Braided hair||Dawn Sentry (FXSW2021) Source||Contributed by Xu Yingmin
"I hold hands with you in the moonlight, and the whispers of love are endless. Fate let me meet you, and I am determined to wait for love in this life...... Love is deep and forever hand in hand, red dust depends on each other like colorful clouds with seagulls, and knows each other for a long time...... this is the praise and chant of the song "Red Dust Forever Accompanying" to the true love, purest and purest love in the world. Throughout the ages, countless literati and writers have written a lot of witty sentences praising love, and the love and lovers in their pen are the destined people who are in love with each other and hide their true love for each other in their hearts, and they are the expectations and thoughts of thinking day and night, looking at each other from afar, and the warmth and romance of holding hands in the morning and twilight...... On the occasion of the annual "Valentine's Day", the official account of "Dawn Sentry Post" specially compiled and distributed a travelogue essay written by Colonel Xu Yingmin, a military essayist and senior media person, to enjoy his beautiful and moving love story——
"Lover's Lake" through the ages
〇Xu Yingqi
This is a call of love, this is a song of love, this is a magnificent poem between the beautiful waters of the holy lake, the bitter wind and rain are difficult to stop, thousands of rivers and mountains are separated, and they will be passed down from generation to generation......
Towering Kunlun, snowy plateau, beautiful Qinghai, magical and attractive. Every mainlander who comes to Qinghai will find that in this vast and boundless territory, "there are the most mountains and thousands of lakes, and all the water is except for the snow-capped mountains." "That's true. Walking along the Qinghai-Tibet line, you can see sparkling lakes of all sizes, like mirrors embedded in valleys or wastelands.
On a summer day a few years ago, when the author drove to the "Sichuan-Tibet-Qinghai" line, I was fortunate to come to the beautiful "Lover's Lake".
The "Lover's Lake" is famous for its beautiful and touching love legends, attracting countless tourists to visit and sightsee. When the author arrived at the Keluk Lake Scenic Area, which is more than 50 kilometers away from Delingha City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, it was already evening. However, seeing that the flow of people during the day has long since receded, only a few self-driving tourists are still enjoying the beautiful scenery, and the lakeside seems much quieter.
When the sun sets, the golden sunset is reflected in the calm lake water, flashing a little bit of waves; flocks of black-necked cranes, bar-headed geese, fish gulls, wild ducks and other water birds swim on the lake surface from time to time, occasionally plunging into the water to hunt, a beautiful and picturesque picture of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River; the breeze blows, and the wisps of refreshment make people feel refreshed and happy.
In fact, "Lover's Lake" was not originally called "Lover's Lake", but called Kluk Lake, also called Sister Lake and Lap Lake. "Koluk" means "place of lush water and grass" in Mongolian. The Bayin River, which originates in the cypress mountains in the north of Delingha, flows for more than 200 kilometers to form a freshwater lake with an area of 57 square kilometers and an average depth of more than 7 meters. "Lover's Lake" is named after the poignant and touching love legend between the beautiful and kind girl Koruk and the handsome and brave young man Tosu.
Legend has it that a long time ago, on the banks of the beautiful Jinshui River in the desert, there lived a tribe of Mongolian ancestors, and the tribal prince had a beautiful daughter named Keluk. One day, Crook was lost in a storm while hunting with his father and was rescued by a young man named Tosu, and the two met and fell in love ever since. However, the prince thought that Tuosu's family was poor and resolutely opposed his daughter falling in love with the guy. The infatuated and kind-hearted Crook is determined to entrust his life to the hard-working, brave, loyal and simple Tuosu, and does not listen to his father's dissuasion at all. The prince had to reluctantly agree, but proposed to go to Chaidamu in the distance to carry salt to show his sincerity, so that he could marry his daughter. So, Tuosu rode a white horse, went through hardships to Qaidam, and returned with a bag full of salt. On the way, unfortunately encountered a sandstorm, the white horse was lost, Tuosu had to carry the salt on foot, and finally fainted in the vast Gobi due to the distance and exhaustion.
After Tuosu left, Miss Koluk stayed on the banks of the Jinshui River every day, hoping that her sweetheart would return safely as soon as possible. One day, she saw the white horse that Tosu was riding coming from afar, and she sensed that something might happen to Tosu, so she rode to find it. A few days later, Hakuba and Koruk also collapsed beside Tosu due to exhaustion. Kuruk stretched out his arm, struggling to crawl towards Thoso, and Thosu stretched out an arm to meet Crook. The two dying lovers rolled out a line of tears at the moment when their hands touched, and closed their eyes happily forever......
The story of a couple who are loyal to each other touches God. Soon, a freshwater lake appeared in the place where the girl was laid to rest, and a saltwater lake appeared in the place where the boy was resting, and the arms of the two turned into a murmuring stream connecting the two lakes. As a result, the current "Lover's Lake" was formed. Because the "Lover's Lake" resembles a blanket, it is also called "Blanket Lake".
In order to commemorate this pair of young men and women who yearn for a pure and simple love life, the descendants specially built a "couple statue" on the shore of Koluk Lake. All lovers who come to the "Lover's Lake" for sightseeing should follow the statue of Koruk and Tosu, each stretching out a hand and holding it tightly together to show their loyalty and love each other until they are old. Especially on the day of "Valentine's Day", the men and women who come to the "Lover's Lake" are shoulder to shoulder.
The Tuosu Lake, which is more than 20 kilometers away from the Kluk Lake, is a typical inland saltwater lake. The lake is surrounded by the vast Gobi, deserted, the lake is vast, and the lake water is deep. Due to the high temperatures, the lake water evaporates a lot, and the salt content of the water increases, making it difficult for aquatic plants, animals and plankton to survive. The geographical location of Tuosu Lake is remote and inaccessible, so tourists rarely come here for sightseeing. When the wind and waves are calm, the lake surface is vast, the water and the sky are the same color, and it is magnificent; when the storm is calm, the lake waves are surging, the water splashes, and the sound of lapping the shore is moving.
Today, Keluk Lake and Tuosu Lake have been listed as key natural and ecological reserves by the state. They are like two shining giant treasure mirrors inlaid in the vast Gobi and the vast grassland.
As I drove away, night fell. The wide and gentle Lake Koluk is even more beautiful and charming: under the stars and moon, a breeze blows, and the clusters of reeds on the lake's edge gently sway back and forth, like a pair of lovers embracing each other, and the gentle sound of the lake lapping against the fine sand on the shore seems to be the whispering and heartfelt voice of the Koluk girl and her sweetheart.
The plateau holy water "Lover's Lake", the love in the world is endless. For thousands of years, you have recited an eternal and ancient song to people day and night, over and over again—the lover is the confidant holding hands and arms, the lover is the lifelong companion who walks side by side, the lover is the selfless and fearless life and death dependence, the lover is the sharing of hardships and hardships on the journey of wind and rain, the lover is the happiness and romance under the moon before the flower, and the lover is the day and night thoughts of each side of the sky. "Valentine's Day" expresses true feelings, and the heart is like Indian life. May there be lovers in the world holding hands with their beloved, spending beautiful days together, and enjoying happy times together!
(Photo provided by the author)
Xu Yingmin's profile: Born in Luonan, Shaanxi, the "hometown of Chinese characters", he has served as a soldier, fed pigs, participated in wars, worked as a newspaper editor and reporter, published a number of essays, reportage, and travelogue essay collections, and now retired to Xi'an.