Chasing the Starry Sky in the No-Man's Land with the Outlander

There are two things that can most deeply stir the human soul: one is the lofty moral standards within us, and the other is the brilliant starry sky above us.

Do you still remember how long it's been since you last saw the stars?

Under the neon lights of the city, the intense light pollution makes it hard to see the stars anymore.

The other day, I posted on my Moments, saying:

When I was little, I used to look up at the stars when I was bored. Now that I'm older, gazing at the stars has become a luxury.

So, to rediscover the starry sky from my childhood memories,

I drove my Outlander to the no-man's land to see the stars. Luckily, the Perseid meteor shower was also going to visit Earth around that time.

We set off from Golmud, journeying over a thousand kilometers to reach the Eboliang Yardang for star photography. Naturally, we couldn't miss the scenery along the way.

Not far from Golmud lies Dongtai Jinaier Lake. Its upper sources are the Nalenggele River and Hongshui River, which originate from the Hetuobanri Snow Mountain and Bukadaban Snow Mountain in the Kunlun Mountains. In such a barren desert, this expanse of turquoise water creates a striking contrast that makes you wonder if you're still in the no-man's land. It is a wonderland known as China's "Maldives."

The endless water surface gives the illusion of having arrived at the seaside. In fact, it's a salt lake of the magnesium sulfate subtype, with enormous reserves of rock salt.

To the west of Dongtai Jinaier Lake lies the Water Yardang. As everyone knows, yardang is a wind-eroded landform typically found in extremely arid areas, which is common in the northwest. But the Water Yardang is a rare sight—the only one of its kind in the world.

From a distance, it looks like piles of mud, but in reality, after hundreds of millions of years of wind erosion and polishing, this "mud" is harder than stone.

For a self-driving trip, a reliable vehicle is essential, especially in the northwest where there is no signal in the no-man's land. If the vehicle breaks down, rescue becomes a major problem. That's why I chose the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Our Outlander is the 2.4L version, and personally, I like the smoothness of a naturally aspirated engine.

The four-wheel-drive system of this Outlander is quite remarkable. It features a super all-wheel control system with EVO lineage, giving this urban SUV decent off-road capability and boosting my confidence when facing complex and varied roads.

Crossing the yardang terrain inevitably involves steep slopes. At such times, simply activating hill descent control lets the computer handle the braking, which is safer and more reassuring than manual braking.

Eboliang Devil City is known as "the place on Earth that most resembles Mars." Here, every step reveals a different view. With a bit of imagination, the bizarre remnant hills become a series of exquisite statues.

The Eboliang Yardang landform group originated from the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau 200 million years ago and the continuous wind erosion after the ancient seabed dried up 700,000 to 1 million years ago. In terms of yardang development stages, Eboliang represents the prime period.

The Lenghu Mars Camp is a simulated camp built within the Eboliang Yardang, primarily used for tourism and scientific research. The architecture and the surrounding environment strongly resemble the living conditions of human colonists on Mars.

The interior decor is more like a space station, full of a futuristic sci-fi feel.

The accommodations are individual space capsules, and the sanitary conditions are quite good. In this desolate place, having such a shelter from the wind and rain is extremely rare.

We traversed the Eboliang Yardang, searching for the best spot to view the starry sky. Driving the Outlander on its original tires, we roamed freely.

To see the stars, you need clear weather and to avoid city lights and the full moon period. Choosing Eboliang this time was an excellent observation point.

Due to the longitude, sunset here is relatively late. But we were very fortunate; once night fell, we could see the entire brilliant Milky Way with the naked eye.

When gazing at the vast starry sky, you realize how small humans are, which easily prompts reflection on life.

Actually, the so-called meteor shower is not what people imagine, with meteors streaking across the sky everywhere. This Perseid meteor shower, even at its peak, only produces 60 to 100 meteors per hour. Even during the meteor shower, you need a bit of luck to witness a meteor streak by.

What is the true meaning of travel?

People living in cities long for the openness and freedom of the no-man's land.

But a local who has lived here for years told me

that they yearn for the hustle and bustle of big cities.

In fact, the so-called travel

is simply going to places we've never been

and seeing sights we've never seen.