“無水綠洲”民勤的今昔之別

民勤位于甘肅省西北部，河西走廊的東端，其東、西、北三面被騰格里和巴丹吉林兩大沙漠包圍。2012年，有地理專家曾預(yù)言：“ 民勤在不久后將會在地圖上消失?！?2年過去了，現(xiàn)在的民勤是怎樣的一番景象呢？

Minqin is situated in the northwest of Gansu Province， at the eastern end of the HexiCorridor. It is surrounded by the vast Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts on the east， west， andnorth sides. In 2012， a prediction from geographical experts stated， “Minqin will soon vanishfrom the map.” Now， after twelve years， what does Minqin look like？

“沙逼人退”的切痛過往

民勤是甘肅省武威市下轄的一個縣，面積約1.5萬平方公里，常住人口僅20萬左右，是名副其實(shí)的地廣人稀之地。歷史上，民勤卻曾是騰格里沙漠中一片古老的綠洲。

Minqin is a county under the administration of Wuwei City in GansuProvince. With an area of approximately 15，000 square kilometers and apopulation of only around 200，000， it truly represents a sparsely inhabitedregion. However， in history， Minqin used to be an ancient oasis nestledwithin the vast Tengger Desert.

2800多年前，人們在民勤繁衍生息，創(chuàng)造了中國青銅時代末期燦爛的“沙井文化”，奠定了甘肅“文化之鄉(xiāng)”的基礎(chǔ)。公元前121年，漢朝在此建郡設(shè)縣，移民開發(fā)農(nóng)業(yè)，當(dāng)時這里享有“人在長城之外，文居諸夏之先”的美譽(yù)。1928年，此地因“俗樸風(fēng)醇，人民勤勞”而更名“民勤”。

Over 2，800 years ago， Minqin thrived as thebirthplace of the splendid “Shajing Culture” duringthe late Chinese Bronze Age， laying the foundationfor Gansu as a “Cultural Homeland.” In 121 BC，during the Han Dynasty， the county was established，attracting settlers who developed agriculture. At thattime， Minqin earned the accolade of being “beyondthe Great Wall， yet culturally leading among theChinese states.” In 1928， due to its “simple and genuinecustoms， and the diligence of its people，” the place wasrenamed “Minqin” （meaning “diligent people”）.

曾經(jīng)的民勤，宛若鑲嵌在河西走廊上的綠色寶石，阻截了兩大沙漠在此“牽手”。然而，由于地質(zhì)變遷，河流改道，氣候變得干旱。加之民勤上游石羊河農(nóng)用水增加，下游水量大幅減少。1500年前后，風(fēng)沙逼近縣城，綠洲的荒漠化已不可逆轉(zhuǎn)。在1850 ～ 1950年這一百年間，民勤境內(nèi)有6 000多個村莊被沙漠吞噬。當(dāng)?shù)亓鱾髦@樣一首民謠：“ 登高望遠(yuǎn)全是沙，一刮大風(fēng)不見家。莊稼田地被沙壓，流離失所奔天下?！泵袂谀昃涤炅績H110毫米左右，蒸發(fā)量卻是降水量的24倍，因而嚴(yán)重缺水。至2009年，民勤已有50萬畝人工植物和天然植物枯死。到2012年，民勤的荒漠化土地面積達(dá)95%，成為四大沙塵暴“策源地”之一。沙丘每年平均向前移動10米，無情地吞埋著田地和家園，民勤瀕臨消亡。那么，民勤人是如何逆天改命的呢？

The Minqinof the past resembleda precious green gem embedded in the HexiCorridor， acting as a barrier that prevented thetwo colossal deserts from “joining hands.” However，geological changes and the shift of river courses， coupled with a progressively aridclimate， brought about significant challenges. Furthermore， increased water usage for agricultureupstream of the Shiyang River led to a substantial reduction in downstream water flow. Around theyear 1500， wind and sand encroached upon the county， marking the irreversible desertification ofthe once-thriving oasis. Between 1850 and 1950， over a century， more than 6，000 villages in Minqinsuccumbed to the devouring sands. A local folk song mournfully narrates， “From higher ground，all that meets the eye is sand; a strong wind blows， and homes vanish. Crops and fields succumbto the weight of sand， people scatter and wander.” With an annual average rainfall of a mere 110millimeters， while the evaporation rate is 24 times higher， water scarcity became severe. By 2009，500，000 mu （about 83，000 acres） of artificial and natural vegetation in Minqin had withered away. By2012， desertified land covered 95% of Minqin， making it one of the “primary sources” of sandstorms.Relentless sand dunes advanced at an average pace of 10 meters per year， mercilessly burying fieldsand homes， pushing Minqin to the brink of extinction. However， how did the resilient people ofMinqin defy their fate and reshape their destiny？

