooting red-bellied chickens, and Yu Lao Er was also affectionately known as "Uncle Bird".