The Flowing Ice Beads of the Tao River

　　      Introduction       The Tao River originates from the Liqiaru Mountain and the nearby Lerdrang Grassland at the northern foot of the Xiqing Mountains. It flows to Xicang in Luqu, bidding farewell to the grasslands and entering a canyon area. In the Zagulu section of Zhugqu County, the riverbanks converge sharply, with the terrain twisting and turning, and the cliffs steep and rugged. The river water crashes left and right against the rocks, churning up foamy waves.

　　      When winter arrives and temperatures drop sharply, the splashes from the rapid river water quickly freeze into ice beads that scatter across the water. At the same time, along the riverbanks, the drop in ground temperature causes shallow areas to form thin layers of ice. When the water flow increases, these ice layers are broken off from the banks, collide and shatter in the river, and after traveling a long distance and being smoothed by friction, they form ice beads. These ice beads either float scattered across the river or gather into loose chunks. As they drift, these chunky clusters of ice beads break apart upon collision or when caught in rapids, only to quickly reform into new clumps.

　　      In winter, the Tao River sheds its deep emerald hues of late autumn, its surface covered with glistening ice beads. The clustered chunks of ice resemble snowy pear blossoms, adorning the river like a flowing, pristine white ribbon. Locals call the flowing ice beads “Ma Fu.” They scoop the ice beads from the river, mix them with flour, and cook them into hollow noodle-like “Ma Fu Soup.” Others freeze meat together with the ice beads in containers to preserve the meat for longer periods, referring to it as “Ma Fu Frozen Meat.”

　　       Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province