Is Zhangmu Port open? National Highway 3 18, known as "China Landscape Avenue", does not end in Lhasa, but in the Sino-Nepalese Friendship Bridge in Zhangmu Town, nyalam county, the last landmark number is "5476".
On April 26th, 20 15, an earthquake of magnitude 8. 1 occurred in Nepal, and the operation of Zhangmu Port on the border between China and Nepal was suspended, forcing countless people to stop their dream of "China Landscape Avenue".
On May 29th, 20 19, Zhangmu Port was reopened and a grand ceremony was held. However, tourism services are not yet open.
After passing Gangga Town, Dingri County, the guide at Zhangmu Port turned to the south. When we stand at the pass of Tonglu Mountain overlooking it, to the east is Zhuooyou Peak, which is 8200 meters above sea level.
In the thick clouds in the west, Ma Xuefeng Group in Xixia Prefecture is hidden at an altitude of 80 12 meters, and the road ahead is submerged in long mountains.
After a desert pass, the last 80 kilometers of 3 18 national highway remain. From Tongliao Hekou, which is nearly 5200m above sea level, to nyalam county, the altitude dropped by1000m, and the distance was 45km. From nyalam county to Zhangmu Town, the terrain dropped sharply from 4,200 meters to 2,300 meters, with a distance of 30 kilometers. The climate and landscape changes brought about by the rapid change of vertical height have made us overwhelmed and unforgettable for many years.
After passing through the slightly deserted nyalam county City, the road winds down and enters the deep Zhangmu Canyon.
The surrounding vegetation has changed significantly, from blue-yellow alpine shrub meadow to indigo subalpine coniferous forests such as fir and larch in the valley, and then to lush subtropical evergreen and semi-evergreen liana broad-leaved forest, showing obvious vertical distribution characteristics.
We passed through the Friendship Tunnel, the last tunnel on the 3 18 line, and the humid air came against our faces. The cloud cover and cloud cover increased rapidly with the decrease of the mountain, and it rained lightly in the sky.
Like a crack in the door between two giant doors, the Himalayas cut a hole in the Zhangmu Canyon. During the rainy season from May to September every year, the warm and humid airflow in the southwest Indian Ocean winds from south to north, and is blocked by the northern mountains, where it condenses, forming an abundant rainfall environment.
Therefore, the Zhangmu area located on the southern slope of the Himalayas has the characteristics of subtropical maritime climate. According to relevant data, the annual average temperature of Cinnamomum camphora is between 10-20℃, the precipitation is between 2000 and 2500mm, and the frost-free period is about 250 days.
The road zigzagged down one big slope after another. When we are driving on the slippery asphalt road, when the canoe slides between corners, we can't help but feel the pleasure of racing. This section of the road is a natural extension of the extreme scenery of the Himalayas with snow peaks, and it is also one of the most enjoyable sections on National Highway 3 18.
The majestic Zhangmu Grand Canyon is shrouded in clouds and seems like a dream before our eyes. The peaks on both sides of the road are like axes and knives, and the rivers in the deep valleys are rushing. The Lin Yuyu is lush and pleasing to the eye. In the distant forest, there were crisp and melodious birds singing, one after another. The valley is filled with the sound of water, such as Ma Benteng, falling like a jade plate with pearls, just like playing a gorgeous water sport. If the images of the endless wasteland and snowy plateau were not still in our hearts a few hours ago, we would probably go back to a mountain in our hometown in Sichuan.
Abundant precipitation makes it a waterfall world. Countless waterfalls of different sizes flew down the verdant cliffs. The water in the sky collided with rocks, drawing white lines, splashing faint white fog in the air and dancing in the canyon with the wind. Those waterfalls hundreds of meters high abound and are very spectacular.
The falling gurgling water gathers into a deep valley river, and the current is swift. The water vapor and fog at the bottom of the valley gradually rise and spread, nourishing the surrounding green vegetation and providing a good habitat for countless animals. Monkeys can often be seen hidden between cliffs along the road. When we stop to shoot them, we often disappear into the dense Woods quickly. This kind of dynamic and static scenery makes us strongly feel the vitality of the canyon.
Some waterfalls hang directly above the highway, and cars repeatedly walk under the water curtain to enjoy the washing given by nature. The diffuse water mist, lining the steep cliffs on the roadside, makes driving very thrilling.
I remember an ingenious idea in the past that opened several big gaps between the Himalayas. The warm and humid airflow introduced into the Indian Ocean melted the snow all year round in the Himalayas and turned the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into a land of plenty. It's interesting now: we can't blow a hole for several kilometers in the Himalayas, but the earth-shaking transformation that nature has shown us in a few hours in Zhangmu is amazing.
The car turned a corner with the highway, and in the fog, a small town hanging halfway up the mountain appeared in front of us. Finally, it reaches Zhangmu Town, the last administrative district of National Highway 3 18.
Zhangmu Town was called "Tajue Gabu" in ancient times, which means "neighboring port" in Tibetan. It borders Nepal on three sides, with an altitude of 2,300 meters, 730 kilometers from Lhasa and 90 kilometers from Nepal's capital, Demandu.
It has been an important branch of the ancient tea-horse road since ancient times. It is also the main channel for economic and cultural exchanges between China and Nepal, and the largest open port for China to the South Asian subcontinent.
The whole town is built on the hillside, hanging on the mountainside like a mural. Modern buildings and some wooden houses are scattered on both sides of the road, overlapping and patchwork. From a distance, it looks like a miniature version of the famous "mountain city" Chongqing.
