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In the northwest of the continent, there is a vast expanse of land - the Loess Plateau. Go back thousands of years and look at the past of the Loess Plateau.
Here, a rushing river meanders through, and it is the mother river that nourishes Chinese civilization - the Yellow River.
This great river not only shapes the unique landform, but also bears witness to countless legends that have taken place in this land.
From the song of the reeds sung by ancient poets to the folk songs of northern Shaanxi; From the rise and fall of the Western Xia Dynasty to the majesty of the Qin Straight Road, there are too many historical chapters that can be sung and cried on the Loess Plateau.
Once upon a time, it was a barren desert with windblown sand and severe soil erosion. However, it is in this land that many people consider hopeless that the people of the mainland have launched a feat of ecological governance that has lasted for 70 years, creating a miracle in the new century.
Let's take a look at this ancient yellow land, appreciate the origin and evolution of Chinese civilization, and see how this land is performing a miracle song today.
Poetry and sorrow on the shore of the Yellow River
In the embrace of the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows like a golden ribbon. This great river is not only a geographical dividing line, but also a cultural and emotional link. It has nourished the land and its people for thousands of years, and has also witnessed countless heart-wrenching stories.
Imagine that in ancient times, the banks of the Yellow River were once lush reeds. The breeze blows, and the reeds sway gently, making a rustling sound.
It is this scene that inspired the ancient poets to create one of the most beautiful chapters in the Book of Songs: "The leaves are pale, and the white dew is frost; The so-called Iraqi people are on the water side. This poem not only depicts the natural beauty on both sides of the Yellow River, but also expresses people's yearning and pursuit of love.
However, over time, the reeds faded away. People had to cut down reeds in order to survive. Despite this, the legend of the reed still lives on in the land. It is not only present in the ancient psalms, but also lives in the hearts of people in another form.
On the Loess Plateau, there is also a unique landform - mountain beams. These undulating mountain beams became a vehicle for the locals to express their feelings. The northern Shaanxi folk song "Qiliang Liang" is a good example: "Who is that on the opposite side of the Liangliang?" That's our famous second sister. "
These songs and poems not only record the natural features of the Loess Plateau, but also reflect the lives and emotions of the people here. From the Book of Songs to folk songs, we can feel the people's yearning for a better life in this land, as well as their tenacity in the face of difficulties.
The ancient ferries on both sides of the Yellow River used to be an important passage for people to come and go. However, with the pace of modernization, the construction of road bridges made these ferries gradually abandoned. Despite this, they still silently witness the changes of this land and tell the story of the Yellow River.
In this land, the Yellow River is not only a river, but also a symbol. It represents the continuation of life, the inheritance of culture, and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. Every time the river rushes, it is writing a new chapter, telling the never-ending vitality of this land.
The Rise and Fall of the Tangut Dynasty: A Little-Known History
In the long history of the Loess Plateau, the Xixia Dynasty is like a bright pearl, shining with a unique light. Although this dynasty founded by the Dangxiang Qiang people did not exist for long, it left behind many fascinating stories.
In 1038 AD, a young man named Li Yuanhao ascended the throne of Western Xia. He was ambitious and determined to expand the territory of Western Xia to the east. This decision sparked a war that lasted for many years, and the Western Xia and Northern Song Dynasty engaged in a fierce contest on the Loess Plateau.
In this war, the Northern Song Dynasty sent a general named Fan Zhongyan. Fan Zhongyan was not only an outstanding military strategist in history, but also a literati full of family and country feelings.
It was on this Loess Plateau that he wrote the famous sentence that has been recited for thousands of years: "The worries of the world are worried, and the joys of the world are happy." This sentence not only reflects Fan Zhongyan's patriotic feelings, but also becomes a spiritual portrayal of later generations of scholars.
However, despite Fan Zhongyan's talent, Li Yuanhao was victorious with his ingenious stratagem and espionage. The Yan'an area fell under the control of Western Xia, and Li Yuanhao's ambitions were satisfied.
However, Game of Thrones is often accompanied by gore and betrayal. Li Yuanhao's reign was fraught with court struggles and family strife. His mother was poisoned for plotting to assassinate him, and his mother's family was brutally punished and sunk into the Yellow River.
Lee Won-ho's ending is equally dramatic. On the night of the Lantern Festival in 1048, his son Ning Lingge was furious because his father had taken away his wife, and he actually cut off Li Yuanhao's nose.
The next day, Li Yuanhao passed away. And the Wu Yi clan, who became the fuse, finally fell into the hands of the Liao army and was taken captive, and has not been heard from since.
