Editor's words
For 16 years, Zhong Yang, a professor of Fudan University, has trekked more than 500000 kilometers on the snow covered plateau, climbing up to more than 6000 meters above sea level, overcoming extreme cold, altitude response and other difficult conditions, collecting more than 40 million seeds of thousands of plants, and storing a rich genetic treasure for the country and mankind; He devoted his enthusiasm to the whole western region, trained a large number of students in ethnic minority areas, and helped Tibet University to create one first after another.
Zhong Yang sticks to his original intention and takes root in the motherland; Remember the mission, not afraid of wind, frost, snow and rain. He climbed the highest mountain with his sincerity, and built a monument with his eternal life: the country is supreme, the nation is supreme, and the people are supreme. Looking ahead, we need countless Communists like Zhong Yang to keep their original intention and mission in mind and contribute wisdom and strength to the realization of the "Two Centenary Goals" and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
From today on, our newspaper has published the story of Zhong Yang for five consecutive days. Let's listen to his original intention.
"I like dandelions best when I collect seeds. There are about 200 dandelions in a handful. I hate coconuts most. For such a large one, 5000 seeds should be collected for a sample, and trucks should be used to pull them." Zhong Yang, a professor of Fudan University and a famous botanist in China, is always humorous. What difficulties and hardships made him lift the weight like a joke.
In August 2005, Zhong Yang and his students walked along a muddy path on the Qiangtang Grassland in Tibet for a whole day.
Finally, I arrived at the county hotel. My hands and feet were too cold. There was only a stove burning cow dung in the room. To wash my face, I had to break the ice in the bucket with a hammer. Everyone was too tired to lift their heads. "Hang on a bit more!" Mr. Zhong took the lead in registering the plants collected during the day and pressing the specimens. "If you don't press the specimens, they will be abandoned and will be collected in vain one day.". The branches and leaves should be flattened and dried, and the seeds should be spread out to air. If there are berries, the "pulp" should be cleaned first. Fresh plants must be treated on the same day, or they may rot.
I was busy until two in the morning, and finally I could have a rest. The bed was a big open berth. Zhong Yang fell asleep soon and was suddenly awakened by a suffocating chest tightness. "Open some windows." He pushed the student Xiao Wang hard, and Xiao Wang got up in response. In the dark, he heard a loud "bang" and a cold wind came to his face - bad, he pushed the whole window down from the second floor
At 6 o'clock, Zhong Yang and the students got up early to pack and label the specimens and dried seeds, and the group set off again. "After driving, I looked back at the familiar earth wall, five color prayer flags, the hotel owner's family waving their farewell arms... Behind that, a ray of morning light just happened to throw into the open window, and my heart suddenly filled with warmth." Zhong Yang wrote in his work diary.
When traveling on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, sometimes we have to drive seven or eight hundred kilometers a day. It is common to burn the midnight oil, and it is more extravagant to have a meal. In order to save as much space as possible in the backpack for stuffed animals, Zhong Yang and his students often take only white flour cakes and mustard tuber, and when they are thirsty, they scoop water from the river. If they can have a ham sausage, it is a rare delicacy... "Hunger is the best food because food is not easy to digest. Hunger is the best monosodium glutamate," Zhong Yang said, but he was distressed by his students. Every time he set out from Lhasa, he would get up an hour earlier, Make a hearty and delicious breakfast for the students, and "start again after you've had enough."
Serious gout often broke out, Zhong Yang kept silent, quietly picked up a thick branch to lean on, and limped everyone up the mountain. When encountering ditches and obstacles, it is difficult to distinguish between safety and danger. He must personally explore the way, and let the students pass after confirming safety. On the winding road, the students' deepest impression is the tall and powerful figure in front, with dark mountaineering clothes on the upper part and white jeans on the lower part. Seeing Miss Zhong sweating with pain, the students were worried, but Miss Zhong always forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. Gout has two characteristics, one is pain, the other is coming and going like wind."
In the past 16 years, Zhong Yang has traveled all over the mountains and rivers of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and experienced countless moments of life and death. On the winding mountain road on the cliff, there was a huge rock falling down and hitting the car; Lost in the wilderness, no food, almost desperate, no water, no face, no hotel, wrapped in a coat to sleep in the car; When encountering heavy rain and hail, the car hid in the cave, listening to the wind around; After a tiring day, the high altitude reactions such as dizziness, nausea, weakness and diarrhea follow closely, but Zhong Yang often insists on chatting with the driver out of breath. He is afraid that the driver will doze off, but he also wants students to catch up on sleeping
"Once we went out for sampling, Miss Zhong said we would go to Ali. We all questioned that Ali was too high, too bitter, and there were few species. We could only take a few samples for a hard day, and no one would go there. If we went to Southeast Tibet, where there were many species, the conditions would be better, and the sampling quantity would be completed soon." Student Geng Yupeng recalled, but Miss Zhong said, "Just because no one else wants to go, we must go! There must be some unique plants that have not been discovered in Ali, which may be of great value to the country."
Today, more than 40 million seeds of thousands of plants collected by Zhong Yang and his students have been carefully stored in the cold storage at minus 20 ℃ and 15% humidity. They travel through time and space in quiet sleep, and will bloom vitality for future people in 80 to 120 years. "When the time comes, we will bring out one. Suppose that only 500 of the 5000 seeds can live and only 50 can bear seeds, but the plant will recover." Zhong Yang is full of hope, because at that time, these seeds will fulfill many people's dreams.
