We set off at eight o'clock the next day and got on the bus. He Huan began to explain: "The place we are going to today is Chuxiong. Chuxiong is close to Spring City.
From Chuncheng to Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, and our trip to Baoshan, Tengchong, Mangshi, and Ruili this time, we must pass through Chuxiong. Therefore, Chuxiong is also called the Central Yunnan Corridor.
But it is in such a key location on the prime tourist route, but it is not a famous tourist city. Many people are just passing through, visiting Chuxiong and staying in a hotel."
The tourists laughed.
"Then why do people often pass through Chuxiong but never enter? Then we have to talk about the geography and landforms of Chuxiong itself.
Chuxiong is mountainous and belongs to the Ailao Mountains, which is the dividing line between the Hengduan Mountains and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The territory is covered with mountains, crisscrossed by rivers and streams, and nine are divided into mountains and one is divided into dams.
It is not like Chuncheng, Dali, Lijiang, or Banna, where there is a sea or a dam in the mountains. It has formed many small basins in the mountains.
Whether residents or tourists, they always like to stay in a place surrounded by mountains, water and a dam, right?"
The tourists nodded.
"Such a dam with mountains and water can easily form a human settlement, and it is easy to derive culture and civilization. Therefore, many famous historical and cultural cities were born on such dams.
The settlements in Chuxiong are very scattered. In addition to Chuxiong, our country also has a Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Daliang Mountain. Why are the two Yi Autonomous Prefectures in mountainous areas? Why do the Yi people live in the mountains?"
He Huan once again told the history of the Yi people that he led a group to talk about in Xiaoliang Mountain.
Only then did the tourists realize that the Yi people did not like to live in the mountains, but had historical reasons.
After talking about the history of the migration of the Yi people, He Huan continued: "Although Chuxiong is also a Yi autonomous prefecture, in the Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen the rule over Yunzhou, a large number of people from the Central Plains immigrated, and the largest number of people moved to Chuxiong.
Because after crossing Ailao Mountain, you will reach Hengduan Mountain, and the environment there is even more difficult and dangerous for the Han people. As a result, the Han people gradually became the ethnic group with the largest population in Chuxiong.
The Han people live in Pingba and on the main traffic roads, while the Yi people live in the mountains. There are many mountains and they are very scattered. Therefore, it has not formed a historical and cultural city with one ethnic group as the main body like the Bai people in Dali, the Naxi people in Lijiang, and the Dai people in Banna.
This also caused the various tribes in various regions of the Yi people to call themselves different people, and it was not until later that they were collectively called the Yi people.
Putting aside the history of the Yi people moving to the mountains, in fact, the history of Chuxiong can be traced back even further. Anyone from Yuanmou who has studied history knows this, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"1.7 million years ago, some of human ancestors lived here, from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age. Therefore, Chuxiong is the birthplace of mankind.
In the pre-Qin period, three major ethnic groups, Diqiang, Baiyue, and Baipu, were active in the Chuxiong area. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, a mysterious country appeared in historical records - the Dianyue Chengxiang Kingdom, which was also the Ailao Kingdom in the history of the Dai people.
Ailao Kingdom, like the ancient Dian Kingdom I told you yesterday, is a mysterious ancient country in the southwest that was established during the Warring States Period and disappeared in the long history."
The tourists who listened to the story of the ancient Dian Kingdom yesterday looked at him curiously.
He Huan looked at them and said, "The center of Ailao Kingdom is in Baoshan. This is where we will go later. We will talk about it later."
Tourists had no choice but to be patient.
"In general, the territory of the Ailao Kingdom is bordered by the ancient Dian Kingdom. It is bounded by the Ailao Mountains and the Chuxiong area. Therefore, Chuxiong was the earliest and probably belonged to the Ailao Kingdom and the ancient Dian Kingdom.
Yunzhou has always had a tradition of autonomy because of its mountainous terrain and numerous ethnic minorities. Therefore, its country is not like a centralized country like the Central Plains. Instead, it is a large tribe that rules many small tribes, and each tribe has its own leader.
By the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were thirty-seven tribes in Nanzhao, and Chuxiong was a tribe dominated by Yi ancestors, and was ruled by the Nanzhao Kingdom.
Chuxiong has many place names in history, and they always belong to different regions. Its geographical location is the East Yunnan Plateau to the east and the Hengduan Mountains to the west.
Therefore, when it was in the territory of the Central Plains dynasties, it mostly belonged to Chuncheng. During the period of ethnic minority regimes, it belonged to Dali.
During the Dali Kingdom, Chuxiong was called Weichu. The Ming Dynasty established Chuxiong Mansion, and the name Chuxiong came into being."
While talking about the history of Chuxiong, I saw rolling green mountains.
"Today we are going to Yulong Gorge. There are really dragons there!"
The tourists became excited and looked at the white dragon flag in the tour guide's window.
"It's just that this dragon is a dinosaur. Let me ask you a question, why are dinosaurs called dinosaurs?"
