A scene in Gansu Yadan National Geological Park.
Except for special signatures, the pictures in this article are all taken by The Paper Journalist Gao Yuting
At the intersection of the two provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang in northwest my country, there are two famous geological wonders. One is the Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark, Gansu, known as the "Dunhuang Devil City", and the other is known as the "Dunhuang Devil City". Lop Nur in the Sea of Death.
The two mysterious landscapes next to each other attract a large number of adventure lovers every year.
Because of this, there are often tourists who are in danger due to getting lost, vehicles breaking down, etc., and need to be rescued.
In December 2001, the state approved the establishment of the "Gansu Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark".
Also in this year, the city of Dunhuang decided to retreat a Hongshijing police station located in the northwestern part of the city 100 kilometers back to Yadan National Geopark, and renamed the Yadan Police Station to maintain order in the scenic area and serve tourists. .
That year, 39-year-old Li Shengshou was transferred from the post of the director of the Hongshijing Police Station to the director of Yadan, and he took out a "cave dwelling" police station here.
In the following twenty years, Li Shengshou stayed here and participated in 170 rescues with his comrades, saving 21 lives.
Once, when Li Shengshou was driving in Lop Nor, his car broke down and was almost in danger. When he was about to die, he regretted that he had many ambitions and ideals in his heart that had not been realized.
Now that more than 20 years have passed, Li Shengshou has stayed away from the prosperous city and fulfilled his promise to take root in the desert. He has also worked hard and down-to-earth to maintain the safety of his jurisdiction.
After retiring in the future, he hopes that his comrades in arms can continue to light up the sand sea lighthouse of the "Cave Dwelling" police station and continue to pass on the flag of serving the people.
The "Cave Dwelling" Police Station in Yadan Landform
Starting from the downtown area of Dunhuang, heading northwest, the Yadan police station is located in the Yadan National Geopark, 180 kilometers away.
Dunhuang is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor, passing through Yangguan and Yumenguan along the way.
The more you drive to the northwest, the more lonely on both sides of the road, the west of Yangguan is not only "unknown people", and gradually, a person, a car, or a piece of grass can hardly be seen on the road.
After more than 2 hours, the Yadan landform appeared in front of you, and the gray-brown sandstone ground stood up with ocher hills of various shapes.
The Yadan police station in the cave dwelling is on the right side of a highway under a big slope not far from the gate of the park.
Li Shengshou said that he chose to dig cave dwellings here because it was close to the gate of the scenic area, which was convenient for people to call the police for help.
Yadan "Cave Home" Police Station.
Now the 260-square-meter cave dwelling has office areas, kitchens, dining rooms, dormitories and bathrooms, all connected to water and electricity. Compared with the tent police station more than 20 years ago, the hardware guarantee has changed completely.
More than 20 years ago, in April 1999, due to work needs, the Dunhuang City Public Security Bureau established the Hongshijing Police Station in the Lop Nur Salt Water Spring area, which is about 300 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang City.
At that time, Li Shengshou, who was still working in the armed forces department of a township in Dunhuang City, was appointed as the director of the Hongshijing Police Station.
When the organization found Li Shengshou, he probably understood the basic situation of the Red Ten Wells in Lop Nur, but after arriving in Lop Nur, he discovered that the real environment was far worse than imagined.
The Hongshijing Police Station is about 100 kilometers northwest of the current Yadan Police Station.
The annual precipitation in Yadan Geopark is less than 20 millimeters, and the evaporation is more than 4000 millimeters.
Compared with the Hongshijing police station, it is more arid and lacking in water, and the climate is harsh.
At first, Li Shengshou and several comrades-in-arms lived in a tent and worked.
Later, because the wind was too strong, several policemen thought of filling sand with snakeskin bags and building simple houses for living and working.
At that time, the draft had to go to the Bayi Spring in Lop Nur, a hundred kilometers away, to pull the water for half a month. The lighting relied on a kerosene lamp.
The road back to downtown Dunhuang is not easy, and Li Shengshou and his comrades sometimes cannot return home once a month.
After working under these conditions for 3 years, in 2001, the Hongshijing Police Station was moved to Yadan National Geopark and renamed Yadan Public Security Police Station to maintain order in the scenic area, serve tourists, and ensure safety.
When I first arrived in Yadan Geopark, the police station still had no office space.
Li Shengshou and his comrades lived in a tent while digging a cave dwelling on a small hill.
Li Shengshou said that there are two reasons for building cave dwellings.
At that time, the road from Dunhuang city to Yadan Geopark was not easy, and the cost of transporting construction materials was too high, and building a house would not be possible for a while.
Secondly, in terms of the local climate and environment, it is more comfortable to build cave dwellings and offices.
Yadan "Cave Home" Police Station.
A corner of the Yadan "Cave Dwelling" police station.
The cave dwellings are not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also have good sound insulation.
The reason why this place is called "Devil City" is mostly because of the scream of wind at night, like ghosts crying and howling wolves.
Wei Haisheng, a policeman who has been working at the Yadan police station for 5 years, told The Paper that the cave dwellings have good sound insulation effects, so that the treacherous wind can hardly be heard when sleeping at night.
The wind-eroded hills look loose in structure, but they are actually very strong, and the cave dwellings are not easy to dig.
From March 2001 to October of that year, Li Shengshou and his comrades went to work during the day. After the last group of tourists left the scenic area, they started digging cave dwellings one by one, digging with a kerosene lamp every day until 11 or 12 o’clock. When the weather was cold in October, they finally dug up a 40-square-meter place where people can live and work.
The floor tiles at the entrance of the "Cave Dwelling" police station were pitted and pitted by flying rocks that had been blown up by the gale.
