In June 1996, in the scorching heat of midsummer, in Lop Nur, known as the "Ear of the Earth" and "Sea of Death", the sun shone directly without obstruction, and the surface temperature was as high as 60 degrees Celsius.
On the morning of June 11, the famous explorer Yu Chunshun finished eating meat porridge, carrying a heavy bag, said goodbye to the friends of the Shanghai TV film crew, and said heroically: "Let's see you on the bridge", and strode towards the hinterland of Lop Nur.
No one thought that this was the last meal he ate in the world, and it was also the last word he left to the world.
Yu Chunshun did not meet the meeting point at the agreed time. ***, who participated in the search and rescue, found his body in the middle of Lop Nur Lake.
How could an explorer and traveler, known as "the first person in China to hike" and "contemporary Xu Xiake", sink into the sand in Lop Nur, and what happened to him in his last days?
On May 13, 1996, Yu Chunshun, known as the "contemporary Xu Xiake", held a press conference in Shanghai, announcing his plan to investigate the Silk Road, cross Lop Nur and cross the six deserts, as well as the news that Shanghai TV set up a film crew to accompany him with the film crew of "Contemporary Xu Xiake - Yu Chunshun Special".
Subsequently, he took a train from Shanghai to Xinjiang and was warmly received by his friends in Korla.
But when he heard that he was going to plan a 40-day hike through Lop Nur in June, the locals were surprised because June to August is the hottest time of the year in Lop Nur, with high surface temperatures.
Sixty or seventy degrees, they suggested that Yu Chunshun wait.
I'll go again in September and October.
Yu Chunshun waved his hand and refused, according to his desert year plan, he had to make preparations for crossing the desert in September, and by the end of the year he would complete the task of crossing six deserts, and the time set with the Shanghai TV crew could not be changed.
He firmly believes that his rich hiking experience and summer experience are enough to ensure his safe passage through Lop Nur.
After not walking for a few months, Yu Chunshun decided to walk around Qiang County on foot before the film crew arrived, to find out the state, and at the same time to adapt to the surrounding environment and prepare for the crossing of the Taklamakan Desert in the second half of the year.
On May 31, a 9A level 5 sandstorm swept in, and with his rich experience in exploration, Yu Chunshun turned back safely. He felt quite good, and he was full of confidence in trekking Lop Nur.
After the film crew arrived in Xinjiang, they heard the locals' suggestion to enter Lop Nur in June, and the choreographer Song Jichang and others repeatedly persuaded Yu Chunshun to change his plan. But he had made up his mind, and only promised to shorten the time to 5 days, and he would not stay away from the film car.
After that, the local propaganda department held a press conference to provide two desert vehicles, purchased sufficient water, food, vegetables and necessary medicines, and invited Zhao Zichong, a geological engineer known as the "Desert King", and Peng Gexia, a senior tour guide, to accompany them as guides.
On June 6th, a grand grand ceremony was held in Loulan Hotel. People were blessed with wine, danced beautifully, sang joyful songs, and marched for them.
Yu Chunshun wore a big red flower on his chest, drank three bowls of wine in one go, and tears of excitement and sweat flowed down his black and red face. He said excitedly: "I will never live up to everyone's expectations and successfully complete the plan to cross Lop Nur, everyone says that June is not Lop Nur, I hope I can break this myth, please believe, I will succeed!".”
When we really embark on the journey, we know the difficulty of this trip. The sun hung overhead like a big fireball, and the ground was like a hot pan, so hot that it was almost baked and steamed in the next second. But Yu Chunshun has always maintained a high level of enthusiasm, talking and laughing along the way.
On June 8, the vehicle drove to Camp No. 3 on the west bank of Lop Nur, and Yu Chunshun solemnly proposed that he would no longer follow the film car, or go alone on foot in Lop Nur.
Hearing the news, everyone was in an uproar. Walking in the desert for several days, everyone really felt the mystery of nature and the fear of walking in the desert, they were worried because they cared, and they were against because they were worried.
Yu Chunshun said very resolutely that he wanted to maintain the authenticity of the documentary, which was so plain and bland, and he was sorry for everyone's attention and trust.