On this Loess Plateau, the story of the Tangut dynasty serves as a constant cautionary tale: power and lust are often a double-edged sword, and they can bring glory or destruction.
Although little is known about this history, it profoundly influenced the development of the Loess Plateau. The existence of the Tangut Dynasty added cultural diversity to this land and also left many precious historical relics.
Today, when we walk on the Loess Plateau, we can still feel the afterglow of the Xixia culture and see the imprint of that magnificent history.
The Miracle of the Ten Thousand Cities: Helian Bobo's Immortal Feats
At the northern end of the Loess Plateau, there is an ancient city standing quietly, which is Tongwan City.
Helian Bobo was born in the 6th century and is a descendant of the Xiongnu. His early years were not smooth, his family was in the middle of the road, and his life was difficult. However, fate seemed to favor the young man and gave him many opportunities. With his extraordinary wisdom and extraordinary courage, Helian gradually rose to prominence, and eventually established his own kingdom on the Loess Plateau.
Tongwan City is Helian Bobo's greatest masterpiece. Located in the northern part of present-day Jingbian County in northern Shaanxi, this city was a breathtaking ancient capital at the northern tip of the Loess Plateau. When you stand in front of the ruins of Tongwan City, it is difficult not to be impressed by the wisdom and courage of the ancients.
To build the city, Helian mobilized an army of 100,000 men. They employ a unique construction technique – the steaming method.
This method made the city walls extremely strong, and after more than 1,000 years of wind, frost, rain and snow, the walls of Tongwan City are still standing today, showing the world the excellent skills of ancient craftsmen.
The construction of Tongwan City is not only a great project, but also an important milestone in the history of human architecture. Its existence proves that even on the Loess Plateau, where conditions are harsh, human beings can create miracles that will amaze future generations.
However, we have to admit that the construction process of Tongwan City was full of cruelty and blood and tears. A labor force of 100,000 people means the separation of countless families and the consumption of countless lives. The city was acquired at a huge human cost, not only for Helian Bobo's achievements, but also for the brainchild of countless ordinary people.
Today, when we walk through the ruins of Tongwan City, it seems that we can still hear the hustle and bustle of the city when it was founded thousands of years ago. The weathered walls still tell a story of dreams, ambition, suffering and glory.
Tongwancheng, this miracle standing on the Loess Plateau, is not only Helian Bobo's immortal feats, but also a witness to the perseverance of human beings in the harsh environment.
Qin Zhidao: The Ancient "Highway"
On the Loess Plateau, there is also an ancient road, which traverses the north and south like a dragon, which is the Qin Straight Road built during the Qin Shi Huang period. This road is not only a great project, but also an important milestone in the history of ancient military and transportation.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, one of the major threats he faced was the Xiongnu from the north. In order to defend against the invasion of the Xiongnu, Qin Shi Huang decided to build a direct road to the north. He appointed the general Meng Tian to lead an army of 300,000 to occupy the vast land of the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi and begin this huge project.
The Qin Straight Road stretches from Jiuyuan County in Inner Mongolia to Ganquan in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, with a total length of nearly 700 kilometers and a width of about four meters. This road is almost a straight line, crossing the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, which can be called the ancient "highway".
The construction of the Qin Straight Road is a difficult task. Workers had to carve a straight avenue across the rugged Loess Plateau, which required a high degree of surveying and engineering ability. They will fill in the ravines, cut the hills, and carve out the roads in the cliffs. The scale and difficulty of the project is staggering even today.
The construction of the Qin Straight Road not only reflects the strong national strength of the Qin Dynasty, but also demonstrates the wisdom and courage of the ancient Chinese.
At the same time, it has also promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and the northern region, and has played an important role in promoting the development of this region.
However, the construction of the Qin Straight Road also came at a huge cost. Tens of thousands of laborers worked in difficult conditions, and I don't know how many fell on the road.
As the main builder of the Qin Straight Road, Meng Tian won the trust of Qin Shi Huang because of his loyalty.
However, fate often plays tricks. When Qin Shi Huang was seriously ill, Zhao Gao and Hu Hai tampered with the edict, and Meng Tian and the crown prince Fusu were both given death.
This general, who made great contributions to the Qin Dynasty, finally ended up with such a tragic end, which cannot but be said to be a historical irony.
The Green Miracle: The Ecological Rebirth of the Loess Plateau
The Loess Plateau was once a desolate land with serious soil erosion and sparse vegetation, and was rated by the United Nations as one of the world's uninhabitable areas.