“綠進(jìn)沙退”的逆轉(zhuǎn)歷程

“一部民勤志，半部治沙史?！?950年春天，民勤的森林覆蓋率只有3%，為了改善生存環(huán)境，民勤開始了70多年的全民抗擊風(fēng)沙運(yùn)動。在無水的沙地中，民勤人是如何遏制住“沙魔”的腳步、打造“無水綠洲”的呢？

“A chronicle of Minqin is also a chronicleof sand control.” In the spring of 1950， Minqin’sforest coverage rate stood at a mere 3%. In orderto improve their living environment， the people ofMinqin embarked on a comprehensive， 70-yearlongcampaign against wind and sand. How did theresilient inhabitants of Minqin， in this waterlesssandy land， manage to halt the relentless “sanddemon’s” onslaught and create an “oasis withoutwater”？

固沙種樹，久久為功。民勤人勤勞堅(jiān)韌，因地制宜，種植梭梭、毛條、花棒等耐旱植物，以達(dá)到穩(wěn)固沙土的目的，同時號召全國的志愿者加入固沙隊(duì)伍。許多民勤人說：“ 二十幾年之后，民勤綠洲會不會真的消失，那是老天爺?shù)氖?。作為土生土長的民勤人，我們有責(zé)任去嘗試、去努力，只為將來不留遺憾。”

Persistent sand fixation and afforestationefforts proved fruitful. The diligent and tenaciouspeople of Minqin， adapting to the local conditions，planted drought-resistant vegetation such asHaloxylon ammodendron， Caragana korshinskii，and Hedysarum scoparium to stabilize the sandy soil.They also rallied volunteers from across the nationto join the sand control workforce.Many residents of Minqin expressed，“Whether the Minqin oasis will trulyvanish in a few decades is up to theheavens. Regardless， as natives ofMinqin， it is our duty to try and strive，so that we may have no regrets in thefuture.”

2006年，民勤國棟村的馬俊河借用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的力量，采用“互聯(lián)網(wǎng)治沙”的方式，發(fā)起了拯救民勤綠洲行動。隨后，他毅然辭去在蘭州的工作，回到村里種梭梭。民勤人民還利用多種治沙技術(shù)，成功地阻擊了風(fēng)沙侵襲。2007年，年僅26歲的呂曲紅和30位來自全國各地的志愿者并肩作戰(zhàn)，在沙漠中種下了第一棵梭梭樹。此后的17年間，他們在6萬多畝沙地上種植了近百萬棵梭梭樹，成活率高達(dá)85%。呂曲紅有個愿望，希望在她60歲那年，能在17萬畝沙地上種滿梭梭樹。如今，在人們的努力下，民勤森林覆蓋率已達(dá)到18.28%，并擁有石羊河國家濕地公園等三大濕地資源。民勤綠洲非但沒有消失，反而還在堅(jiān)定地延展。

In 2006， Ma Junhe from GuodongVillage in Minqin harnessed thepower of the internet， employingan “internet-based sand control”approach and initiated an endeavor tosave the Minqin oasis. Subsequently，he courageously resigned from his job inLanzhou and returned to the village to plant saxaul trees. The people of Minqin also employeddiverse sand control techniques， effectively resisting the encroachment of wind and sand. In2007， a young 26-year-old named Lyu Quhong， alongside 30 volunteers from various parts ofthe country， united to plant the first saxaul tree in the desert. Over the following 17 years， theyplanted nearly one million saxaul trees across an expanse of 60，000 mu of desert， achieving animpressive survival rate of 85%. Lyu Quhong nurtures a dream： to witness the entire 170，000 muof sandy land covered in saxaul trees by the time she reaches 60. Today， thanks to the collectiveefforts of the people， Minqin’s forest coverage rate has reached 18.28% and boasts threesignificant wetland resources， including the Shiyang River National Wetland Park. Instead offading away， the Minqin oasis continues to expand steadfastly.

