In autumn, you must go to Kanas!

autumn

Often there are abundant fruits and golden colors

But in the autumn in Kanas, Xinjiang

Endowed with unlimited possibilities

It can be a clear blue lake under a clear sky (please watch in horizontal mode, Kanas Lake in autumn, photographer @焦潇翔)

▼

It can also be a gorgeous forest surrounded by clouds and mist

(Kanas Forest in autumn, image source: Visual China)

▼

It can be the ice and snow on the towering mountains

(The snowy hillside of Hemu Village in Kanas, photographer @焦潇翔)

▼

It can also be a warm house in the wisps of smoke

(Hemu Village in autumn, photographer @陈小羊)

▼

People like to describe it as a "fairy tale world".

Not only the dreamy and colorful scenery

More in this simple and peaceful world

(Children in Baihaba Village, Kanas, photographer @Haopei)

▼

However

When we really get close to it, we will find

Fairy tale of Kanas

Beautiful but short-lived

It's fleeting

Because behind it

It is the change of seasons

It is also a reincarnation spanning hundreds of thousands of years.

01 Short Autumn

- One year as a scale -

Kanas

Located in the northern part of Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang

China, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan

The border area of ​​​​Shikoku

The Altai Mountains

Standing like a guard

Our country's frontier

(Sketch of Kanas Lake and surrounding areas, drawn by @刘遥/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Remote location and mountainous environment

Kanas has been in a relatively isolated state for a long time.

But this cannot bury it

Because here

The time is now

The most beautiful autumn scenery in China

The most amazing visual feast is on stage

(Kanas Hemu River and Hemu New Village in autumn, photographer @焦潇翔)

▼

On the hillside

The forest with layers of color slowly unfolds

Dark green with verdant

Bright orange against golden yellow

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes

It's hard for you to imagine

The colors of nature can be so amazing

(The forest of Baihaba Village in Kanas, photographer @王汉冰)

▼

Under the hillside

The clear Kanas Lake ripples

When the clouds are clear and the wind is gentle

The lake is either deep or shallow

Or blue or green

Ever-changing, beautiful as a painting

(Kanas Lake in autumn, photographer @蒋晨明)

▼

In the lower reaches of Kanas Lake

The winding Kanas River flows through the valley

The gurgling water and the forest on the river bank complement each other

Playing a moving melody together

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Moon Bay of Kanas River after the snow in autumn, photographer @冯光柳)

▼

Early morning

A lingering mist shrouds it

Adds a unique dreamlike temperament to Kanas

(Shenxian Bay of Kanas River in the morning mist, photographer @陈小羊)

▼

At the foot of the mountain

Star-studded cabin

It also pushed this visual feast to a climax

(Hemu Village in autumn, image source: Visual China)

▼

Kanas at this time

It has become a well-deserved fairy tale world

You don’t even need advanced photography skills.

The romance captured by the frame is enough to make people fall in love with it at first sight

(The wooden "Hemu" archway in Hemu Village, Kanas, photographer @焦潇翔)

▼

However, such splendor is destined to be short-lived

Higher latitudes and altitudes

Make the golden autumn particularly short

But more than twenty days

October

A sudden heavy snow broke everything.

The earth is covered with white clothes

(Kanas Moon Bay after the snow, photographer @尘月RoyChen)

▼

Kanas Lake gradually begins to freeze

Winter

The ice thickness can reach more than 35 cm

The heavy snow put all the joy and noise to sleep

It's quiet at this moment

(Kanas Lake frozen in winter, image source: Visual China)

▼

The long winter will last until March of the following year.

Afterwards, the snow melted

Green grass and lush forests gradually occupy the hillside

Everything begins to accumulate strength for the splendor of autumn again

Waiting for nature's call

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Hemu Village in summer, image source: Visual China)

▼

Such and such

This autumn fairy tale is extremely romantic among the beautiful mountains and rivers

And it passes by in the changing of seasons

And come again in the next reincarnation

This one-year agreement

Kanas has never been absent

But when we extend the time scale

What seems eternal may be very fickle.

02 The fickle forest

- Measured in decades -

Aerial view

Altai Mountains from northwest to southeast

Like an impenetrable mountain wall

Standing in the northwest border of my country

(Altai Mountains covered with ice and snow, photographer @吴静)

▼

This mountain wall

Not only does it intercept a large amount of water vapor in the westerly belt

The low temperature caused by the high altitude

It also creates opportunities for "distinguished guests" who shouldn't be here

Taiga

It is made of spruce, fir, larch, etc.

A series of cold-tolerant tree species in the boreal forest belt

Normally

They only occur in cold regions north of 50 degrees north latitude.

