Zhongliang Mountain Hiking: The Mine Deserves a Better Home

When I was about two or three years old, the first time I remember going from the district to the main city, I met Zhongliangshan.

When we were close to the main city, my mom told me that this is called a "tunnel," which is a hole dug by humans in the mountains. Later, my mom told me about her story when she was 20 years old, about her surprise and restraint when she first saw a tunnel when she entered the city.

The only impression I have of Zhongliangshan as a child is "tunnel," amazed at the great power of humans, and amazed at what these two hands and two legs can accomplish. And now, in Zhongliangshan, which is about 100 kilometers long and 2-7 kilometers wide from north to south, 10 tunnels have been built from north to south, including Shijialiang Tunnel, Beibei Tunnel, Xiema Tunnel, Tuzhu Tunnel, Shuangbei Tunnel, University City Tunnel, Zhongliangshan Tunnel, Huayan Tunnel, Huafu Tunnel, and Huanshanping Tunnel; there are also 5 tunnels under construction and planning: Caijia Tunnel, Jingkou Tunnel, University City Double-line Tunnel, Baishiyi Tunnel, and Taojia Tunnel.

As I grew older, I saw the elders around me experience layoffs, early retirement, and the closure of coal mines at different times. I also visited the declining Zhongliangshan coal mine, the gray and ignorant era of black gold. Whether in the long river of history or in my own memory, it ended hastily like this. The workers who had relied on the coal mine for their whole lives were not prepared, and the plants and trees in the mining area were not prepared, and I was not prepared either.

When I was a child, the flowers and trees in the mining area were always covered in coal ash, as if they could never be cleaned. But now, it only took a few years of rain to clean the mining area completely. I can only sigh and say that the once "man can conquer nature" is no match for the baptism of nature.

The road into the mining area is still congested and dirty. When you reach the "Zhongliangshan Mine Park" on the mountain road, it feels like you have entered another world: the bottom of the mountain is dilapidated, and the top of the mountain is filled with middle-class camping tents. The park has not been completely repaired, so when there is a large number of people on weekends, there are red armbands at the entrance to prevent entry, but there is no one guarding from Monday to Friday.

Following the constructed trail, the bright sun shines on me, and Chongqing in April is already so hot. When I reached the first intersection, I turned right and walked along the corner of the building, and I could walk on the path to Zhongliangshan for a spring outing.

The ecological restoration has been so fast that I didn't expect it. Not far from the mining area, bamboo forests, flower seas, and bird songs come along. The stone slabs under my feet become light, and the bamboo forest provides shade for walking, while the flower sea beckons as the goal of this trip.

I don't know if everyone prefers more uphill at the beginning of a hike or a uniform distribution throughout the journey. Personally, I prefer the rhythm of uphill first, then flat road, and then downhill. When I am still in high spirits, I can experience the joy of "infinite beauty on dangerous peaks."

After walking up the hill for a short time, I reached a relatively flat hilltop, with a pungent smell. "When the willows are bright, another village appears." After stepping on the stone path, the scenery rushes into view, and everything I see is beautiful. In the distance, there is a large area of villas, a little closer is the locust flower forest that I have never seen before, and by my side, there are lush plants blooming with tiny flowers. Natural things are always slow, whether it is the blooming of a flower or the falling leaves that the spring breeze does not take away. They are full of chance and inevitability. Such moments in life are rare.

Because of my grown-up self, I hardly observe how many days it takes for a flower to bloom, the way silkworms spit silk, or the process of ants moving.

I picked a bunch of pure white locust flowers, and the fragrance hit me. I put it on my chest, rising and falling with my heartbeat. Locust flowers can be steamed and eaten, and there is also good locust flower honey to accompany meals, but I haven't seen much locust flower perfume. Perhaps its fragrance is too direct, lacking layers.

The feeling of looking at the locust flower forest from a high place is completely different from the feeling of standing in front of a locust tree. The overlooking perspective, like a god, shows only white floating shadows. When observed up close, it has a cool and light touch, which gives me a more intuitive understanding of locust flowers.

The spring-limited flower sea landscape is splendid at the foot of Zhongliangshan in spring. Walking down the mountain, wandering among the wild rapeseed flowers, every frame is a beautiful scene. The wild rapeseed flowers depict the colors, and the wild chrysanthemums present the fragrance. After a turn in the road, I saw a shepherd driving nearly a hundred lambs on the road. The lambs are no different from children, jumping up and down.

Finally, I arrived at the side of the mine. It used to be a mining quarry for Mengte, but after it was closed, the huge pit filled with water formed a blue mine pit. Chongqing has similar mine pits in Yubei and Tongluoshan.

The emerald blue lake water echoes the blue sky with only one cloud. There is always only one cloud floating in the sky, just like there is only one hiker in this wilderness.

After passing through the mine pit, I soon reached the foot of the mountain and entered the village again. Along the way, there are fields and paths crisscrossing, and the planted pepper trees are pruned very low, unable to provide shade, so I can only walk in the sun. It's really hot, so I sat in front of a villager's pepper drying room and had dry food for lunch under the shade of a loquat tree.

The weather was too hot, and the drinking water I brought was almost gone. After walking this section, I saw the flower sea again, giving my almost-giving-up spirit another boost.

Then, on the roadside, I saw a small shop and quickly bought some water as a supply. Later, I met a group of spontaneous hiking enthusiasts and walked down the mountain with the group.

You can either continue uphill to return to the starting point, which is about 18 kilometers in total, or you can go downhill and see a bus stop within 500 meters, where you can take a bus to Tiaodeng Light Rail Station. If you walk uphill, it feels less interesting along the road. So I waited for a while and found that the bus basically runs every two hours.

With the idea of giving it a try, I waved to stop a car. A vegetable transport van stopped, and after getting on the car, I found that the driver was actually a fellow villager. We happily talked about the shiitake mushroom planting industry. Life is always full of surprises as long as you don't give up.

This hiking trip allowed me, a child from the mining area, to see another way out of the mine, apart from the silence and the end. Perhaps our hometown will also become better.

📒 Chopsticks Little Hand Travel Notes