The journey through the heavens begins with saving the Great Kindness Tree King

Chapter 248 National Day Holiday Trip (Part )

Su Qiankun took everyone to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and paid homage to the Monument to the People's Heroes.

After visiting the Temple of Heaven, the Old Summer Palace, and the Summer Palace

It was almost 12 noon, so we found a restaurant to have lunch.

While waiting for the food, Nashida, Sanyueqi, Ai Li, Fu Xuan, Xiao Huimao and Wuliangta were comfortably sipping the milk tea they bought on the way.

The couple drank a cup of milk tea together. Su Qiankun took two sips and passed it to the Daci Tree King.

The latter took it and slurped it without any hesitation. She drank the milk tea in one gulp without leaving a sip for him, and then leaned quietly on his shoulder.

After lunch, we took everyone to the Badaling Great Wall.

The Great Wall is the spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation and the most widely distributed and largest cultural heritage in my country. It spans more than two thousand years and covers tens of thousands of miles.

The construction of the Great Wall can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the story of "playing tricks on the princes by lighting beacons" took place here.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the construction of the Great Wall entered its first climax as the various states fought for supremacy and defended each other. However, the length of the Great Wall at this time was relatively short. The Great Wall built during this period is called the Pre-Qin Great Wall.

In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms. In order to resist the harassment of the Huns in the north, he rebuilt the Great Wall on the basis of the pre-Qin Great Wall. Its length reached ten thousand miles. From then on, the Great Wall was called the "Great Wall of China".

The Great Wall was built and repaired by more than ten dynasties, including the Han and Jin dynasties. The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty to carry out major renovations on the Great Wall.

The Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty is more than miles long and covers 17 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities including Xinjiang, Gansu and Shaanxi.

The Great Wall is not a single city wall, but a complete defense system composed of various fortifications such as city walls, watchtowers, pass cities, bulwarks, camps, garrisons, town beacon towers, etc., with the city wall being the main part.

The Great Wall was built in accordance with the experience of "taking advantage of the terrain and using danger to build the pass" in successive dynasties. The large-scale construction of the Great Wall was not stopped until the Qing Dynasty. Due to years of disrepair and other reasons, only ruins remain in some sections of the Great Wall.

As of the 21st century, the Great Walls that people commonly see, such as the Badaling Great Wall, Jiankou Great Wall, and Jiaoshan Great Wall, were all built during the Ming Dynasty.

According to the results of the national Great Wall resource survey conducted by the cultural relics and surveying and mapping departments, as of 2023, the total length of the existing Great Wall exceeds 2.1 kilometers, of which the length of the Ming Great Wall is 8851.8 kilometers, and the Qin and Han and early Great Wall exceeds 1 kilometers.

The group walked along the Great Wall until the sun went down, took a group photo, and then found a place to quietly return home, ending the day's journey.

From October 10rd to 3th, Su Qiankun took everyone to the vast Xinjiang region of our country.

It was called the Western Regions in ancient times. It is one of the five ethnic autonomous regions in my country. With an area of ​​166.49 million square kilometers, it is the largest provincial administrative region in my country in terms of land area, accounting for about one-sixth of my country's total land area.

If you compare Xinjiang with other countries or regions, you can more intuitively feel how large its area is.

The area of ​​Xinjiang is equivalent to three France or seven Britain; if compared with Asia, it is equivalent to four Japan or sixteen South Koreas.

Compared with other provinces in the country, let’s put it this way, we have to add up all the provinces in the southern region to be able to match it.

And this area does not include postage

Xinjiang is located in the heart of the Eurasian continent, with a land border of more than 5600 kilometers. It borders eight countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, India and Afghanistan.

Historically, it was an important passage of the ancient Silk Road and a must-pass place for the second "Eurasian Continental Bridge".

This ancient and magical land has witnessed the vicissitudes and glory of history.

A long, long time ago, in the pre-Qin era, many tribes such as the Sai people, Yuezhi people, Wusun people, and Qiang people were scattered like stars in the vast land of the Western Regions.

As time passed, in the Qin and Han dynasties, an envoy named Zhang Qian set out on a journey to the Western Regions.

He crossed the vast desert with a mission and experienced countless hardships. When he set foot on this strange land, the gears of fate began to turn...

In modern times, after the Opium War in 1840, my country's territorial sovereignty was trampled upon by foreign powers, and the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang faced a heavier task of fighting against foreign invasion, secession, and feudal exploitation and oppression. The destiny of Xinjiang and the motherland became increasingly closely linked.

Between 1851 and 1860, Tsarist Russia forced the Qing government to sign the humiliating Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing, the Sino-Russian Northwestern Boundary Agreement, and the Sino-Russian Ili Tarbagatai Trade Regulations.