"Terrible dragon!" said one tourist.
"Yes!" He Huan said.
Just as he was about to continue talking, another tourist said: "I'm afraid the dragon will become extinct!"
He Huan was speechless.
All the tourists in the car laughed.
He Huan smiled and said: "Great, great. If you travel through the Jurassic Period, you can tell the dinosaurs that they are going to become extinct!"
"Hahaha……"
"I'm afraid I will die first," the tourist said again.
The bus was full of laughter again. Master Zhou also laughed. He always met some tourists who were particularly funny.
He Huan suppressed laughter and said, "I'm afraid you think this is a cross talk club." Amid the laughter of the tourists, he continued: "Actually, the dinosaur is based on the English name. It was originally called the terrifying lizard."
The tourists started laughing again.
"Hmm." He Huan said, "The Greeks discovered dinosaur fossils before. They were huge and terrifying and looked very similar to lizards, so they called them scary lizards.
So language is a magical thing. When we translate it, we also add our language habits. Can't we call it a lizard? That's so ugly! It's not domineering!
This big and mighty thing should be called a dragon! That’s why it’s called a dinosaur! The dinosaurs don’t even know it’s called a dinosaur, so they might become extinct.”
Amid the laughter of the tourists, He Huan said seriously, "But that doesn't stop it from being the overlord of the planet. As for Yunzhou, before the activities of the Yuanmou people, there were already dinosaurs.
During the Mesozoic Era, the Central Yunnan Basin in Yunzhou was a large inland water system with lush plants, a warm climate, crisscrossing rivers, and dotted lakes, making it a paradise for reptiles to thrive.
From the banks of the Jinsha River to the banks of Yunchi, Chuxiong, Chuncheng, and Yuxi are the hometowns of dinosaurs. How were they discovered?
During the Anti-Japanese War, the Yunnan-Burma Highway was being built and had to pass through Lufeng. A migrant worker put his hoe down and his hand was numb from the shock. This was obviously because he had hit a rock. He then went around the rock and continued digging, only to find a big and terrifying one.
Something that I’m afraid will become extinct!”
I couldn't get over this joke, and the whole car burst into laughter again.
"The migrant workers were so frightened that they threw away their hoes and shouted: It's terrible! Come and see! What is this? The migrant workers all ran over to see: Wow! It's a dragon bone! It's a dragon's veins! We can't dig it anymore!"
Because of the reverence for dragons, no one did any damage. At that time, it was during the Anti-Japanese War and the Central Plains fell. Many universities moved to Yunzhou, and experts, professors and scientists also came to Yunzhou.
We came to Yunzhou to do research. We two paleontologists had just returned from Yuanmou to investigate ancient humans. We passed by Lufeng and heard the migrant workers talking about dragons.
Experts listened carefully, our faith is science! Does a creature like a dragon, which is probably a legend, really exist?"
Everyone laughed again.
"The experts felt something was wrong, so they asked migrant workers to lead the way and go and see for themselves. When they saw it, they thought, oh! This must be a dinosaur, right? They quickly called a bunch of experts, dug lightly and slowly, and dug out a complete dinosaur!
Named Lufeng Dragon! It is also known as the first dragon in my country! It is also the first dragon to be on a stamp! Because it is the first dragon to be independently discovered, excavated and completely restored in my country! It is of great significance in the archaeological community!
Later, experts continued to dig and discovered the world's largest group of dinosaur fossils in this area. This is the Yulong Gorge we are going to today."
"Why not call it Dinosaur Gorge but Yulong Gorge?" King Jiegeng asked.
"Originally it was called Dinosaur Gorge. I'm afraid you were too scared to go there. So isn't it scary to call it Yulong Gorge to make it look as gentle and handsome as me?"
The tourists laughed.
"Why is it called Yulong Gorge? You will know it when you get inside." He Huan said seriously again.
At this point, the car has turned from the highway intersection towards a green mountain.
In the square at the entrance of Yulong Gorge, a group of people wearing bright Yi costumes stood. A big red banner hung at the door: Welcome the Little White Dragon Group to Yulong Gorge!
As soon as the white dragon flag floated in, singing started and a group of people started dancing.
"Wow wow wow!" The tourists looked out the window excitedly, "Is the Little White Dragon Group such a high standard?"
He Huan said calmly: "This is what Xiaobailong looks like when he comes to the scenic spot."
Master Zhou drove the car into the parking lot with a smile on his face.
Several people walked to the car.
He Huan said: "I'm going to do something exciting later, so don't bring too many things."
"Wow!" Everyone looked out the window and couldn't wait to be excited. They left their things in the car and only brought their mobile phones.
The tourists were asked to get off the bus one by one. He Huan picked up the white dragon flag and got off the bus as well.
A middle-aged man walked up to him, his face turned into a chrysanthemum with a smile, he held his hand and shook it repeatedly, "Little Bailong! Welcome! Welcome! I've finally waited for you!"