At that time, the 40-square-meter "cave dwelling" police station.
Photo courtesy of Yadan Police Station
Since then until 2016, the "Cave Dwelling" police station has undergone four phases of construction, and finally has the modern police station that integrates policing and life functions as seen today.
Survival in the Desert
Although the current office and living environment of the "Cave Dwelling" police station has been greatly improved, in 2017, there was no running water and electricity.
The neat and orderly bricks and decorations outside the Yadan Police Station.
Many people have also asked Li Shengshou why he can hold on for more than 20 years in such a harsh environment.
Li Shengshou mentioned that there was an experience of dying to survive in the desert of Lop Nur, which had a great influence on him.
In 2000, when Li Shengshou was working at the Hongshijing Police Station, he and his comrades set out early in the morning to buy supplies, not wanting the car to break down halfway.
In summer, the scorching heat in the vast Gobi was unbearable, and Li Shengshou and his comrades got under the car to escape the sun.
They wanted to wait until a car passed by to be saved, but they didn't expect a car or a person to show up on the fourth day.
Staying any longer is waiting for death.
Li Shengshou and his comrades walked towards the Yadan landform 40 kilometers away.
The environment there is relatively better. If you meet someone, dig out a little water is a hope.
The highest surface temperature in the Gobi can reach 70 degrees Celsius in summer.
Li Shengshou was walking on the road, and the glue on the soles and uppers of his leather shoes melted.
Without shoes, he took off his clothes again, wrapped his feet and continued walking.
It didn't take a few steps to make do with it, so I could only move forward barefoot.
Li Shengshou later recalled, “I felt like I was going to die at the time.” That was the first time in his life that he was so close to death.
He even asked his young comrades to remember the way, and come back to find him after going out, and bury him in his hometown.
Finally, on the fifth day, a car passing by Yadan rescued Li Shengshou and his comrades-in-arms.
After the desert was in danger, Li Shengshou had a deeper understanding of life.
When he was desperate in the desert, Li Shengshou also had some unrealized ideals and ambitions in his mind. He had secretly determined that if he could go out, he must be serious and diligent to do something.
At the end of 2001, the state approved the establishment of the "Gansu Dunhuang Yadan National Geological Park", and the number of tourists who came here slowly increased, and the Yadan Police Station also provided more and more rescue missions.
During this period, the comrades in arms changed one crop after another, and Li Shengshou stayed in Yadan for more than 20 years.
Police patrolling at Yadan Public Security Police Station.
In more than 20 years, Li Shengshou and his comrades have successfully saved 21 precious lives.
Among them, what impressed Li Shengshou most was the first explorer Pharaoh he and his comrades rescued.
It was one day in June and July of 2000, and the retired old man, Lao Wang, went to Lop Nur on an expedition on a motorcycle alone.
From the perspective of Li Shengshou's work experience in Lop Nur for more than 20 years, summer is the most taboo season for exploration in Lop Nur, because the temperature is too high and it is easy to encounter danger.
Lao Wang happened to ran into Li Shengshou when he approached the Hongshijing Police Station.
Li Shengshou advised him: Without a guide and sufficient supplies, he should not venture to Lop Nur alone.
But Lao Wang thought that he had successfully returned from expeditions in Yecheng, Xinjiang, Hoh Xil, Tibet, and other places, and he must be fine.
Lao Wang set off, but the Lao Wang who had taken two steps turned back and asked Li Shengshou, if he didn't come back in three or four days, could he find him.
Sure enough, three or four days have passed, and there is still no Pharaoh.
Li Shengshou and his comrades drove toward the depths of Lop Nur, looking for Pharaoh.
After searching for two days without seeing Pharaoh's trace, Li Shengshou thought that perhaps Pharaoh had already passed through Lop Nur?
Perhaps it has been killed?
After all, it was too difficult to find someone in the huge Lop Nor.
Just when they were about to turn back, Li Shengshou saw a touch of white in a recessed ground. It was the old Wang who fell on the ground with a very weak breath.
Li Shengshou didn't care about the mud and sand that Pharaoh's mouth was full of, so he gave him artificial respiration.
When Pharaoh's breath strengthened slightly, they rushed Pharaoh to Dunhuang Hospital, about 400 kilometers away.
Settling down the old queen, this matter seems to have come to an end in Li Shengshou's view.
Unexpectedly, after more than a month, another cloud of dust rolled near the Hongshijing police station, which was originally inaccessible: Pharaoh is here again!
Only this time, Lao Wang was not an expedition. His motorcycle was loaded with instant noodles, mineral water and 10,000 yuan, thanks to the police comrades of the Hongshijing Police Station.
The desert was short of water, so Li Shengshou left Pharaoh’s mineral water and declined Pharaoh’s 10,000 yuan.
For more than 20 years, many people in the Yadan police station have sent thank-you pennants. The rescued tourists also expressed their gratitude to the public security police who silently stood by the edge of Lop Nur and the Yadan landform.
Li Shengshou recalled that when he first came to the desolate Lop Nor as the head of the Hongshijing Police Station that year, he just wanted to complete the task and wait for the organization to send someone to replace him.
But year after year, a lot of policemen came to the police station, and many policemen left. Few people can persist in this "sea of death" and "devil city".
Later, Li Shengshou was used to the lonely life in the desert, he had feelings for this place, and he also had his own career and achievements.
Li Shengshou, who is nearly sixty years old, hopes that in the future, someone will be as practical as a camel in the desert. He will continue to light up the sand sea lighthouse of the "Cave Dwelling" police station and continue to pass on the banner of serving the people and tourists.
(This article is from The Paper. For more original information, please download the "The Paper" APP)