On the morning of the 10th, Yu Chunshun and the tour guide Peng Gexia agreed on a hiking route: returning from Loulan, starting from Tuyuan, following the route they tried to take, passing through Lop Nur, then passing through Loulan, and finally meeting the film crew at the Qianqian Bridge.
On the way back from Loulan to Tuyuan, they continued to take footage of Yu Chunshun's journey, burying water and dry food at certain distances along the way, and marking them with white plastic bags filled with sand for him to dig up and eat while hiking.
Tomorrow, Yu Chunshun will start his solitary hiking mode, everyone drinks for him, seeing everyone's worried look, Yu Chunshun comforts everyone: I won't have an accident, if something really happens, it will be the death of the sky.
Many years later, the people who accompanied Yu Chunshun into Lop Nur still lingered in their minds the situation of his final farewell to everyone, he waved the straw hat in his hand, and smiled honestly and cheerfully: "Let's go to the bridge and see you!."He turned and walked towards the hinterland of Lop Nur. This sentence became his last sentence in the world.
June 11 was the day he set off. In the morning, he ate a porridge and began to pack his backpack. The backpack contained his tent, moisture-proof mats, notebooks, sleeping bags, and a box of American ginseng given to him by a friend.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, Yu Chunshun waved goodbye to everyone, Zhao Ziyun asked for precautions over and over again, Yu Chunshun folded his hands, as if he was grateful for Zhao Ziyun's concern, and seemed to be praying and encouraging himself: "I will definitely succeed, I must succeed." ”
After sending Yu Chunshun away, the film crew should return to the pick-up point at the base camp of Qianjianqiao. I don't know if it was because they were worried, or because they felt that there was still plenty of time, they didn't set off immediately, but stayed in the mound.
The scorching sun shone down unobstructed, and at noon, people could only hide under their cars, but they were still dizzy from the sun.
Song Jichang, who has never had adventure experience, sweated like rain at the same time, he was worried about Yu Chunshun who was walking alone in the desert, and a strong worry and uneasiness pressed on his heart, he arranged for everyone to chase Yu Chunshun in the afternoon, as long as he felt any discomfort, he forcibly pulled him into the car.
At 4:25 p.m., the film crew caught up with Yu Chunshun walking in the lake basin, and at this time, eight hours before the morning departure, he had already walked 33 kilometers, which was less than 3 kilometers from his first camping supply point.
Seeing the friends who surrounded him in the desert, Yu Chunshun seemed a little excited, he was sweating profusely, his eyes were full of tears, he clenched his fists and waved up and down, responding to everyone's concern: "I walked here in one breath, without stopping, crossing Lop Nur safely, there must be no problem, you can rest assured." ”
Everyone advised him to get in the car and rest for a while, but he resolutely refused. Walking on foot, not adulterated, this is his principle.
While urging everyone to get into the car, he smiled and waved goodbye to everyone, "Let's see you on the bridge!"The tone is confident, relaxed, and full of neutrality.
Yu Chunshun's full of vitality, as well as the confidence and firmness that filled his body, made the film crew take a reassuring pill, and they watched Yu Chunshun go away, until his figure merged with heaven and earth again, and then set off towards the forward bridge according to the predetermined route.
No one expected that a few hours later, this fresh life would lose its vitality in the desert, "Let's see you on the bridge" was the last sentence that Yu Chunshun left to the world.
On June 12, a huge sandstorm swept in, and the entire desert was shrouded in a dusk, and people were full of deep worries and concerns about Yu Chunshun, who was walking alone in the desert.
On the 13th, it was the agreed time for the rendezvous, and Yu Chunshun did not arrive at the forward bridge as scheduled. Everyone was in an anxious mood, they were worried that Yu Chunshun would get lost, so they hung a red tent on the high pole, and then divided into three ways and began to search near Loulan.
Scorching, hungry, nervous, and frightened, the film crew ran in the wind and sand to find out, but there was no news of Yu Chunshun, so they had to ask Korla for support.
On the 17th, the helicopter found no trace of Yu Chunshun in the Loulan area. On the 18th, the search area expanded to Lop Nur, and in the middle of the lake in Lop Nur, the searchers found a striking blue dot, which was Yu Chunshun's tent.
