Ili Tangbula Grassland - A Hundred-Mile Scroll Ice and Snow Gallery

In April, coming to Ili to photograph flowers, besides apricot blossoms, I unexpectedly encountered another kind of flower amidst the snowflakes and frost flowers. To photograph flowers, one needs good weather. Today, the whole of Ili reports 'overcast and rainy', only 'Tangbula Grassland' has 'clear skies', so off to Tangbula! Tangbula (meaning 'seal' in Kazakh) is named for the massive rock on the ridge to the east of its valley, which resembles a jade seal. Tangbula Grassland is one of the famous grasslands in the Ili region of Xinjiang, known as 'A Hundred-Mile Scroll, a Natural Gallery'. The Tangbula Grassland fulfills all one's imaginations of a grassland, with a green carpet-like pasture spreading from the high mountain spruce forest down to the valley floor, with the roaring Kashgar River in the middle, and snow-white yurts dotted along both banks, with cattle and sheep in small groups. In China, there are many scenic spots crowned with the word 'Great', but there are very few places called 'Hundred-Mile Gallery'. The entire Tangbula Hundred-Mile Gallery is located along the S315 provincial road, an area not yet 'managed', without any official promotion, a completely open, pure natural, free scenic area. This road is casual and free; here, one does not need to deliberately search for a particular spot, nor a guide. Just stroll along the highway and the 'Kashgar' River to enjoy the original and magnificent scenery. There are many attractions in the Tangbula Grassland, it is said that there are 113 gullies, each with its own characteristics. Hence the saying 'Each gully has its own scenery, each ravine its own heaven'. Zhang, who once won a place in the Ili 'Half Marathon', is a master of hiking. He drove his car along a quiet mountain gully all the way to the snow peaks, until a huge block of ice sealed the road. At this moment, the snow peak in front, like a maiden, slowly lifts her cloud-like veil under the blue sky to reveal her true face, while cattle and sheep graze leisurely on the slopes. The gully is much colder than the outside. I just put on the warm sheepskin-lined army coat prepared by the hospitable Xinjiang hosts when a Kazakh herdsman happened to pass by on horseback. Seeing his contented demeanor, this place is so far from the hustle and bustle, so open and peaceful, it's truly worth breathing deeply and savoring. Tangbula has no fenced management, and one can freely choose a small side road to get close to the grassland. Crouching down to take a closer look, among the pastures extending to the foot of the snow mountain by the roadside, there are some small white flowers scattered about. This is a plant that lives in the north, which can germinate even in ice and snow, and only when spring warms up do the flower stems stand up and bloom. People call it 'Ice-Top Flower', meaning it withstands frost but still blooms beautifully. Tangbula is a fairyland of the Tianshan Mountains, and the 'Ice-Top Flower' is the grassland sprite that has fallen into this pure land. It is the brightest natural beauty of Tangbula, the most dazzling white space in the rich colors. It is unassuming yet radiantly beautiful. Perhaps it's a case of 'a blessing in disguise', searching for flowers, in the frost flowers and snowflakes, I found the 'Ice-Top Flower'. Unexpectedly, this Ice-Top Flower is also called 'Wild Lily', and listening to Meng Tingwei's 'Wild Lilies Also Have Spring' here couldn't be more appropriate— 'Don't forget the lonely corner in the valley Wild lilies also have their spring As if it's all a dream Our meeting is so brief You're like a gentle breeze, softly and tenderly blowing into my heart...'