However, instead of abandoning the land, the mainland has embarked on a feat of ecological governance that has lasted for more than 70 years.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the mainland realized the importance of the management of the Loess Plateau. Since the 50s, a series of governance measures have been carried out one after another. The initial renovation was painstaking, but the results were not significant. It was not until after the reform and opening up, with the progress of science and technology and the accumulation of experience, that the ecological management of the Loess Plateau gradually got on the right track.
A series of effective measures have been taken: returning farmland to forests, fixing sand with various trees, and building silt dams. The Three-North Shelterbelt Project has completed more than 6 million acres of afforestation and grass planting on this land.
These efforts have reduced the land loss area on the Loess Plateau by more than 20,000 square kilometers and increased the soil and water conservation rate from 29.08 percent in 1990 to 63.44 percent.
At the same time, the mainland has also built 58,100 silt dams, and initially controlled 250,000 square kilometers of soil erosion. These projects have not only effectively controlled soil erosion, but also provided valuable water resources and arable land for local farmers.
With the development of society, people's lifestyles are also quietly changing. In the past, local residents had to cut down trees in large quantities in order to heat and cook. Now, with the spread of clean energy, the need to cut firewood has been greatly reduced, which has virtually accelerated ecological recovery.
These efforts have made a striking difference. Nowadays, if you look at the Loess Plateau from the air, you will be surprised to find that the ravines and hills covered with loess in the past have now been dressed in green.
The vegetation coverage rate has increased from 31.6 percent to more than 63 percent, and the average annual sediment discharge of the Yellow River has decreased from 1.6 billion tons to 300 million tons.
Behind these figures is a huge change in the appearance of the Loess Plateau. In the past, this was a barren land with "two droughts in three years, and nine out of ten kinds of crops were difficult to harvest".
Today, it has become a harvest area where "early summer seedlings are planted and rice fills the granary". Many places have begun to develop rice crab and rice fish farming, promoting rural revitalization and bringing considerable income to local farmers.
In the 70s, when the farmers who had left their homes returned to Yan'an, they were shocked by the changes in front of them. The city of Yan'an has a new look, with wells and trees planted in every household.
Lesbians no longer need to wrap their hair in a headscarf to protect them from dust, and they don't have to worry about getting covered in yellow sand when their clothes are hung in the yard. These subtle changes vividly demonstrate the practical effects brought about by the management of the Loess Plateau.
However, the governance of the Loess Plateau did not happen overnight. With an area of 635,000 square kilometers and a permanent population of 120 million, relocation is almost impossible.
Over the years, researchers have been exploring suitable vegetation restoration methods for the Loess Plateau. They found that not all tree species are suitable for growing here.
Some drought-tolerant and barren-tolerant native plants, such as caragana and sea buckthorn, are more suitable for the environment. These findings provide important guidance for the ecological restoration of the Loess Plateau.
The ecological restoration of the Loess Plateau has not only improved the local ecological environment, but also brought new opportunities for local economic development. Ecotourism began to develop in many places, attracting a large number of tourists.
Tourists come here not only to enjoy the magnificent natural scenery, but also to experience the cultural charm of the Loess Plateau.
This 70-year ecological governance has not only created a green miracle, but also demonstrated the determination and ability of human beings to transform nature. It teaches us that even the most barren lands can come to life if we persevere.
Epilogue:
The story of the Loess Plateau is an epic of struggle and reconciliation between man and nature. From the song of reeds sung by ancient poets to the green mountains and rivers of today;
From the rise and fall of the Tangut Dynasty to the construction of modern ecological civilization; From the excavation of the Qin Straight Road to the current criss-crossing highway network. This land has witnessed countless changes and carries too many stories.
Today's Loess Plateau is no longer that barren and desolate place. It is showing the world the great achievements of ecological civilization construction with a new look. What was once considered a hopeless place by the United Nations has become a model of ecological governance in the world.
The great changes in the Loess Plateau are not only an ecological miracle, but also the crystallization of human wisdom. It tells us that as long as we believe in science, respect nature, and persevere, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome. This story will always inspire us to continue on the road of construction.
What do you think differently about this?
Resources:
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[1] Zhu Lianqing. Understanding the causes of soil erosion on the Loess Plateau in Northwest China[J].Chinese Science Bulletin,1954,(06):63-65.)
[1] I.Π. Gerasimov, Wen Zhenwang. Chinese loess and its genesis[J].Chinese Science Bulletin,1955,(12):9-14.
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