In 2012, when we first came here during a reverse trekking trip, if it weren’t for that five-starred red flag, perhaps none of us would have known that inside those shabby houses was a school.
The words on the walls of the school once deeply pierced our eyes. Later, we delivered the donated clothes we had collected for the first time to this place, deep in the mountains,6the only school in this natural village.
That time, in order not to disturb the principal’s life, several of us slept on the school playground on the shady slope of the mountain. In the winter of the northwestern mountainous region, the next day, our tents were all covered in ice.
On October 26, 2013, Green Field Gansu Outdoor Gathering, together with the China Urban-Rural Youth Health Foundation, returned to this place for the third time. What remained the same was the charitable heart, but what was different this time was that we received strong support from the Lanzhou Work Department of the China Urban-Rural Youth Health Foundation. They fully donated the urgently needed school uniforms for the school as well as some stationery, and at the same time, the gloves promised by the caring teammates within the group were also donated to the children of the school.
At 7:00 a.m. on October 26, 2013, the volunteers of this event—Yi Ge Ren De Di Kang, Si Yu, Zhen Xi, Xin Ma, Cheng Nuo, Mo Fang, Qing Tian, Lv Xing De Ku Yao Dai, and Chao Shi Zhe—began gathering at Lanzhou South Long-Distance Bus Station. After having beef noodles together, everyone boarded the long-distance bus to Zhang County, Gansu. Although the journey was through deep mountains and valleys, the scenery of late autumn still added a lot of joy to the trip. For Zhen Xi, Xin Ma, Cheng Nuo, Mo Fang, Qing Tian, Ku Yao Dai, and Chao Shi Zhe, who were participating in such an activity for the first time, the scenery along the way always drew their exclamations.:00The volunteers for this event—One Person's Resistance, Siyu, Cherish, Xinma, Promise, Rubik's Cube, Sunny Day, Travel Belt, and Pilgrim—gathered at Lanzhou South Long-Distance Bus Station. After sharing a meal of beef noodles together, they boarded a long-distance bus to Zhang County, Gansu. Although the journey featured rugged mountains and deep valleys, the scenery of late autumn still added plenty of enjoyment to the trip. For Cherish, Xinma, Promise, Rubik's Cube, Sunny Day, Travel Belt, and Pilgrim, who were all participating in such an activity for the first time, the sights along the way repeatedly drew exclamations of amazement.
After more than an hour’s drive, we arrived at the town closest to the school. By then, the principal was already waiting for us there. We quickly had lunch—a bowl of affordable, generous, and tasty braised noodle dish—and prepared to head into the mountains.4 Due to the previous flooding, the mountain torrents had washed away parts of the hiking path into the mountains. Although we originally didn’t want to trouble the principal too much, in the end, at his repeated insistence, we got on a three-wheeled farm vehicle. The principal said the things we were carrying were too heavy, and having a vehicle would make it much easier for us. It turned out the principal was wise, because the next day we still had another day of activities, covering a total of over 20 kilometers of mountain paths, which saved everyone quite a bit of energy for the second day.
Many people were riding such a vehicle for the first time, swaying their heads along the bumpy ride, yet they were all quite happy. Does this count as “the more ridiculous the youth, the more joy”? Hahaha. The road into the mountains was long, and the scenery was beautiful. Though the ride was bumpy, it did not affect everyone’s enthusiasm. Along the way, we laughed and chatted. Those who hadn’t been here before admired the scenery while imagining what the school, located deep in the mountains, would look like, and what the children there would be like. The sunlight shone on us, the late autumn mountain wind was a bit cool, and no one complained of hardship or cold on the bumpy road.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, we finally arrived at our destination. The schoolchildren had arrived early, waiting for their first-ever school uniforms, which some of them had dreamed of since childhood. Some of the children had to set out for school every morning
before 7:00 a.m., climbing over two mountains. When the children saw us arrive, they peeked out curiously. The braver ones even ran out of the classroom. Mountain children, unlike urban children, are very shy, and some are quite timid.5 We didn’t waste any time unpacking and immediately began distributing the school uniforms and stationery to the children. We hoped to see the happy expressions on their faces as they put on the uniforms.
