Original title: Autumn of Qinba
Liu Bing
In the Qinba region, which is located in the transition zone between north and south of China, autumn lasts the longest. Unlike autumn in North China, which is fleeting, and Lingnan, where there is no particularly strong seasonal difference, autumn in Qinba is long and lasting, leaving people with endless aftertaste.
In October, under the drizzle of autumn rain, the emerald green mountains in the Qinba Mountains gradually turned red, appearing like every layer of forest was dyed. Red leaves dot the hillsides and valleys, dotted like a fiery red ocean, making Bashan Chushui picturesque.
I particularly like the red leaves in Qinba, which dye the autumn red and make the autumn colors stay in my heart. The red leaves on thousands of trees look like rolling flames from a distance. A cool autumn wind blew by, and the red leaves slowly fell from the trees, reluctantly saying goodbye to the mother tree that nourished them and returning to the earth.
On the G316 national highway, you can experience the stunning scenery of “cars traveling in the mountains and people swimming in the paintings.” The colorful water colors and dazzling forest sea create the most beautiful red leaf gallery between the towering Qinling Mountains and Bashan Mountain. Among them, the fiery red leaves of Cochina japonica are the best among the red leaves, which are particularly dazzling.
Rather than driving, I prefer to walk in the mountains and forests of Qinba. This hazy feeling gives me the comfort of being in a fairyland. If you look carefully, you can see that the red leaves are mixed with a complex background, and the colors have many levels. Purple red, pink, orange red, golden red, brown red, maroon red, and in some places are decorated with goose yellow and grass green, like a colorful fairyland.
Strolling along the mountain trails, the leaves of sycamore trees and white birches are flowing and free. After the autumn harvest, scarecrows stand in the middle of the rice fields. They seem to have forgotten their responsibilities and let the turtledoves and sparrows peck at the rice ears. In the distance of the rice field, there are many Barmao roots, clusters connected to each other, and they are integrated with the mountains in the distance.
The mountains of Qinba are densely forested and rich in fruits. Every autumn, the mountains and ridges are covered with bright yellow jujubes, thick sweet sorghum stalks and fiery red persimmons. Because of such rich products, many villages still have the habit of making local wine. When you walk into the small village in Shan’aozi, you will see smoke rising from the earth stove at the end of the courtyard, exuding a strong aroma of wine.
“Autumn has been a sad and lonely time since ancient times.” In autumn, people always feel melancholy. Autumn in southern Shaanxi is always accompanied by cold rain. The autumn wind rustles in the cold rain. Watching the leaves fall, my heart becomes more and more sad, and it is easier to think of lost things. Standing in the mountains of Qinba, one gradually understands the meaning of life from nature, and enters a spiritual realm that is both hazy and indescribable. It is inevitable to feel sad and sad.
Autumn is passing, and youth is hard to come back. Life, like the climate of Qinba, also has four seasons. Entering late autumn, after the nourishment of spring and the experience of summer, we become more calm and mature, so that we can better welcome the arrival of severe winter.
