On the afternoon of September 5, aboard a train departing from Urumqi, 24-year-old Zhu Liangyong from Ruijin gazed out at the vast Gobi Desert and was filled with emotion. Had it not been for the strenuous rescue efforts of Xinjiang police, he might have lost his life after being stranded deep in the desert for three days.
Lost in the desert with no phone signal
Zhu Liangyong is from Zhufang Village, Yeping Township, Ruijin City. Having grown up in the south, he had long been fascinated by the Taklamakan Desert. In late August, driven by a longing for the ancient kingdoms of the Western Regions, Zhu quit his job in Fuzhou and traveled alone to Xinjiang.
On August 30, Zhu arrived in Qiemo County. After a brief rest in the county town, he bought a local tourist map and discovered that the ruins of the ancient Qiemo city were located about 5–6 kilometers southwest of the county. Eager to explore, he took a taxi there. Although the Qiemo ancient city ruins are a provincial-level key cultural relic protection site, the area has not been developed and the ruins are surrounded by the desert, with no dedicated roads leading to them. At the nearest national highway to the ruins, the driver dropped him off and pointed him in the right direction. Around noon that day, Zhu set off alone into the desert, carrying only his laptop, a baked pancake, and four bottles of mineral water.
What Zhu Liangyong, who was entering the desert for the first time, did not expect was that he would quickly become lost—and even worse, his phone lost all signal.
"In order to find a signal and a way out, I climbed to higher sand dunes, but the sand dunes were incredibly steep. After climbing up, I still couldn’t find any signal. After a while, I noticed the sand dunes around me looked similar, and it wasn’t until later that I realized I had walked in circles," Zhu said. Without a signal, he couldn’t find a way out, nor could he receive any calls. From August 31 to midnight on September 2, he walked and rested intermittently, finishing his four bottles of mineral water and the only baked pancake within a single day.
Just when he was in utter despair, around 12:30 a.m. on September 2, Zhu suddenly found that his phone had a signal and quickly called the police.
Police conducted a 6-hour foot search and rescue
Zhang Huafeng, director of the office of the Qiemo County Public Security Bureau, said that around 12:30 a.m. on September 2, upon receiving Zhu’s distress call, they immediately dispatched a 16-person rescue team. Around 1 a.m., the rescue team drove to the location where Zhu had initially exited the vehicle and began the search.
Zhang Huafeng said they called Zhu every 15 to 20 minutes to comfort him and continuously informed him of the police’s location. The rescue team split into three groups, using the headlights of their vehicles as the primary reference point. The first group was responsible for scouting the path, with others following their footprints until the headlights could no longer illuminate the way. One person would stay behind to use a flashlight as a secondary reference point, and the three groups proceeded in sequence to locate the stranded individual.
It was reported that the three teams moved in a fan shape toward the suspected target. Each team member carried one bottle of water, but the experienced ones were reluctant to drink it, reserving it only for when they were extremely thirsty. In the dry desert climate, each person drank only half a bottle of water.
At around 7 a.m., Zhu finally said excitedly over the phone, "I see it, I see it, I see your lights!" After the rescue team had ventured more than 20 kilometers into the desert, Zhang Huafeng finally heard Zhu’s voice over the phone.
"When we found Zhu Liangyong, his eyes were bloodshot, his lips were peeling, and he was slumped on a sand dune. He gulped down the water we gave him," Zhang said. The police checked Zhu’s physical condition, and fortunately, he was not seriously harmed.
According to Zhang Huafeng, in recent years, many tourists from other regions have been curious to explore the desert. Due to lack of experience, getting lost happens frequently, and the county police have successfully rescued stranded tourists multiple times. He reminds people that if they get lost and communication tools like phones fail, the most urgent need is to stay calm. First, calm down and recall the initial direction you entered the desert, as well as your current location, then determine the direction to move forward. During the day, you can use the sun to determine direction, observing the shadows of sand dunes under sunlight. At night, you can use the North Star to find direction. It’s important to note that walking one kilometer in the desert is as strenuous as walking two or three kilometers on flat ground. When lost, it’s better to walk around the dunes. It saves energy and gets you there faster.
Author: Xu Liming Article source: Jiangxi Daily
Weibo post by Nan Shan Nan