But you can follow the slopes of the Altai Mountains

Heading south

Extends to 48 degrees north latitude

(Kanas Taiga Forest in late autumn, photographer @焦潇翔)

▼

Lush Taiga Forest

It not only brings a different kind of vitality to Kanas

It is similar to broad-leaved species such as Betula serrata and Populus tremula.

It has also created

A forest aesthetic unique to Kanas

This aesthetic is first reflected in the altitude

High to Low

Different tree species compete to grow in their respective territories

View from a distance

Like a ribbon around the hillside

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Kanas Forest in autumn, image source: Visual China)

▼

But that doesn't seem to be enough

Next Steps

The power of nature will bring the second element of aesthetics

Changeable

But this time the director is no longer Altitude

But an unexpected guest from the sky

Thunder and Lightning

(Please watch horizontally, Xinjiang Kurdning lightning, this is just for illustration, photographer @deep blue sky)

▼

After a thunderstorm

Some forests caught fire

Siberian larch and a few other trees

With its tall and fire-resistant characteristics

Survived with difficulty

(Forest fires in the United States, only for illustration, image source: Visual China)

▼

The earth fell into desolation again

But at the same time

A new world is emerging

First up are sun-loving herbs

Sedge grass, purple-bracted iris, etc.

Take advantage of ultra-fast nutrient absorption

Rapid growth

(Iris purpurogenum, image source @Wikimedia Commons)

▼

Shrubs such as blue honeysuckle and big-leaf spirea also came here after hearing the news.

(Blue honeysuckle, image source @Wikimedia Commons)

▼

Afterwards

The broad-leaved trees that also love the sun began to take root

Betula pendula

Rapidly germinated and became a pioneer species

They grow very quickly

In 20 years, it can exceed 18 meters

(Please watch in horizontal mode, young birch trees in Kanas, photographer @王汉冰)

▼

But as broadleaf trees grow

The gaps between the tree canopies are gradually narrowing

The sun is blocked out

The environment under the forest becomes damp

then

Lots of light-loving herbs

With the dwarf broadleaf trees beginning to decline

(The understory environment of Kanas Forest, image source: Visual China)

▼

Instead, it is replaced by deer hoof grass, etc.

Shade-tolerant herbs and shrubs

They are either milky white or fiery red, scattered in the forest.

Brings a different kind of beauty to the forest

(Red deer hoof grass, image source @Wikimedia Commons)

▼

at the same time

Siberian spruce, Siberian fir, etc.

Shade-tolerant and cold-tolerant coniferous tree species continue to grow

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Kanas Forest where conifers and broad-leaved trees coexist, photographer @Fier斐兒's nomadic plan)

▼

About 80 years later

The crown of coniferous trees will gradually rise to the upper layers

Height up to 40 meters

It has become the tallest tree in Kanas area.

Aerial view

The coniferous trees are like thousands of arrows pointing straight to the sky, magnificent and majestic.

(Kanas Forest in winter, image source: Visual China)

▼

The shade layer they form

It will also block the broad-leaved forest from absorbing sunlight.

then

Over time

The number of broad-leaved trees is gradually decreasing.

A world dominated by coniferous forests is quietly born

(Kanas Forest, which is dominated by coniferous forests, image source: @Visual China)

▼

This spans decades

Even hundreds of years of vegetation replacement process

Also called igneous succession

(Illustration of igneous succession in the Kanas Taiga forest. There are many different vegetation communities distributed in the Kanas forest. Only one community is shown here. Map by @刘志鹏/星球研究院)

▼

Such and such

Forests are constantly renewed between fires

But since every forest is struck by lightning

Intensity and time are not the same

So at similar altitudes

It is common to see forests in different stages of succession.

This has become the finishing touch of Kanas Forest Aesthetics.

(Kanas Fairy Bay in autumn, photographer @笑飞雪)

▼

therefore

The ultimate landscape we see now

In ten years, it will be a different world.

Even in the next moment

All may overturn

And this cycle of reincarnation and change, which lasts for decades to hundreds of years,

It also once again announced the Kanas fairy tale

A fleeting fate

So

If we extend the time scale further

Turn your gaze to the river that seems more eternal

Can the beauty of fairy tales be frozen in time?

03 An accidental river bend

- Measured in hundreds of years -

The answer still seems to be no

1931

Only 200 kilometers away from Kanas

A magnitude 8 earthquake occurred in Fuyun County, Altay

1988

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Fuyun County again

(The Kekesuli Lake in Keketuohai National Geopark was formed by a collapsed basin caused by the 1931 Fuyun County earthquake, which later accumulated water to form a lake. Image source: Visual China)

▼

Frequent earthquakes

It will cause landslides and mud-rock flows

Down along Kanas Lake

The beautiful Kanas River flows through the mountains

Downstream of Wolong Bay

A huge arc-shaped pile

Extending from the shore to the center of the river

Dense forest covers it

It's hard to see its true appearance

This was caused by an earthquake hundreds of years ago.