“點(diǎn)沙成金”的節(jié)水農(nóng)業(yè)

固沙成功后，民勤人民積極發(fā)展節(jié)水型生態(tài)農(nóng)業(yè)，充分利用本地日照充足、晝夜溫差大的自然條件，采用噴灌和滴灌方式大面積種植耐旱的沙蔥、蜜瓜等農(nóng)產(chǎn)品。通過這些年的努力，民勤人民逐步實(shí)現(xiàn)了“點(diǎn)沙成金”的致富夢。

After successfully controlling the sand， the people of Minqin actively developedwater-saving ecological agriculture， making full use of the local conditions ofabundant sunlight and significant temperature differences between day andnight. They employed sprinkler and drip irrigation methods to cultivate droughtresistantcrops such as sand leeks and muskmelons on a large scale. Through yearsof dedicated efforts， the people of Minqin gradually realized their aspiration of“turning sand into gold” and achieving prosperity.

2008年的一天，民勤大壩鄉(xiāng)八一村農(nóng)民葉長煉，看著沙漠中零星幾叢沙蔥，陷入沉思。這種被譽(yù)為“菜中靈芝”的野生蔬菜，味道鮮美、營養(yǎng)價值高、耐寒喜旱，葉長煉由此萌生了人工種植沙蔥的念頭。此后，他和科研人員一起解決了人工種植過程中遇到的困難，使沙蔥種植成為民勤縣的優(yōu)勢特色產(chǎn)業(yè)。同村的村民甄世龍還成功研究出在大棚種植沙蔥的方法，并成為當(dāng)?shù)赜忻纳呈[種植大戶。2013年，甄世龍成立了沙蔥產(chǎn)銷專業(yè)合作社，他不僅自己走上了致富路，還為民勤的農(nóng)民們開辟了一條致富的新途徑，沙蔥也因此成為他們手中的“金苗苗”。

One day in 2008， Ye Changlian， a farmerfrom Bayi Village in Daba Township， Minqin，pondered as he observed a few scatteredclumps of sand leeks growing in the desert.This wild vegetable， known as the “vegetablelingzhi，” boasts delicious flavor， high nutritionalvalue， and resilience to cold and drought.Inspired by this， Ye Changlian conceived theidea of cultivating sand leeks through artificialmeans. Subsequently， he collaborated withresearchers to overcome challenges in theprocess of artificial cultivation， establishingsand leek cultivation as a prominent anddistinctive industry in Minqin County. Anothervillager， Zhen Shilong， successfully developeda greenhouse cultivation method for sand leeks and became a renowned largescalesand leek grower in the region. In 2013， Zhen Shilong founded a professionalcooperative for the production and marketing of sand leeks. This not only led to hisown path of prosperity but also provided a new avenue for the farmers of Minqin toachieve wealth. As a result， sand leeks became their “golden sprouts.”

民勤人民巧妙利用并優(yōu)化組合光、熱、水、土等自然資源，大力發(fā)展綠色有機(jī)農(nóng)業(yè)，培養(yǎng)出了蜜瓜、茴香、人參果、紅棗、枸杞等特色農(nóng)產(chǎn)品，以質(zhì)優(yōu)量大而譽(yù)滿國內(nèi)外。28歲的“新農(nóng)人”張煜文在瓜田里架起了“直播間”，幫瓜農(nóng)銷售蜜瓜。他說，別人都是想方設(shè)法跳出“農(nóng)門”，他反而是想盡辦法回到“農(nóng)門”，并自豪地將自己定義為“潮農(nóng)”。一代一代的民勤人，不斷創(chuàng)造并延續(xù)著“無水綠洲”的奇跡，向世界講述著民勤作為“蜜瓜之鄉(xiāng)”“茴香之鄉(xiāng)”“人參果之鄉(xiāng)”的動人故事。

The people of Minqin cleverly utilized andoptimized natural resources such as light， heat，water， and soil to vigorously promote green organicagriculture. They cultivated specialty agriculturalproducts including muskmelons， fennel， monkfruit， red dates， and wolfberries， which havegained widespread recognition and acclaim bothdomestically and internationally for their superiorquality and abundant yields. Zhang Yuwen， a 28-yearold“new farmer，” established a “l(fā)ive broadcast studio”in his melon field to assist melon farmers in sellingtheir muskmelons. He expressed that while otherswere trying to leave the “agricultural domain，” he wasstriving to return to it and proudly defined himself asa “trendsetting farmer.” Generation after generation，the resilient people of Minqin continue to create anduphold the remarkable story of the “oasis withoutwater，” sharing with the world the inspiring tale ofMinqin as the “Hometown of Muskmelons，” the“Hometown of Fennel，” and the “Hometown of MonkFruit.”