Everyone was overjoyed, shouting Yu Chunshun's name and rushing to the tent. They expect that Yu Chunshun, who has rich experience in exploration, will still be alive as long as he is not buried by the wind and sand.
Yu Chunshun's blue tent, one corner collapsed, quietly hanging in **, without the slightest sense of vitality. Surrounded by an endless desert, there is not a trace of human figures, and the huge sense of fear makes the search and rescue personnel under the scorching sun feel a chill and rush from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.
An unsheathed Tibetan knife was thrown at the door of the tent, the general stench emanated from the tent, bowed over and looked into the tent, and the tears of the search and rescue personnel gushed out: Yu Chunshun was naked, lying on his back with his head facing east, his facial features were already swollen to the point where he couldn't see his original appearance, only the eye-catching beard, as if soaked in water, was wet and sticking to his chin.
Yu Chunshun, the explorer who hikked China, Yu Chunshun, who had eight years of exploration experience and was the first person to hike the third pole in the world, and Yu Chunshun, a warrior who was sought after by tens of thousands of people, was really killed in a shipwreck.
It seems that it was still yesterday, he was still talking passionately about his expedition plan, and he was still clenching his fists and swearing proudly: I will create a miracle of crossing Lop Nur in June, and he is still walking like the wind with vigorous steps, walking into the distance, at this time, he is lying quietly on his back, without any life. It turns out that life is so fragile and vulnerable!
The forensic doctor of the identification came, the tent was uncovered, and Yu Chunshun appeared in front of everyone completely. His hair was also washed, his bare upper body was covered with blisters, and one on his right chest was the size of a ping-pong ball. His right arm is slightly bent upwards, like when he took the oath at the send-off ceremony.
A forensic examination found that his stomach was empty, and the medical examiner determined that he had run out of water and food before he died.
How could a traveler with rich experience in adventure, with full preparation in advance, capsize in the gutter and die in the desert?
At this time, everyone found that Yu Chunshun had deviated from the original direction, and the place where he was killed was only more than 50 meters away from the dirt road in the center of Lop Nur Lake.
Yu Chunshun was at the T-shaped mouth near the place of death, and he should turn right and go west, but he went straight to the south-east. Apparently he made a fatal error in judging the direction.
Everyone invariably remembered the three advanced GPS positioning systems they carried, and they asked Yu Chunshun to wear them before departure, Yu Chunshun said with a wry smile: "I won't use it, and I've never used it, when I have time, I promise to learn to use it in three days." "Unfortunately, the danger of death may only be three seconds.
Near Yu Chunshun's tent, there are two deep pits with a basin diameter and a depth of nearly one meter, which should have been dug out by Yu Chunshun with his Tibetan knife
People also remembered that on the way to chase Yu Chunshun from the mound, they found that he only took two bottles of water at the second burial point, and his backpack was still deflated.
In accordance with the practice and Yu Chunshun's wishes, his body was buried on the spot. Everyone sweated like rain and tears like rain, quickly dug the tomb, and put Yu Chunshun's body, together with the tent, sleeping bag and other items that had accompanied him for many years, into the tomb, and left it in Lop Nur forever.
The tombstone of the place where Yu Chunshun was killed is very eye-catching in the desert, and 160 kilometers southeast of Lop Nur is the place where the scientist Peng Jiamu disappeared. Two equally excellent men from Shanghai, facing each other across the lake, sleep in Lop Nur.
The ambition dies before it is rewarded, and the hero is full of tears. After eight years of solo trekking and traveling all over China, his 45-year-old life came to an abrupt end in Lop Nur, although he left infinite regrets, but he could not deny the fact that he was an excellent explorer and traveler.
Death is the inevitable and fairest fate for everyone", perhaps from the moment he chose to explore, he looked down on life and death.
But while he used the spirit of adventure to inspire everyone, he also used his own experience to tell everyone: adventure is not adventure, a successful explorer, not only have the spirit of perseverance and exploration, but also have sufficient material reserves and scientific wisdom, I hope that later explorers can learn from Yu Chunshun's experience and lessons, go further, safer.