The children happily ran back to the classroom to try on the clothes. They were a little nervous, a little joyful, and a little shy. One child looked at me and naively asked, “Uncle, is this clothes a bit big?” I said, “No, it’s not big. You’re small and you’ll grow fast. If it weren’t a bit big, the clothes would soon be too small.” I’m not sure if they understood, but after I said that, they nodded and continued putting on the clothes. I stayed with the children who had already changed into their new uniforms. They were very happy, looking at each other’s clothes. Some of the children’s clothes still needed adjusting, haha.The children had changed into their uniforms. This is the school—one teacher, one school, fourteen children. Last year there were
more children, but this year some graduated, some left, and no teachers were willing to come here. The teachers who did come soon left as well.
For many years, it has only been the current principal holding on alone, and even20years ago, he was still just a private school teacher, earning a pitifully low salary. But even so, he never gave up, because there were still children here, and these children still needed to go to school. He wasn’t a military man by background; back then, he was just an ordinary graduate from a normal school, but he possessed the spirit of never abandoning or giving up.30The child in the photo from last year—we were happy to see she was still here, still studying. She had grown taller. We gave her that photo, which was a very good one, and many people liked it, just like the “Big Eyes” photo back then.97 Originally, we had planned to visit the cave in the afternoon, but due to rain, it was postponed until the next day. In the evening, the principal prepared various wild vegetables for us. It’s my favorite food, hahaha—I really enjoyed it.
The next day, the principal once again kindly led the way for us as we headed toward the lost cave.
The round trip to the cave was over 10 kilometers, all uphill mountain paths. Some members of the team quickly became exhausted, but it was gratifying that everyone had very strong willpower—an especially precious quality on outdoor adventures. In the end, not a single person dropped out, and we successfully completed the morning’s mission to find the lost cave.
The scenery in the distance in the morning looked like ink paintings.
This cave has existed for hundreds of millions of years. Due to its remote location in the mountainous area, few people come here. In the past, only local residents knew about it to some extent, but now we know about it—haha, we feel quite honored. The cave isn’t very large, but it is fairly deep. The higher parts inside are as tall as two or three stories, while the lower parts require crawling. Inside, there are all kinds of stalactites, and an underground river flows through. It is also a place where bats hibernate in winter.
In the morning, the distant scenery resembled an ink-wash painting.
This karst cave has existed for hundreds of millions of years. Located in a remote mountainous area, very few people come here—previously, only some local residents knew about it to some extent. But now we know about it, haha, which feels quite an honor. The cave isn’t very large, but it is fairly deep. In some parts, the ceiling is as high as a two- or three-story building, while in others, you have to crawl through. Inside, there are all kinds of stalactites, and an underground river flows through it. It’s also a place where bats hibernate in winter.
As we had to reassemble and hike back through Zheyang Mountain in the afternoon, we didn’t linger too long and started heading back. The scenery along the way captivated everyone, and even in this late autumn that felt almost like winter, it could not overshadow the area’s beauty. We quickly took some photos and then made our way back.
After bidding a hasty farewell to the principal and his family, we set off on our loaded hike back through Zheyang Mountain. Having just completed a mountain-crossing trek, some of us were already experiencing slight physical strain. Fortunately, everyone managed to hold up well, and we were able to maintain the planned steady pace.
Before we had even covered a third of the journey, it began to rain. Since we were in the mountains and following the river valley, the sudden rainfall significantly increased the level of danger. To ensure safety, all nine members of the team picked up the pace. On some stretches, we were practically jogging. Several people were carrying heavy packs. We sped up for nearly four kilometers, and when we finally sat down to rest, I joked that the intensity was almost like a five-kilometer loaded cross-country run—haha.
In the end, we successfully completed the reverse hike through Zheyang Mountain within the scheduled time and caught the last bus back to Lanzhou. The activity was a complete success.
The four brave “girl power” members of this trip varied in fitness levels and experience with loaded outdoor hikes. Some were even tackling their first ever loaded mountain trek. Yet, not a single one fell behind or held the group back—all successfully completed their tasks with nearly perfect performance. Salute to them~！
Once again, we express our heartfelt thanks to the Gansu Work Department of the China Urban and Rural Youth Health Foundation for their strong support of this activity.