列车行驶到昆仑山口，我看到路边立着两块石碑，一块写着“昆仑山口”，另一块写着“可可西里自然保护区”。难道以前在电影《可可西里》里看到的藏羚羊马上就要出现了吗？

可可西里，藏语是“美丽的少女”的意思。可是，这里既看不到森林，也看不到村庄，景色并不算“美丽”。而且这里气候寒冷，最冷的时候有零下40多度，我们在车里就能听见窗外呼啸①的风声。

车上一位环保志愿者告诉我们，可可西里虽然自然条件十分恶劣，不适合人类居住，但却是野生动物的天堂。这里生活着230多种野生动物，其中不少还是中国国家级重点保护动物。为了保证它们正常的生活和迁徙②，青藏铁路全线设立了33处野生动物通道。一路上我们多次看到了“当心！这里有藏羚羊”“前方进入野生动物通道区域③”这样的交通标志。

 

以前，可可西里经常有人盗猎④，野生动物们从来不敢靠近人，不过现在已经好多了，车窗外，成群的野牦牛从我们的火车旁边跑过。同行的一位卡车司机说，在公路上，只要远远地看见藏羚羊走过来，他们就主动停下来静悄悄的等候，直到成群的藏羚羊穿过公路。现在，野生动物们已经和人们建立起了友好关系。不过，有时候，野生动物朋友们过于友好的举动也会给我们带来麻烦，偶尔跑上铁路的牦牛就让铁路部门很头疼。

 

接着，列车又把我们带到了长江的源头——沱沱河。虽说沱沱河是一条几十米宽的大河，但它并没有想象中的急流和涛声，只是安安静静地向东流去。

可可西里真是一个神奇的地方，很难想象它极端恶劣的气候却养育了如此可爱的生灵。

When the train reaches Kunlun Pass I notice two stone tablets at the roadside. On one of them is inscribed “Kunlun Pass”, on the other “Kekexili Nature Reserve”. Are we going to see Tibetan antelopes (chirus) as featured in the film Kekexili: Mountain Patrol?

Kekexili (Hoh Xil in Tibetan) means “beautiful young girl”. But we see no woods or villages, and the scenery can hardly be described as “beautiful”. Moreover, it is freezing here. In the coldest season the temperature can reach as low as 40 degrees centigrade below zero. Even inside the well-insulated carriage we can hear the roaring wind outside.

An environmentalist on the train tells us that despite the harsh climatic and geographical conditions, Kekexili is a paradise for wildlife, being home to more than 230 species of wild animals, many of which are important state-protected wild animals. To protect the antelopes’ habitat and their normal migration patterns and routes, a total of 33 wild animal passages have been built along the Qinghai-Tibet railway line. On our way we frequently see road signs like “Beware! Antelopes Crossing” and “Wildlife Migration Corridor ahead”.

In the past poaching was rampant in Kekexili and wild animals never dared to come close to humans. The situation is much better now. Looking out the carriage window we see wild yaks stampede past the train. A fellow passenger who is a truck driver says that whenever local drivers see antelopes in the distance approaching the highway they will stop and wait until the whole herd crosses the highway. It seems that humans are on pretty good terms with wild animals now. But sometimes the wild animals’ over-friendly gestures will bring us trouble. For example, railway managers face a problem every so often when wild yaks get onto the rail track.

Then our train brings us to the Tuotuo River, the origin of the Yangtze River. Although a sizable river of dozens of meters in width, it doesn’t have raging torrents or roaring waves as one would associate with the mighty Yangtze. Instead it just flows serenely eastwards.

Kekexili is really a miraculous place. It is incredible that such harsh conditions should breed such lovely creatures.

 

①呼啸 hūxiào: roar

②迁徙 qiānxǐ: migrate; migration

③区域 qūyù: area

④盗猎 dàoliè: poach