Kanas Wolong Bay and the accumulation bodies downstream, image source @Visual China, map @Liu Zhipeng/Planet Research Institute)

▼

The earthquake

Not only did a lot of soil wash down the hillside

It completely changed the fate of Kanas River.

then

In the river

Due to the obstruction of silt, the water may rise and flood the beach.

A foot-shaped grass beach was left behind

Known as "Genghis Khan's Footprints"

(Kanas Moon Bay in summer, picture source @Visual China, map @Liu Zhipeng/Planet Research Institute)

▼

Or some of the silt will be deposited in the center of the river

Formed a river island shaped like a sleeping dragon

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Kanas Wolong Bay in autumn, photographer @陈小羊, map @刘志鹏/Planet Research Institute)

▼

The blocked river may burst

Forming rapids and dangerous shoals

(The river downstream of Wolong Bay in Kanas River, photographer @郭远东)

▼

thus

The dreamy and colorful river bend of Kanas River was formed

(Schematic diagram of the formation of Wolong Bay in Kanas River, drawn by @Rongshu & Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

Aerial view

The water surface is green and clean

Like a ribbon lingering in the valley

(Aerial photography of Shenxian Bay, Moon Bay and Wolong Bay of Kanas River, photographer @Hao Pei, map @Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

However

Beautiful scenery can be created by chance

But at the same time, it can also disappear in the next accident.

As we cannot predict

The next geological disaster is coming

At that time

Tremors in the mountains

Will once again cause mud and gravel to pour down

Maybe Shenxian Bay will be reshaped

Or maybe cut off Moon Bay

It is more likely to block Wolong Bay and turn it into a barrier lake.

(Shenxian Bay of Kanas River in winter, picture source: Visual China)

▼

But anyway

This cycle of destruction and creation lasts for hundreds of years.

It will continue to be performed in Kanas River Valley

What we see now

All dreams, peace and tranquility will eventually become fleeting beauty

(Kanas River, photographer @杜鹏飞)

▼

However

When we transcend human vision

From a more grand and larger perspective

Kanas can also be another kind of fleeting

The Evanescent Lake

- 100,000 years as a scale -

This time the protagonists are no longer rivers and forests

But the magnificent Kanas Lake

At the lake exit

Rows of small curved hills

Arranged neatly on the ground

They may be covered by tall trees.

Or covered with low shrubs and meadows

Looking from a distance, it looks like waves pushing forward

(The mouth of Kanas Lake, photographer @阿丑)

▼

These "waves"

It has not only become a unique and beautiful landscape

It also revealed the mystery of Kanas Lake's origin

That is

glacier

(Please watch horizontally, Altai Mountains Friendship Peak Glacier, photographer @Hao Pei)

▼

each year

The constant west wind

Bringing abundant water vapor to the Altai Mountains

Northern geographical location

and higher altitudes

This allows a large amount of water vapor to be quickly "captured"

Become snowfall

(Hemu Village in winter, image source: Visual China)

▼

Heavy and prolonged snow cover

The birthplace of a large-scale glacier

According to statistics

The glacier reserves in the Altai Mountains can reach 31.76 cubic kilometers.

Can fill 222 West Lakes

(Altai Mountain Glacier and Cirque Lake, Photographer @Hao Pei)

▼

If you think this is all about Altai Glaciers

You underestimate the power of nature.

Over the past hundreds of thousands of years

Due to changes in the Earth's rotation orbit

The cycle of glacial periods and interglacial periods continues

The glaciers repeatedly advance and retreat

At its peak

It can extend to Tuojing Bay, 20 kilometers downstream from the mouth of Kanas Lake.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Camel Neck Bay of Kanas River, photographer @刘新海)

▼

Its strong erosion ability

It digs away at the mountain like an excavator.

They sharpen the mountains

(Altai Mountains, photographer @吴静)

▼

Smooth out the valley floor

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the glacial U-shaped valley where Kanas Lake and Kanas River are located, picture source @Visual China, map @Liu Zhipeng/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

then

A large amount of debris flows down with the glacier

and pile up at the end

Like natural dams

After the glaciers retreat

It can intercept meltwater and form a lake

Moraine-dammed lake

(Schematic diagram of the formation of moraine-dammed lake, drawn by @张琪月/Planetary Research Institute)

▼

In addition, the fracture and subsidence of the earth's crust

The lake basin is deepening

The second deepest lake in my country

Kanas Lake was born

(Kanas Lake in autumn, photographer @柴俊峰)

▼

Lake area: 45.73 square kilometers

Maximum depth up to 188.5 meters

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Kanas Lake, photographer @马新元)

▼

also

In Kanas area

Due to glacial erosion and accumulation

There are many lakes formed

The turquoise and pure twin lakes

(The Twin Lakes in autumn, with Kanas Lake in the distance, photographer @郝沛)

▼

The deep dark black lake

(Kanas Black Lake, photographer @Hao Pei)

▼

This lake with thousands of shapes

Like stars dotted among the mountains

Under the cover of mist, quiet and peaceful

But did you know

Today, the magnificent and vast Kanas Lake

In fact, it is only about 10,000 to 20,000 years.

