Recommended Reading:
I first set foot on Qingyun Meadow in early June last year. At that time, this rarely visited alpine meadow was shrouded in the thick clouds of the rainy season. The grass and forests were lush, but without the backdrop of a clear blue sky and white clouds, the meadow didn't look as open and vast as I had imagined, leaving me with a sense of regret.
We waited patiently for nearly a year as time slowly passed. Finally, on a clear, breezy day in early May, we returned to this pure sky that we had missed for an entire year. The slightly yellow alpine meadow changes seasons much slower than elsewhere, with only a hint of green spreading across the land. In a month, this grassland will welcome its most verdant season.
Qingyun Meadow covers a vast area, scattered among the dense forests of several villages in Ma'anshan Township, including Qingyun Village, Houshan Village, and Damadu. Each village has multiple paths leading to the meadow. This time, we parked our car in Houshan Village, where houses are sparsely hidden under tall walnut trees, with only a few visible. We walked along a gentle gravel road in the village for about two or three kilometers, reaching a pass near the mountaintop. Crossing the last highland barrier, we immediately saw the meadow we hadn't visited for so long.
Breathless, we climbed the last steep slope and tumbled into this long-missed remote land. Obvious tire tracks on the grass showed that many people had driven in, and we even encountered two large trucks loaded with big stones halfway. In a nearby depression, a man and a woman, both herders, were driving a large flock of sheep farther away. Before we could catch our breath, we hurried up a gentle slope and ran down a long way to catch up with them. They turned out to be villagers from Houshan Village, a couple out herding sheep. The man carried a backpack with water and dry food, watching over the sheep, while the woman carried a large basket, picking bracken ferns along the way. They waded through the shallow meadow, then disappeared into the forest.
Watching their leisurely retreating figures, I thought of the tragic couple Xiao Feng and A Zhu from Jin Yong's martial arts novel "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils." Their greatest wish was to herd horses and sheep beyond the Great Wall. If they had come to Qingyun Meadow, they might have stayed here, away from all conflicts, to nurture this small dream. Sadly, their simple wish was never fulfilled.
Although the grass wasn't fully green, the bracken ferns on the slopes had already grown new leaves in patches. Some slowpokes were still curled up, just emerging from the soil. Unfortunately, some of them ended up in our bags, leaving only half-withered stems standing in the dirt, no longer growing, never to produce leaves that could imprint the sky. Tired from walking, we found a flat spot on the grass and lay down, like cattle and sheep, dreaming a carefree dream. Around us, countless tiny gentian flowers shone like bright stars in the night sky, seeming to flow and spin, from near to far, lively lighting up the silent meadow.
Qingyun Meadow is an open pasture. After a flock of sheep passed, we encountered a group of yellow cattle. As we approached, the cattle busy grazing all turned their heads toward the strangers, revealing white faces in unison, their clear eyes showing a hint of curiosity. Soon they ignored our presence and continued foraging.
There is only one household on the entire Qingyun Meadow. Sister Cha from Qingyun Village and her husband live in a brick house by the forest. Inside a fenced area, they have planted vegetables and papayas, and a group of chickens runs around in the grass. A motorcycle is parked by the fence, but the owners are not nearby. Sister Cha said they live here year-round, herding cattle and sheep, and only occasionally return to the village for daily necessities.
Thanks to its vast and well-preserved meadow environment, Qingyun Meadow has gradually become an ideal camping spot for outdoor enthusiasts. But the stone forests scattered across the meadow also have their own charm. Climbing a high slope and looking into the distance, you see stone peaks rising abruptly like thousands of troops, or like impregnable castles built on cliffs. The gray rock bodies and green vegetation complement each other, like an unfinished ink painting between heaven and earth. Walking into the stone forest feels like entering a medieval castle, majestic and silent.
Bending down to look up at the giant rocks, they become miniature mountains. The moss clinging to the rock surfaces turns into alpine shrubs, and the sun-bleached white spots on the tops become unclimbable snow-capped mountains that can only be admired from afar...
On one rock, we saw a fungus the size of a fan, thick and hard like a stone. It had probably been petrified for a long time, having grown into one with the rock beneath.
The seemingly gentle wind is actually a carving knife, leaving scratches on the rocks time and again. Coupled with rain erosion, every rock surface bears countless unique traces of time. Those tenacious plants burst out from tiny cracks in the rocks, intentionally or unintentionally, both breaking down the rocks over the long years and bringing vibrant life to the gray, silent stones, enlivening the four seasons.
