The mysterious Kunlun, the source of three rivers! Why is this desolate, vast and uninhabited land called the Asian Water Tower?

When we mention the Kunlun Mountains, we will think of the vast Gobi, the long yellow sand, the ultra-high altitude, the forbidden area of ​​life, but there are also How many people know that this is also the source of the three Asian super rivers, the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River? Does that sound contradictory? But it really is like that.

< span>Sanjiangyuan is the first national park in my country and the largest national park in the world. It is located in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is the birthplace of the Yangtze River, Yellow River and Lancang River. It is known as the “China Water Tower” and “Asian Water Tower” The reputation of “Water Tower”. Moreover, the geographical wonder that the three major rivers originated in the same region is unique in the world.

< span>The total area of ​​Sanjiangyuan National Park is 123,100 square kilometers, which is larger than that of many provincial jurisdictions. It involves four counties of Zhiduo, Qumalai, Maduo, Zaduo and the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve. There are famous The Kunlun Mountains, Bayan Har Mountains, Tanggula Mountains and other mountain ranges are crisscrossed by river valleys, continuous snow-capped mountains and glaciers.

< span>The average altitude of this area is above 4,500 meters, and there are life-exclusion zones exceeding 5,000 meters. There are vast snowfields, many rivers, swamps and lakes. There are as many as 167 lakes with an area of ​​more than 1 square kilometer, and these lakes are basically They are all formed by the melting of ice and snow from glaciers and snow-capped mountains, and then slowly form countless small rivers, which finally flow into the three major rivers, the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River.

< span>Although it is called Sanjiangyuan, the source of the three rivers is actually different. In contrast, the source of the Yangtze River is famous for its beautiful mountains and glaciers, while the source of the Yellow River has a large number of lakes, which are dotted with each other, showing a “thousands of lakes” The spectacle of the competition, the source of the Lancang River is famous for its canyons.

< span>The source of the Three Rivers is very large. During our excursion of “The Source of the Three Rivers, the Mysterious Kunlun”, we actually only reached the periphery of the source of the Yangtze River, which is the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve and the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve. the intersection area.

It is understood that there are actually several areas at the source of the Yangtze River. The Chumar River, Tuotuo River, Tongtian River and Quma River are the main ones, and the place we arrived is called the Quma River, which both belong to the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve and the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve. The altitude here is 4700 Mi, most people will have altitude sickness when they arrive here, so avoid strenuous exercise such as running and jumping.

< span>When we raised the drone and overlooked this area from the air, although the vegetation was sparse, the drought and rain were scarce, we could still see the river vertically and horizontally, although we did not know whether the river we saw was the song written on the sign. Ma River, but at least one of its tributaries, will eventually merge into the Yangtze River. Speaking of which, it can be regarded as drinking the same river as our downstream cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Hanyu, etc.

< span>It is said that drinking water thinks of the source. As children of the Yangtze River Basin, when we come to this ecologically sensitive and fragile land and see the high-altitude, semi-desert primitive alpine grassland wetland, we will inevitably have mixed feelings in our hearts. Perhaps it is far less suitable than the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Home, rich, but very mysterious and sacred!