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“They walk on golden paths, dwell in crystal palaces, drink mineral water and sleep on green carpets. And as a result, even their dung becomes herbal pills.” I’m not kidding you. They are sheep in north Xinjiang Autonomous Region, who are the most God-blessed creature on earth.

Trying to follow the animals’ tracks, I set foot on that land, located at the corner of northwest China deep into the transcurrent mountain ranges. I breathe in the fresh air around here, along with the mythical connotation of Mount Altay, which means “hill with hidden gold” in the Mongolian language. Kanas Nature Reserve is situated peacefully at the base of the mountain, with legends telling that gold diggers could be satisfied here while passersby might practically have their heels surprisingly stuck with several pieces of broken crystal as nature’s gifts.

In fact, it was a hunting ground for me, a nature lover rather than a treasure-mania. Regular tourists might have chosen the traditional access to Kanas, however I started off from Hemu, the “grain woods” for the same destination as those people. Hemu had nothing to do with the grains, but I figured in one autumn historically, this former primitive forest had stunned lucky witnesses with her birches spreading like an ocean while glittering like a harvesting prospect. That was why she won this poetic name. The night had cast its veil dotted with stars when I arrived at the small village in Hemu, and I expected to spend the wonderful moment with Tuva residents here. Tuva could be a strange ethnic group for the world. Even for me, I rarely paid any attention to this minority, who are nowadays one of the insignificant ethnic cluster only inhabiting around Kanas region. Nonetheless, remoteness of their home could never overshadow their ancestral as well as racial importance. Tuva folks have been making a living by herding livestock and hunting for generations. Residing in remote mountains and dense forests, they have passed on a traditional lifestyle of their ancestors. Scholars deem that these people are descendents of soldiers who followed Genghis Khan (1162-1227AD), the great Mongol emperor that has founded ancient China’s Yuan Dynasty, to sweep across western Asia and expand his realm. Others believe Tuva migrated from Siberia five centuries ago, who belonged to the same nationality with people in Tuva Republic, currently an autonomous republic of Russia.

The sun rose before I was willing to get out of the comfort in my bed, knowing it was time for trekking. The hound Huahua (means flower) was still sleeping like a log, as her owner told me, “She was so tired after an overnight’s guard. She is such a loyal and competent dog, she kept our sheep from getting lost and wounded by wild animals…” I said goodbye silently to her and this tiny village, not knowing when I could give them another embrace.


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The trek was nothing easy or relaxing.

I threw my luggage on the horseback and began to walk. I was to measure these endless grasslands with my feet. The scenery was strikingly gorgeous, from a vast blanket of violet, yellowish and pink wild flowers, to the pale erect birches, to herds of horses, sheep and cattle enjoying watery pasture in the sun. The fact my guide and the horse had disappeared while I was far lagging behind troubled me a little in the beginning, until I found out all that was a piece of cake compared to the scenarios that followed.

All of a sudden, a shower poured down without any forecast. My guide, the Kazakh guy who was even young than me, was waiting for me in front, only to tell me it was commonplace to encounter a storm amid the grassland. “Don’t freak out, it will be gone soon.” I had to use an umbrella in the absence of any shelter in sight. I couldn’t help feeling scared. The temperature dropped to only around 10 degree Celsius, when I was only wrapped up in a thin jacket. The bumbershoot proved useless under the rainstorm, with chilly water sneaking through my outfit and soaking my body. Looking at what was under my feet was more horrifying. The initial inviting meadow had turned into such a swamp that I could hardly move forwards. My feet were too cold to sense any tiny motion. “Go ahead and don’t stop! We must make it to the camp beside the Black Lake this evening!” The lad cried out at me over his shoulder. I tried and tried the hardest in my life to keep up with him. The horse was trotting merrily some distance ahead of us and looked refreshed in the rain. My guide started to sing a folk song in a language I could never understand. Anyway it was something like living a free life with unbounded enthusiasm. How brave could that be! I gradually took pride in the liberty, fearlessness and optimism of the nomads on this land. Everything from Mother Nature was a gift to them, who never complained about the misfortune once they still held a chance to breathe and move on.

Ultimately I was resting in the tent of the Kazak folks aside the Black Lake, exhausted but soulfully contented.



3

The long trudge from Hemu to Kanas Nature Reserve took 17 hours of painstaking steps, before I finally caught sight of the baby blue liquid in the Kanas Lake!

Boastful tour handbooks preferred to impress travelers with the depiction that the lake “was the only Swiss landscape in China”, yet I saw no similarity between the two. Kanas distinguished herself with uniqueness. Water in the lake was the utmost treasure. The color of greenish, light blue and transparent quality allowed neither dirt nor any stain into it. Why was the lake presenting such a mirror of fairyland? The saga of Kanas’s origin gave a touching answer. It is said that the lake was a chestnut glass of a fairy, who was in charge of planting magical flowers for Mother Goddess of Heaven. She once was so careless to leave some seeds around her mirror and voila! It turned into a lake encircled by blossoming flowers and lush woods, with larks chirping in this wonderland.

The shapes of a chain of subordinate lakes became another charm, as they resembled extraordinary patterns of animals and objects. The entire lake consists of nine bays, including the Immortal Bay, the Maid Bay and the subsequent stunners. The Moon Bay was a perfect crescent surrounded by thick forests, reminding me that the moon had fallen off the sky when she was allured by this magic lake. A glance of the “Crouching Dragon Bay” made a giant animal pop up to my mind. Was it not a dinosaur? Its dorsal fin was nicely trimmed by the little plants and broad grass. Dozens of goats thronged ashore this cute dinosaur, without worrying they would be swallowed up.

Last but not least, tourists are fascinated by Kanas Lake because of a “monster” living under the water. Believe it or not, this unidentified creature is nothing less mysterious than its counterpart in Loch Ness. Recently some lucky visitors had a cruise in the lake and ended up to be startled by a sort of “fish” that jumped out of water near their boat. The story went like this: The gigantic fish was over 10 meters in length in red color. It was extremely swift and agile, bouncing above the surface then vanishing like a sweeping wind. People were too shocked to utter a word. Someone was smart and quick enough to take out a camera to shoot a picture. Only a blur profile of the animal remained in the photo, continuing to arouse a craze amongst curious followers that are rushing to see this wonder.

Not fortunate enough to say hello to the fish, though, I developed a profound affection towards Kanas the wonderland. Local folks have contributed a lot to the lake’s incomparable beauty. They live the closest to nature here, planting, herding and singing for an unrestricted life. Meanwhile, the lake, together with the intact nature reserve, maintains their original outlook highlighted by high hills, deep forests, rich pastures and vigorous animals.