Liusha River

Liusha River

Liusha River

I had just arrived in Wensu County when Yang Han, a local cultural figure, mentioned the Liusha River and confidently claimed that the Liusha River in Wensu County was the very same one from *Journey to the West*. Although I wasn’t entirely convinced, out of curiosity, I accepted his invitation and headed to the Liusha River that very afternoon.

The Liusha River is located in the western part of Wensu County and is also known locally as the Kumuerike River, which translates to “flowing sand river.” Literally speaking, the Liusha River should naturally be a scene of rolling sands and turbulent, muddy waters. However, upon arrival, not only was the current state of the Liusha River beyond my expectations—gentle and shy, like a young girl—but the scenery along the way to the river was also nothing like the endless yellow sands and treacherous paths I had imagined.

Wensu County is a major rice-producing area in Xinjiang, with its main rice fields located on the alluvial plains formed by the Liusha River and the Toshigan River. The rural areas of Tumuxuke Town, which we passed through, stretched out as vast fertile plains with crisscrossing forests and field grids, presenting a scene of abundance and prosperity. The dust stirred up by the harvesters in the rice fields as they worked was quite interesting—had we gone back 1,300 years, wouldn’t those harvesters have seemed like greedy demons?

By the time we reached the banks of the Liusha River, it was almost evening, and the sun had turned into a dark red sphere in the vast western sky. Below the sun, a mass of white clouds hung motionless. For some reason, I felt those clouds were rather cold. Upon closer inspection—wow—the floating cloud mass turned out to be the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains. This made me think about what feelings Master Tang and his disciples might have had upon seeing the great snowy mountains ahead, and just what kind of courage and perseverance it must have taken to face the towering Tianshan range lying directly in their path.

In the dry season, the Liusha River shows no signs of being fierce or surging, aside from its wide, open riverbanks covered with pebbles. The water remaining in the riverbed consists only of small streams as clear as mountain brooks, flowing gently.

To get a full view of the Liusha River, we took a detour to a water conservancy bridge over the river, about three meters wide and over a kilometer long. Standing in the middle of the bridge, I suddenly felt a chill. The cold wind was blowing down from upstream along the river channel. From our vantage point, the riverbed of the Liusha River indeed looked distinctly different from other rivers in southern Xinjiang—it had a steep gradient and was covered with jagged rocks. One could only imagine the power and might of the river during flood season. The Ferryman, Sha Wujing

It is said that there are many people in Tumuxuke Town named “Shawuti,” and Sha Wujing is derived from “Shawuti.” Before joining Master Tang on his quest for Buddhist scriptures, Sha Wujing was a ferryman on the Liusha River.

Yang Han regretfully told me that if we had come to the Liusha River during flood season, we would have been able to experience the version of the Liusha River from *Journey to the West*. However, personally, I wasn’t disappointed at all. After all, what we were searching for was a figure from mythology. Moreover, the Liusha River’s wide, pebble-strewn riverbanks alone speak volumes.

I had originally planned to find a local home near the Liusha River. But after walking along both banks of the river, I realized that the current state of the Liusha River was so similar to how it was described in *Journey to the West*: within at least five kilometers from either bank, there were no settlements at all, only populus euphratica forests and tamarisk bushes.

On our way back, we met Aitikamu Aishan, a farmer from Quda Village in Tumuxuke Town, in a cotton field. There was also an old walnut tree at the edge of the field. Aitikamu Aishan is 67 years old, and he said his family has lived around Quda Village for generations. That old walnut tree had been passed down from his ancestors. Judging by its thickness, he estimated the tree to be around 200 years old.

Aitikamu Aishan was very familiar with the Sha Wujing from TV and said he was a good person. As for whether there was any connection between “Sha Wujing” and “Shawuti,” he smiled noncommittally.

Aitikamu Aishan had vivid memories of the Liusha River. The flood season for the Liusha River is from July to September each year. In the past, during flood season, the sound of the surging waters could be heard from several kilometers away. The river often overflowed its banks, flooding the wastelands on both sides. Before the 1960s, there used to be ferry operators on the Liusha River, but even then, no one dared to cross the river during flood season. The boatmen only operated in spring and early winter.

Yang Han joked: “It seems that for at least three months of the year, Sha Wujing must have gone hungry.”