The Treaty of Tacheng in 1864 ceded approximately 44 square kilometers of territory south of Lake Balkhash in northwestern Xinjiang to Russia, which later returned to Tajikistan.

In 1865, Yakub Beg led his troops to invade Xinjiang and established the "Khanate of Jid-i-Shar". Tsarist Russia also took the opportunity to send troops to occupy Yili.

In 1875, Zuo Zongtang was appointed as the imperial commissioner to supervise the military affairs in Xinjiang. By January 1878, the Qing army had successively recovered the areas north and south of the Tianshan Mountains that had been occupied by Yakub Beg. This is known in history as the "Battle of the Qing Army to Recover Xinjiang."

In 1881, after arduous negotiations, the Qing government reached the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty. In 1882, Ili returned to the embrace of the motherland.

From 1882 to 1884, based on the principle agreement on modifying the southern and northern borders in the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty, Tsarist Russia forced the Qing government to sign five boundary survey protocols, including the Ili Boundary Treaty, the Kashgar Boundary Treaty, the Kota Boundary Treaty, the Talkhabatai Southwest Boundary Treaty, and the Sino-Russian Continued Kashgar Boundary Treaty.

As a result, more than 7 square kilometers of Chinese territory west of the Khorgos River and east of Zaysan Lake were seized.

In 1884, the Qing government officially established a province in Xinjiang and renamed the Western Regions "Xinjiang" to mean "homeland newly returned".

In 1892, Tsarist Russia seized more than 2 square kilometers of territory west of the Sarikol Mountains in southwestern Xinjiang.

It was not until September 1949 that the clarion call of peaceful liberation was sounded on this land, ushering in a new era in Xinjiang's historical development.

On October 1955, 10, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was established.

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The first place to check in was the ancient city of Kashgar, followed by Kanas, and then the Populus euphratica forest.

It is said that if you have not been to Kashgar, you have not been to Xinjiang.

The Old City of Kashgar is located in the center of Kashgar City, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, covering an area of ​​3.6 square kilometers. It is bounded by Renmin Road in the south, Seman Road and Yawag Road in the north, Yumulakshehaier Road in the west, and Tuman River Scenic Belt in the east.

After more than 2000 years of wind, frost, snow and rain, the ancient city of Kashgar has become a specimen and slice of different historical periods. It is known as a living fossil for studying ancient Western cities. It is also the most valuable, influential and representative historical and cultural city for studying the ancient Silk Road culture.

Strolling through the streets and alleys of the ancient city. The buildings in the ancient city are full of unique style, the streets are crisscrossed, and the style is unified...

As the saying goes, go to the right place at the right time. Kanas, Hemu and other places in northern Xinjiang have happened to have entered the most beautiful season.

The leaves of the birch forest turned golden yellow, contrasting with the blue sky, white clouds and snow-capped mountains, like a beautiful oil painting.

Populus euphratica is a peculiar and ancient poplar tree. It is said that "it lives for a thousand years, stands for a thousand years after death, and remains immortal for a thousand years after falling." It is known as the "hero tree of the desert."

They are tall and sturdy, with various shapes, some are bent and fallen, some are howling to the sky, some are silent, and some are full of heroic spirit, showing their tenacious vitality and unique charm.

In autumn, the leaves of the poplar forest turn golden yellow, which is picturesque and beautiful against the backdrop of the blue sky and the desert.

Usually the best time to view Populus euphratica forests is from mid-to-late October to mid-to-late November, but the climate conditions vary from year to year, and the time when the leaves of the Populus euphratica turn yellow also varies to a certain extent.

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From October 10th to 5th, Su Qiankun took everyone to climb the Five Great Mountains.

The Five Mountains are: Songshan Mountain (in Henan), Taishan Mountain (in Shandong), Huashan Mountain (in Shaanxi), Hengshan Mountain (in Hunan), and Hengshan Mountain (in Shanxi).

The first mountain we climbed was Mount Tai.

Su Qiankun had brought the mother and daughter climbing last year, and this year he brought more than just them.

At this moment, they were outside the red gate, and the faces of several girls were full of confidence.

Sanyueqi made a gesture and said confidently: "It's just Mount Tai, I have it in my hands!"

The Great Tree King held Su Qiankun's arm and kindly reminded him: "Taishan will subdue anyone who is stubborn. Xiao Sanyue, you'd better not be blind to Taishan..."

Wuliangta echoed: "Yes, Xiao Sanyue, don't be so confident."

Su Qiankun started to climb the mountain with the mother and daughter, Fu Xuan, Ai Li, Wuliangta, and Xiao Huimao.

While walking slowly, he waved to Sanyueqi behind him and said, "Can you hold it? You will know if you try it."

San Yueqi nodded and hurried to follow.

"Walk slower, wait for me!"