2020: Riding the Green Train to Lhasa
2020 was a year when time stood still, and then slowly started moving again, cautiously.
In 2020, when lab classes conflicted with theory courses, the next semester's theory classes were seamlessly linked to the ongoing online classes of this semester, which lasted until late June. As a result, by mid-August, my daughter's online classes still hadn't ended, and I was itching with cabin fever. So I made a firm decision, took advantage of a time loophole, and set off to fulfill a long-cherished wish. From Shaoxing, Zhejiang, I took a high-speed train, transferred at Wuxi Station to the green train Z164, and traveled hard seat all the way for 50 hours straight to Lhasa.
If you choose to transfer at Wuxi Station, you need to exit the station and go to the third floor to board Z164. Excluding the time to get the health code exit permit, it takes about fifteen minutes to walk to the new security check.
Some people said that a hard seat for two days and two nights would make your butt go numb, and a friend kindly warned me to be extra careful. The truth is, I was so excited the whole way that I didn't feel too tired until the end. Due to the pandemic, there were noticeably fewer passengers on the train. The previous crowds were reduced to just a few people, especially on the section from Xining where we transferred to the oxygen-equipped train to Nagchu.
At Xining Station, you need to get off and transfer to the oxygen-equipped train on the opposite platform.
【Oxygen-equipped Train】 As the altitude gradually rises, the oxygen content is lower than on the plains. To compensate, the electric locomotive is replaced with a corresponding diesel locomotive. On the plateau, diesel locomotives use turbochargers to mitigate and adapt to the high-altitude, cold, and oxygen-deprived conditions, ensuring efficient operation. The train cars also employ aviation-grade airtight technology and oxygen supply systems, and are equipped with retention toilets.
Once we entered Golmud, the number of passengers decreased noticeably. Before we reached the Kunlun Mountains around seven o'clock, many took the opportunity to catch up on sleep.
When you wake up, if the weather is clear, the snow-capped Kunlun Mountains bathed in morning light will greet you as your first welcome gift.
From then on, nature's exquisite artistry will dazzle your eyes. One moment you might be regretting the overcast sky, and the next it's already blue skies and white clouds.
The most beautiful track guardians along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, who salute the passing trains with a standard military salute.
The railway protection team, a 'non-regular force' dedicated to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Except for a few sections guarded by armed police, this team is responsible for all other areas, including the uninhabited plateau regions along the route. Their daily work includes patrolling the tracks, clearing fallen rocks, driving away large animals, and more importantly, identifying potential safety hazards and intercepting trains in advance...
When the train enters the Hoh Xil wildlife protection area, it feels like the train itself is a leisurely traveler, slowly taking in the scenery, watching herds of cattle and sheep, pausing and moving on. Lost in this trance all the way to Nagchu, you suddenly realize that the arrival is already almost an hour late. At that point, I wonder if you feel as anxious as I did.
A tribute to the most lovable people—ordinary people doing extraordinary things. When I was selecting a photo of a track guardian, I was surprised to find him standing on a small rock barely big enough for his feet, wearing a sun-protection face mask. It touched my heart. An ordinary person who cares about his appearance and cleanliness yet resolutely chooses to dedicate his life and youth to safeguarding the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. I salute you!
Tibetan antelopes safely protected by fences
【Tsonag Lake】 The world's highest freshwater lake, located 20 kilometers southwest of Amdo County, between the Nyenchen Tanglha and Kunlun mountain ranges. It is the source lake of the Nu River, at an altitude of 4,650 meters and covering an area of about 300 square kilometers. All streams from the southern side of the Tanggula Mountains flow into Tsonag Lake and then into the Nu River.
Due to various uncertainties along the way, the train kept stopping and going, and by the time we reached Nagchu, it was almost an hour overdue. I began to wonder: at this pace, the earliest arrival at Lhasa Station would have to be pushed from 7:30 to 8:30. Unexpectedly, the train, like a playful child rushing home, sped along and arrived punctually at Lhasa Station at 7:30.
At 7:30 in the evening, when the train arrived at Lhasa Station, I was thrilled. Lhasa, I'm back.
A friend who came to pick me up said: 'It takes at least fifteen minutes from arrival to exiting the station.' I wondered if the station was that big. Actually, it wasn't. Instead: from the moment you step off the carriage, you have to scan a health code, get your temperature checked → then gather by carriage in the square → after confirming that all passengers from that carriage are fine, release them carriage by carriage. I have to say, Lhasa's stringent prevention measures are really NICE – thumbs up.
Once again, salute these admirable people.
On this trip to Lhasa, I visited Zaki Temple (the only wealth god temple in all of Tibet, free admission, parking available inside).
Ticket: 60 yuan/person. A monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Together with Ganden and Sera monasteries, it forms the three great monasteries of Lhasa. It is the largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism and the highest-ranking in the Gelug school.
Ticket: 50 yuan/person. Except on rest days, debate sessions are held daily from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tourists can watch and take photos, but using cameras is not allowed. If time permits, you can enter Sera Monastery early in the morning with your ID card for free, walk up the mountain along the outer path, and see the Potala Palace from the large platform used for displaying the Buddha thangka.
Further up, you can drink the sacred water that locals fill their bottles with.
Still due to the pandemic, tickets for the Potala Palace this year were not as scarce as before. You can make a reservation one day in advance, starting at 9 a.m., on the Potala Palace's official WeChat account. Ticket price: 200 yuan/person, half price for students, teachers, etc. with valid ID.
Checked out the trendy yogurt shop, located next to the parking lot on the west side of the Potala Palace.
On the way from Lhasa to Lunang, we were very lucky to see Namcha Barwa. Our guide, Boss Tong, said that there are seven peaks in total, and we, who usually can't see even one, suddenly saw five at once. So lucky!
Fresh matsutake mushrooms were in season. At the Bayi Market in Nyingchi, early morning wholesalers at 5 a.m. sold them by the basket at wholesale prices of 85-95 jin. By around 7 a.m., the wholesalers had left, and a few enterprising vendors immediately sold them retail at 120-130 jin. Boss Tong, who was with us, generously bought three jin. Back in Lhasa, we had matsutake stewed chicken, fish stewed with matsutake, and matsutake with rice cakes, and we ate until we were stuffed.
While I was at Basong Lake, a friend I occasionally keep in touch with, Song Laoda, sent a message saying he had traveled from Shijiazhuang to his hometown in 19 hours, while I had taken 50 hours by green train from Zhejiang to Lhasa. He was curious about the current distance between the two points. I opened the map, and haha, over 5,000 kilometers.
Back in Lhasa, I saw 'Princess Wencheng' ^~^. With my eyesight, for a moment—and even now—I thought the person playing guitar outside the performance venue was Da Bing.
Princess Wencheng Tibetan Cultural Epic Drama
Highland barley that can be eaten directly
Returning home: On August 11th, departed Lhasa at 9 a.m. by green train to Xining. On the evening of the 12th at 7:30 (delayed boarding at Xining Airport until 9:40 p.m.), and safely arrived at Xiaoshan Airport after 2 a.m. on the 13th.