We went into town and found a hotel to stay. The room is clean, but it is wet. The boss explained that it rains almost every day here, and most houses have this problem. The boss is a fellow villager in Suining, Sichuan. According to him, it was only before the Spring Festival that he got together 10 million to buy this hotel. Half of the people here are Sichuanese who do business from outside, and the rest are local Tibetans, Sherpas and Nepalese.
Zhangmu Town has a permanent population of more than 3,000. More than 65,438+0,000 Sherpas in Tibet mainly live here and are still one of the undetermined ethnic groups in China. In our impression, they are always associated with mountaineering guides who climb extreme peaks such as Mount Everest. Here, almost all Sherpas are engaged in business activities, and many people can speak many languages. They have lived in the border for many years and can use English, Nepali and Hindi.
The sky cleared up briefly, so we went out for a walk. Zhangmu town is full of traffic, and all kinds of tourists and businessmen are bustling. On both sides of the narrow street, there are rows of beautiful buildings: hotels, foreign trade buildings, post and telecommunications buildings and office buildings. The most striking thing is the villa-style architecture. The exterior walls of these western-style buildings are brightly colored, which is more eye-catching against the surrounding green mountains and green waters.
There are hundreds of shops of different sizes downstairs, including shops, coffee shops, bars and restaurants. These products include perfumes, cosmetic boxes, tea and various thread fabrics from India and Nepal. More are home appliances and clothing, shoes, children's toys and other department stores in the mainland. In addition to Sino-Tibetan languages, some of these shops also have English, Nepali and some exotic customs.
Zhangmu Port is a national first-class trade port and the largest border trade center port in Tibet, with an annual commodity transaction volume of several hundred million yuan. A large number of Nepalese came to China to buy materials, and many Nepalese businessmen brought their business directly to Zhangmu Town. Through entrepot trade, it is said that multi-millionaires in small towns are not uncommon. They are the first group to get rich in Tibetan areas, and buying a house in Lhasa and even Chengdu has become a popular trend.
The next morning, we went to Zhangmu Port.
There is a straight road, which is also the last few kilometers of National Highway 3 18. Soon I came to the port area. Every morning is the most active time at Zhangmu Port. There are many Chinese and foreign tourists waiting for transit visas. In addition to business travel and goods in the past, it is also the main channel for many tourists, tour groups and mountaineering teams climbing the Himalayas to enter and leave China.
Zhangmu Port is also an important channel for Indian and Nepalese believers to make pilgrimage to Ali, Tibet. It is located in Mabangyongcuo and Gangrenbo Qi Feng in Ali, and has an irreplaceable sacred position in the beliefs of Hindus, Jains and Tibetan Buddhists, who regard it as the center of the universe.
China and Nepal are bounded by Qubo River, a Sino-Nepalese Friendship Bridge, which was completed in 1964. It is a reinforced concrete bridge across the east and west, connecting Tibet and the China-Nepal Highway in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is also the western end of national highway 3 18, with an altitude of 1800 meters.
Line 3 18, known as "China Landscape Avenue", starts from Shanghai People's Square in the east, passes through Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan and Tibet, and ends at this bridge, with a total length of 5,476 kilometers. It is the longest national highway in China and the most colorful national highway in China.
Nepalese call camphor wood "Kasa". 1965 since the opening of the China-Nepal highway, the economic exchanges between China and Nepal have become increasingly frequent. Crossing the Friendship Bridge, you can reach Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, less than 90 kilometers south.
Friendship Bridge is a symbol of the border between China and Nepal, and the border guards on the bridge are divided equally between the two countries. After passing the border inspection at the port, they entered Nepal.
On the border of Friendship Bridge in China, a group of Nepalese porters, many of them women, are waiting for the arrival of Nepalese trucks to earn meager loading and unloading fees. The load-bearing capacity of Nepalese porters is amazing. It is said that the average bearing capacity of male porters and female porters is 93% and 66% of their own weight respectively. One fifth of men carry 1.25% of their own weight, and one back is actually 1.83% of their own weight. Of course, I think these sad and helpless data have nothing to be proud of.
Across the border from Nepal, buildings were built along the foot of the mountain, and many trucks were parked. In the border trade between China and Nepal, Nepal exports rice, flour, peppers and perfume to China, and China exports tea, salt, Tibetan medicine and various daily necessities to Nepal. On Panshan Highway, Nepalese drivers shuttle back and forth in colorful Tata trucks.
Tata truck is a beautiful scenery at Zhangmu Port, and it is the main means of transport for goods trade between Nepal and China.
This truck is produced by India's Tata Motors Company and painted with colorful patterns by South Asians who like bright colors. Some people, some animals, plants or fairy tales are very strange to us.
In the afternoon, we left Zhangmu Town to continue our trip to Tibet. Looking back at the corner for the last time, Zhangmu Town in full of green is like a watercolor painting hanging on a cliff.
At that time, we couldn't imagine that a year later, dozens of serious landslides induced by the earthquake in Nepal instantly turned Zhangmu Town into an island, and huge mountains flooded roads, houses and vehicles. Local residents had to leave this land with their wealth and dreams as soon as possible, and all of them moved to Sangzhuzi District, Shigatse City, 400 kilometers away, and the neighboring Geelong gradually replaced its port status.
Some people say: Zhangmu Town is like a realistic version of the sand painting altar city. From the semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral frontier to the prosperous border port, the jointing growth has lasted for more than 30 years.
However, the unprecedented prosperity was deserted after only one month. Perhaps, for us, in addition to being lucky, we should feel awe and share the way of harmony in the face of the blessings and disasters given by nature.
On May 29th, 20 19, the rebuilt Zhangmu Port resumed navigation.