A man nearly 70 years old stands at the foot of west China's Tianshan Mountains. For almost two decades, this adventurer has wandered around Mt. Tomur, capturing on film its snowy peaks and the area's bountiful flora and fauna. His pictures of National Category-I Protected Species, the Black Stork and snow Leopard are regarded as treasures.
Love at First Sight
Wei Shunde was born in 1939. In 1985, he was appointed Ranger of Mt.Tomur Nature Reserve. Spending his days among such idyllic scenery, he soon fell in love with photography. Set up in 1980, the Mt.Tomur Nature Reserve borders both Aksu Prefecture's Wensu County and Ili Prefecture's Zhaosu County. Glaciers, forests, grasslands and flora and fauna find protection within its boundaries, which encompass a total area of 4,500 square kilometers.
Soon after accepting the post, Wei Shunde bought a Minolta camera, with which he has snapped a million beautiful scenes, having lived and worked there for many years, he often saw explorers hiking up Tianshan. Wei longed to accompany them, and his dream soon came true, New York zoologist George Herrick as well as some experts from the Ministry of Forestry and Xinjiang Forestry Bureau went on a short expedition to Mt.Tomur Reserve. Wei Shunde tagged along.
Muzharte Glacier
The trip convinced Wei Shunde that Mt. Tomur was one of the world's most majestic mountains. Its highest peak soars 7435.29 meters above sea level, 20 kilometers southeast of Mt. Hantengri, which is on the borders of China and Kazakhstan. Dotted around are over a dozen snowy peaks 6000 meters above sea level. The area contains 829 glaciers, covering a total area of 3849.5 square kilometers, two thirds of which lies inside Chinese territory. Regarded as one of the world's top eight glaciers, the 60.8-kilometer-long Hantengri Glacier lies on the north face of Mt. Tomur.
Trips to the Snowy Peaks
In 1987, illness forced the then 49-year-old Wei Shunde to retire. However, not content to stay idle, Wei was soon planning another journey to Tianshan. His wife and children did not support the idea-they had seen too many climbers succumb to the tempestuous mountain over the years. A defiant Wei Shunde rose at dawn every day to exercise and practice Qigong (a system of breathing techniques.) he also brushed up on his mountaineering knowledge, studying books and magazines on the subject. Wei Shunde capped off his training by seeking survival tips from frontier guards.
When the year 1990 arrived, Wei Shunde was in great shape, and he set off on the first of his journey into the mountain. By the year 2004, he had made four such trips, and each time he came back loaded with rolls of fascinating films. But of all his adventures, Wei Shunde regards his trip to Death Valley as the most hazardous—and the most successful.
The Death Valley Expedition
Muzharte Glacier, which lies among the steep slopes of Tianshan, has earned itself the formidable moniker of Death Valley. Over 100 kilometers long, it stretches from Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture's Zhaosu County in the north to Prefecture's Wensu County in the south. Once part of the Old Silk Road, it has long since disappeared from the map. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, thousands of tourists and intrepid explorers have tried to rediscover this old route. None ever managed to locate it, and many have been killed trying. Hence the title “Death Valley” was bestowed upon this daunting glacier.
In October 2004, sponsored by the International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT), Wei Shunde decided to brave Death Valley himself, in an attempt to determine the snow leopard's habits and habitat. After a month-long preparation period, Wei Shunde set off with two amateur climbers, the 65-year-old Dai Kaiqin and the 32-year-old Ruan Xiaohui.
Donkeys do not come cheap in so harsh an area, forcing the adventurers to bear their own load. Naturally, this slowed them down considerably, and they had to jettison food and two tents so they could keep going.
After a day's hike, they had covered a mere 10 kilometers before they set up camp at dusk. Setting out again the next day, they encountered terrifying winds of up to gale force 10. Avalanches and shattering ice were just two of the many perils these intrepid travelers faced. The more battle-hardened Wei Sunde tried to steer his companions along the route of the weakest wind. As night fell, the explorers were forced to set up camp in the incessantly howling wind.
By the third day, they had edged close to the glacier, and their sense of terror and mystery swelled with every footstep. As they proceeded, vulture-like crows gathered above them, flying around in ominous circles.
Four days into the journey, they stood 3,300 meters above sea level. So impressed were Dai Kaiqin and Ruan Xiaohui with the landscape that forget their fatigue. Before them lay shimmering icy rocks, crags and crevices, deep caves and mammoth icicles. Such stunning scenery was completely new to their eyes. However, the glaciers proved to be the biggest obstacles in their path. That night, they set up in a ruined castle. That was to be the harshest night of their trip, as the hurricane-like wind easily pierced the ruined roofless walls, and their tent became an igloo within two hours.
Thankfully, the following day was sunny, and the small team managed to complete every one of their objectives. But the foreboding Death Valley was so-called for good reason. In October, snow could fall at any time, and trap the Valley's visitors inside. So Wei Shunde, concerned for his own and his companions safety, decided to climb to 4,000 meters, and grab the last few pictures before heading home. What met his eyes there astonished him. An ancient castle surrounded by large white marble stone, complete with ancient engraving, appeared, Standing On a bed of green moss.
The curious Wei Shunde went a little deeper, and was amazed to find a cave beneath a giant stone with what appeared to be human remains inside. There were similar caves dotted all over the place with low fences all of which contained human remains. Wei counted more than 20 caves with around 40 sets of remains. He believed that this might be the actual ancient passage to the legendary Death Valley.
Wei Shunde did not move the human bones, but took photos of the skulls he saw. A team of archaeologists, believing the discovery important in completing northwest China's historical records, is set to carry out an investigation in the area in August or September.
For years, Wei Shunde has roamed Tianshan, taking thousands of photographs. His stories and pictures have been published in National Geographic, China Photography and Xinjiang Pictorials. He is a member of the China Animal Association, the China Folklore Photography Association, Xinjiang Photography Association and Xinjiang Animal Association. Now, he lives a humble life together with his wife. Wei Shunde's adventures have taken their tall, and every time he visits the mountain, he has to take an assortment of medicines with him. In spite of this handicap, and his age, Wei Shunde is determined to his exploration of Tianshan.
(China Today May 27, 2005)
