22 days of paddling through "Water Mooring Liangshan" is almost halfway through, 60 year old Uncle Jiang paddles from Beijing back to the Hangzhou Canal | Hangzhou | Uncle
On the 21st day of boating on the Beijing Hangzhou Canal, Uncle Jiang in Hangzhou crossed the Yellow River in emergency on the eve of the rainstorm and arrived at Liangshan Mountain in Jining, Shandong Province.
This is the origin of the "water berthing Liangshan" in the Water Margin. The ancient Yellow River broke many times, and the water converged to Liangshan, forming 800 li of water berthing. Before this trip to the canal, Jiang Dabo felt the natural danger of "water berthing Liangshan" when he rowed the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal for the first time 37 years ago. This time, it happened to be a typhoon day, and he rushed to the boat ahead of rainstorm.
Uncle Jiang felt that boating on the Yellow River in Liangshan is like waves blocking flying boats, which is quite exciting. Local people describe the Yellow River that passes through Liangshan for 30 kilometers as a "plain yellow dragon", and its ancient danger was called "copper headed iron tailed tofu waist". Among them, the "tofu waist" of the Yellow River refers to the Liangshan section of the Yellow River, where the "yellow dragon" is rampant and flows freely.
Uncle Jiang was rowing alone to retrace the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal this time. On July 9th, he departed from the arrow tower at the east gate of Beijing, the terminus of the canal, 37 years ago, and traveled south along the 1800 kilometer canal along the same route. According to his plan, he is expected to arrive in Zhejiang in early September before the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Uncle Jiang recorded the customs and traditions on both sides of the canal along the way
On the 26th, when we contacted Uncle Jiang, he was still in the northern suburbs of Linqing. Following the canal route, he set off along the South to North Water Diversion Water Conservancy Area of Linqing, rowing about 50 kilometers to reach Liaocheng, and then heading to Liangshan County on the opposite bank of the Yellow River.
In this section of the waterway, such as from Linqing to Liaocheng, the water level is actually very shallow, with intermittent rowing during the day and almost overnight stays in nearby hotels at night.
"I set a goal for myself every day, which is to row at least 30 kilometers a day. If everything goes smoothly, it will take 6 to 7 hours to finish. For example, when I row the waterway in Linqing, it is both against the current and against the wind, and there are many water gates. In one day, I row 14 kilometers, and I need to make up for these distances later."
Every time he reaches a point on the canal, Uncle Jiang will also record it on his social media.
For example, Linqing, as an important node of the Beijing Hangzhou Canal, is also a cultural heritage of Chinese place names - a millennium old city, and a famous hometown of Peking Opera and martial arts in China. He wrote that many stories in "Water Margin", "Plum in the Golden Vase", and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" take place here.
At 4 o'clock in the morning, I woke up at dawn, went into the water around 5 o'clock, and rowed until 12 o'clock in one breath. After that, I began to rest. This was Uncle Jiang's daily routine for the past 18 days.
After crossing Liangshan on the 29th, Uncle Jiang successfully arrived at the canal water area in Wenshang County, Jining City this afternoon. It is understood that the entire length of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal in Jining is about 230 kilometers, passing through seven counties and districts including Liangshan, Wenshang, Jiaxiang, Rencheng, Taibaihu New Area, Yutai, and Weishan. At this point, the canal tour is about to pass halfway, and further south, you will enter the canal's Jiangsu territory.
"Starting from Liangshan and heading south, canals are generally straight, unlike those north of the Yellow River. In order to slow down water loss, they bend and twist."
22 days of travel, currently arriving in the canal waters near Wenshang County, Jining
Standing and sitting, in order to save energy, Uncle Jiang often changes the position of the paddleboard.
Since rowing in Beijing until now, whenever he encounters a bridge at a suitable height, he will lie on the paddle board and follow the waves under the bridge. When he enjoys rowing, he will also take off his shirt, jump into the water to soak his body, and row comfortably in the gentle breeze. However, as the canal enters the Yellow River section, danger is everywhere, and safety comes first.
Before the arrival of the typhoon, the temperature was very high. Although I also applied sunscreen to prevent sunburn, my calves were still peeling from the sun. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious and didn't affect my trip.
Along the way, you will also encounter some "board friends", most of whom are water conservancy personnel along the way. They often drive rubber boats along the way to ensure their safety. Uncle Jiang smiled and said, "This is really a" sweet burden. ".
"They work hard with me, and I like to have my own rhythm. I flip the gate and they also flip, and the rubber boat is much heavier than my paddle board. I wake up at four o'clock and they also wake up at four o'clock. It's really tough, and I am very grateful to them, after all, they are protecting my safety."
Uncle Jiang repeatedly said that he is only walking the waterway on the canal again, which will not affect or damage the local water conservancy, let alone affect his safety. Therefore, he is very grateful to the relevant personnel of the water conservancy department along the way and reminds everyone to pay attention to safety.
Departing near Tonghui River in Beijing on July 9th
The first water gate leading to Yulin Village in Hebei Province
The Qingfenglou section of the landscape river in the urban area of Cangzhou
During the intervals between rowing, Uncle Jiang also takes videos to share his experiences and feelings.
For example, in the initial section of the Tongzhou Canal, he saw a Hangzhou painted boat on the canal. Although this boat was just a cruise ship in the local park and there were not many tourists on board, it was only named Hangzhou painted boat. However, he still felt very familiar with it, perhaps it was a feeling of homesickness.
Uncle Jiang also shared his interesting experiences along the way.
"Once, while rowing, I encountered several local boys swimming in the water and asked if I could play with them. They asked me if I could manage the food for them." Mr. Jiang couldn't help but laugh when he mentioned this, "I can't play with the food for them either. I have my own tasks every day."
"Now is the season for catching crickets and cicadas. Some people see me rowing boats and even ask if I'm here to catch crickets. If I have time, I would really like to catch two to play with." Uncle Jiang joked, saying that he has loved playing crickets since childhood and can be considered a cricket player. These days, he happens to be in the Shandong area of the Grand Canal, where the quality of crickets in Shandong is among the best in the country. If there is spare time during the trip, he may catch two.
Uncle Jiang met the most people along the canal.
Many people see Uncle Jiang paddling and ask if he's here to catch fish? Uncle Jiang said no, but when he learned that Uncle Jiang was going to row back to Hangzhou along the canal from Beijing, everyone gave him a thumbs up.
At present, the canal trip has been safely completed for 22 days. Speaking of the biggest change felt during this trip, Uncle Jiang believes that the water quality of the river has truly undergone earth shaking changes.
"37 years ago, all the garbage dumped along the riverbank drifted to the surface with the water flow, making the water very dirty. Now, with the national waterway management, the water quality has really changed, and not in the slightest. Sometimes I just rinse my mouth directly at this water, it's very clear."
Wishing Uncle Jiang a safe and smooth arrival in Hangzhou and welcoming the Hangzhou Asian Games together.
