MENG JINZHAO

这是在青藏高原上方进行的拍摄。为了到达这里，长江源水生态保护站的站长吐旦旦巴驱车颠簸了两个多小时，带领我们穿越各种小溪流和几十公里的无人地带，在见到了悠闲吃草的牛群、不明所以痴痴望着越野车的野生藏原羚、藏野驴和听到车声便惊慌失措钻入洞中旱獭等各种高原动物之后，终于到达了目的地。热情的主人拿出了糌粑、风干的牛肉、血肠、酥油茶等招待了我们。

This is the home of herdsman Tudan Danba, built upon the open grassland. To bring us here, Tudan Danba—who also serves as the head of the Yangtze River Source Ecological Protection Station—drove us across streams, through fields, and across an uninhabited zone. Through the window, we watched cattle grazing leisurely, while wild Tibetan gazelles and kiangs observed us without fear. Marmots, however, scurried into their burrows at the sound of our car. Everywhere we looked, the grassland was a vibrant scene of nature. Upon arrival, Tudan Danba’s father welcomed us with Tibetan tsamba, dried beef, blood sausage, and buttered tea.

唐古拉山镇，海拔超过4500米，是青海格尔木市下辖的一个镇，位于青海省西南端，号称万里长江第一镇，属于格尔木的一块飞地。青藏铁路在此也设有火车站。我和徐老师作为志愿者来到这个长江源保护站，并进行人类学方面的考察，我们将在这里逗留几天。

Situated at an altitude of over 4,500 meters, Tanggula Town is an enclave of Golmud City in Qinghai Province. Known as the “First Town along the Yangtze River,” it also hosts a station on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Professor Xu and I traveled here to conduct anthropological fieldwork. Following our investigation of Jiuzhaigou Valley two months prior, this marked my first experience as a student anthropologist in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. During our stay, we also served as volunteers for several days at the Yangtze River Source Ecological Protection Station.

来到这里终于感受到了长江源之雄伟，青藏铁路以及青藏公路均架于沱沱河之上，每天晚上9点钟，这里的太阳还没有下山，夕阳之下，火车沿着铁路从沱沱河缓缓驶过，构成一幅极为美妙的画卷。

I finally grasped the true magnificence of the Yangtze River here, where the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Highway both span the Tuotuo River and the sun lingers until 9 p.m. As the train moves slowly along the tracks, it creates a stunning silhouette against the sunset.

在草原上，因为视野极为广阔，有时甚至让你在距离判断上产生错觉。站在沱沱河边看对岸，牧民的帐篷清晰可见，我以为河宽也就两三百米，于是准备让无人机飞到对岸。然而，最远飞行500米的无人机在飞到河的正上方时便无法再前进，提示“已达最大飞行距离”。我望向远处架设青藏铁路的桥墩，数了数，有三十多个，粗略估算了下，河宽至少1000米。后来保护站的工作人员土旦旦巴跟我说，河宽差不多有1500米。不过，下午就发生了一件不幸的事，来自另外一个团队的一个大哥，在飞无人机到河上空时，无人机失控，“炸机”掉河里了。我们都开玩笑说他要去上海黄浦江去打捞他的飞行器。

On the plateau, the vast horizon makes it incredibly easy to misjudge distances. For example, standing by the Tuotuo River, I could clearly see a herdsman’s tent on the opposite bank. I was under the illusion that the river was only two or three hundred meters wide, so I launched my drone to fly over to it. However, the drone—which has a range limit of 500 meters—hovered mid-river and refused to go further, flashing the “Maximum Distance Reached” warning on my iPad.

Realizing my error, I counted the piers of the railway bridge in the distance. There were more than 30, leading me to estimate the river was at least a kilometer wide. Tudan Danba later confirmed that the width is actually closer to 1.5 kilometers.

A river this wide can be unforgiving. That afternoon, a drone pilot from another team lost control of his aircraft; it crashed straight into the water and vanished instantly. We joked that he would have to travel all the way to the Huangpu River in Shanghai to salvage it.

通天河断崖位于青海省格尔木市唐古拉山镇长江源水生态保护站东约60公里处，断崖高约25米，长约5公里，濒危野生动物斑头雁就习惯于在断崖上筑巢繁衍。在过来的路上吐旦旦巴说如果运气好我们还会看到白唇鹿，可惜并没有看到。

The Tongtian River Cliff is a striking formation, stretching 5 kilometers long and rising 25 meters high. Located about 60 kilometers east of Tanggula Town in Golmud City, Qinghai, this area is a haven for wildlife. It serves as a nesting ground for the endangered bar-headed goose and a habitat for the threatened white-lipped deer (Thorold’s deer).

2016年7月16日，我利用飞行器对其进行了全景的拍摄。此时的飞行器高度120米（从停车处所在平面计算）当时的我正蹲在途中车后部的阴影处，面对iPad操纵航拍飞行器（阴影中的白点，实际上是帽子），我旁边的是徐老师。

I captured this aerial panorama on July 16, 2016, flying at an altitude of 120 meters relative to our SUV. The sunlight was so intense that I had to squat in the car’s shadow just to see the iPad screen while piloting the drone. If you look closely at the shadow, the white spot is actually a hat worn by Professor Xu, who was crouching there with me.

远处还有另外一个白点，那是一个牧民的帐篷，也是我们这次的目的地。

Our next destination was yet another white spot in the distance, this time a herdsman’s tent.

“烟瘴挂”一词源自于藏语，意为“烟雾缭绕的地方”，是长江上的第一个大峡谷。该大峡谷由中国第一位漂流长江并遇难的探险家尧茂书命名。

The name ‘Yanzhanggua’ is a Tibetan transliteration meaning ‘a smoky place.’ It refers to the first grand gorge of the Yangtze River, named by Yao Maoshu, the pioneering Chinese explorer who rafted the Yangtze. Tragically, Yao lost his life in the Jinsha River when his raft struck a rock.

2016年7月3日，位于峡谷旁的措池村举行了第一届雪豹文化节以及“长江第一峡谷”的揭牌仪式。按照藏族习俗，活动开始前的早上要进行煨桑仪式，我们以航拍全景的方式还原了这次文化盛会。

On July 3, 2016, the first Snow Leopard Cultural Festival and the opening ceremony for the ‘First Gorge of the Yangtze River’ took place in Cuochi Village, located adjacent to the gorge. In accordance with Tibetan custom, a lha bsang (aromatic plant burning) ritual was performed in the morning prior to the main event. The following panorama captures the scene.

2017年8月8日，世界文化遗产九寨沟发生地震，海子干涸。下面的九寨沟360度全景航拍图拍摄制作于地震前一年，即2016年5月份，这或许是为数不多的能够展现震前九寨沟全貌的图像了。

On August 8, 2017, a major earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou Valley, causing the lakes within the valley to drain completely. The following 360-degree aerial virtual tours were captured in May 2016, just over a year prior to the disaster. As the final panoramic records taken before the earthquake, these images provided crucial data for post-disaster reconstruction efforts.

此套漫游图涵盖：热西寨、老热西寨、树正寨、荷叶寨、沃若寨、盘亚寨、则查洼寨、黑角寨以及扎如寺共九个点。我不得不说说荷叶寨确实很像一个荷叶。

The panoramas cover the following locations: Rexi, Old Rexi, Shuzheng, Heye, Woruo, Panya, Zechawa, and Heijiao Valleys, as well as Zharu Temple. Seen from above, Heye Valley—which translates to ‘Lotus Leaf Valley’—bears a striking resemblance to its namesake.