He Huan was also all smiles. Before doing ground pickup, he originally wanted to come to Yulong Gorge for a walk, but was scared away by their enthusiasm. Now they are more enthusiastic, and He Huan is thicker-skinned.
"Do you still remember me?" the man asked.
"Mr. Yan."
"Hahaha..." Mr. Yan was very happy that Xiao Bailong still remembered him and held his hand and walked forward.
The tourists followed.
Looking at the soaring white dragon on the White Dragon Flag, and then at the soaring jade dragon at the door, King Jiegian asked again: "Little Bailong, do you have any connection with Yulong Gorge?"
Mr. Yan turned around and said, "No, no, this is the first time Xiao Bailong has come to our place. He has never been invited before, so we are happy."
He Huan looked at him. He didn't have three hundred taels of silver here!
When we walked to the square, the welcoming team came over and sang and danced around them.
He Huan looked at the tourists and said, "The land of singing and dancing, the Yi people dance, let's dance together!"
"ah!"
He Huan was the first to join the team and dance with them. Seeing how little Bailong followed the local customs, the welcoming team sang louder and danced more joyfully. It felt like it was the Chinese New Year! Even the Chinese New Year is not so lively.
What a lively square dance!
As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the scenic spot, we started dancing, which we had never experienced before. But with the cheerful atmosphere and rhythm, everyone couldn't help but move their hands and feet, twist their waists, and shake their heads.
stand up.
This square dance is magical!
Although I didn’t understand it at all, I couldn’t stop at all.
Tourists also joined the team one after another.
After dancing heartily, He Huan bowed with a smile on his face, "Thank you everyone!"
The welcoming team looked at him with red faces. Sure enough, it was the most correct thing to welcome Little White Dragon with singing and dancing!
He Huan passed through the welcome team and walked towards the ticket window. Mr. Yan quickly grabbed him and said, "Little White Dragon, there is no need to buy a ticket. It is the glory of our scenic spot that the Little White Dragon Group comes to our scenic spot!"
He Huan said: "How can we do that? How can we not charge tickets when the scenic spot is open? If not, I will leave."
After hearing that he wanted to leave, Mr. Yan quickly let go.
The tourists laughed and watched the fun. After all, they paid the group fee, and it was Xiaobailong’s business to accept or not charge the tickets. Previously, it was said online that the Yunzhou Scenic Spot was opened by Xiaobailong, which may be correct.
"Little white dragon! This is not the hometown of dinosaurs. This is your hometown, right?" the stalker king said again.
He Huan glanced at him and said, "Yes! This is also my birthplace!"
Mr. Yan looked at him, very embarrassed.
Asking the tourists to wait outside, He Huan went into the visitor center to buy tickets. Mr. Yan accompanied him in and said, "I will accompany you on the tour later."
He Huan smiled and said: "Thank you, Mr. Yan, otherwise I would have to hire a tour guide."
Mr. Yan smiled broadly and said, "Don't worry, don't worry."
After buying a group ticket and coming out, He Huan led the small white dragon group and walked inside.
The dance just now made a group of tourists full of blood, following the little white dragon, ready to play exciting.
Mr. Yan leads the way.
Passing through the water park and entering the dinosaur hall, the dark environment inside and the huge dinosaur skeletons made the excited tourists calm down.
They were shocked by the overlord of this land 200 million years ago and listened to He Huan explain to them the legend of each dragon.
Come out of the Dinosaur Museum and walk straight towards the green hills. When you enter between the two mountains, suddenly the green hills change color, the maple leaves on both sides are red, and a green water winds out.
"Ah!" the tourists shouted, as if they were in a dream or entering a fairyland.
"What kind of green is green? Emerald green!" He Huan looked at the green water between the two mountains, "The emerald-like stream is winding, does it look like a jade dragon?"
"picture!"
"Now you know why it's called Yulong Gorge!"
"knew!"
The bright red maple leaves on both sides of the bank are sandwiched by the clear green water. The sun just shines on the canyon, making the maple leaves and green water sparkle.
"Half jade and half jade, priceless, that's what it should be like, right?" said a tourist.
"Yes!" He Huan nodded.
Mr. Yan looked at him with a smile. I don’t know what he told the tourists, but half jade and half jade, Yulong Gorge is really priceless!
He walked through the burning maple forest on the shore until a green mountain blocked the way. He Huan turned around and said, "Let's drift down from here to the exit."
"Great!"
One by one, they put on their life jackets, got on the kayak, and drifted down the Yulong Gorge.
The water flow is sometimes slow and sometimes fast. When it is slow, the maple leaves on the shore slowly fall to the water, and when it is fast, a burst of red clouds suddenly passes by.
The tourists were obsessed with it and screamed loudly.
There were staff anyway, so He Huan didn't row the boat. He sat in the middle of the first kayak and took pictures with his camera.
Mr. Yan escorted the team on the last kayak, with a smile on his face, feeling that Yulong Gorge was going to be popular!