It's not even as good as our ancestors

History of late Homo sapiens

If tens of thousands of years later

When the next ice age comes

Snow and ice will pour down from the mountaintops again

Gradually destroying the forest

Slowly filling up the lake

Slowly surround the valley

Covering the earth with silver

(Kanas Glacier under the Friendship Peak of the Altai Mountains, photographer @Hao Pei)

▼

Kanas is like a fairy tale world frozen by magic

Falling into a deep sleep quietly

And when warmth comes again, it will be a brand new look

then

In this cycle of reincarnation with a period of 100,000 years

The fairy tale world is constantly reshaped

Kanas Lake is of great significance to the history of the entire earth.

It is also destined to be a fleeting fate

end

This is Kanas

Dreamy autumn

In the fleeting change of seasons

(Moon Bay of Kanas River, image source: Visual China)

▼

Colorful forest

Renewing the cycle in thunder and lightning

(Kanas Forest in autumn, photographer @王宁)

▼

An accidental river bend

Constantly changing amidst the tremors of the earth

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Kanas River Fairy Bay under the morning mist, photographer @陈小羊)

▼

Magnificent lake

It is also transformed and reborn in the advance and retreat of glaciers

(Kanas Lake and Fish Viewing Pavilion, photographer @陈小羊)

▼

And in the longer time

Even as majestic as the Altai Mountains

It's just a moment

After all, on the earth

The only constant is change itself

(Overlooking the Altai Mountains, photographer @杨一生)

▼

actually

There is life in the mountains and rivers

Just like our life

There is a beginning and an end

There are highs and lows

For the entire earth

Kanas today

But it's fleeting like a bright shooting star

We are also but a moment

How lucky I am to meet you

Kanas accepted us

We loved it too

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Kanas Lake in the rain, picture source: Visual China)

▼

This article was created by

Written by Shi Xiaofei

Editor: Yunwukongcheng

Image: Long Shijie

Design: Liu Zhipeng & Zhang Qiyue & Banyan Tree

Map: Liu Yao

Review: Mirror & Li Chuyang & Wang Luzhi & Chen Zhihao

Head Photographer: Jiao Xiaoxiang

Cover Photographer: Chen Xiaoyang

【References】

[1] Yang Geng. Research on the landscape characteristics, causes and development model of geological relics in Kanas National Geopark, Xinjiang[D]. Chengdu University of Technology, 2013.

[2] Yang Yuping. Types of igneous successional communities in Kanas Taiga forest and their relationship with environmental and fire disturbance factors[D]. Xinjiang Agricultural University, 2018.

[3] Zhang Mingru, De Yongjun, Li Yuling, et al. Forest Ecology[M]. Inner Mongolia University Press, 2006.

[4] Liu Cuiling, Pan Cunde, Kou Futang, et al. Relationship between forest landscape aesthetic quality and natural fire disturbance in Kanas tourist area, Xinjiang [J]. Journal of Forestry Science, 2010, 46(01): 9-14.

[5] Zhang Huihui. Study on species diversity characteristics of forest communities in Kanas tourist area, Xinjiang[D]. Xinjiang Agricultural University, 2023.

[6] Li Jiting. Study on physical and mechanical parameters of ice and ice surface bearing capacity in Kanas Lake, Xinjiang[D]. Northeast Forestry University, 2017.

[7] Zhang Wei, Fu Yanjing, Liu Beibei, et al. Late Quaternary glacial geomorphic evolution in the Kanas River Valley of the Altay Mountains[J]. Acta Geographica Sinica, 2015, 70(05): 739-750.

[8] Wang Siwen. Evolution of Kanas Lake in the Altai Mountains, Xinjiang[D]. Liaoning Normal University, 2016.

[9] Luo Shufei, Li Zhongqin, Wang Puyu, et al. Changes in glacier reserves in the Youyi Peak area of ​​the Altai Mountains, China over the past 50 years [J]. Arid Land Resources and Environment, 2014(5):6.

[10] Wen Hao. Kanas Tourism Geography: The Secret World of Kanas[M]. Xinjiang Fine Arts and Photography Publishing House, 2007.