Cangyuan Vine Bridge: The "Flying" Passage Over the Grand Canyon for School Attendance
Source: Tourism World
On the vine bridge, children of Nu River are going to school.
Hearsay is unreliable, but seeing is believing. When I first heard that there were hundreds of bridges over the Nu River Grand Canyon, I was half-believing and half-doubting. It wasn't until I traveled from Luku to Bingzhongluo and saw countless bridges of various sizes, lengths, newness, sturdiness, and conditions spanning the turbulent river that I silently believed it.
Traveling against the water towards the north, the whole journey was through high mountains, rapid streams, and grand canyons. Today we crossed the Gaoligong Mountains, and tomorrow we would traverse the Biluo Snow Mountains; sometimes on the left bank of the river, sometimes on the right. No matter which side of the road we were on, the view of the uniquely styled and varied bridges over the Nu River was endless. Thus, an idea sprouted in my mind: a museum of bridges spans across the Nu River.
I noted down the names of some bridges: the Curved Bridge, the Leap Forward Bridge, the Bifu Bridge, the Shide Bridge, the Puladi Bridge, the Huitong Bridge, and the Souni Bridge near the Yunnan-Tibet border.
These bridges flashed before my eyes in different forms: pedestrian and horse suspension bridges that both humans and mule caravans could pass through, steel-concrete bridges, iron chain bridges, and stone-arch bridges that automobiles and tractors could drive over, plank suspension bridges, and vine bridges. Regardless of how they appeared, their fundamental nature remained unchanged—they were all bridges without piers. Due to the swift and high waves of the Nu River, no one has been able to plant bridge piers into the riverbed. Instead, they had to find relatively narrow spots between the two banks to build suspension or stone-arch bridges. In some places, they had to detour several kilometers before finding a place to build a suspension bridge to cross the river.
In Fugong County, the first county north of Luku, I learned that building a decent pedestrian and horse suspension bridge costs around 500,000 yuan, a figure unimaginable to locals. The entire annual fiscal revenue of a county is only about ten million yuan. How much money can they allocate for bridge construction? Fortunately, the national and local governments have allocated over 60 million yuan, constructing 21 pairs of vine bridges, 10 temporary bridges, 3 pedestrian and horse suspension bridges, 3 tractor suspension bridges, and 2 automobile suspension bridges. However, out of the 21 pairs of vine bridges, 17 pairs urgently need replacement, and those 10 temporary bridges have become dangerous bridges. I personally walked on a few of them and observed: the iron chains underneath hadn’t been replaced for decades, the wooden planks laid above were sparse and disordered, with wide gaps between some planks where a person could fall through. The vertical boards for stepping on were poorly connected and showed signs of decay. Although I’ve crossed countless iron chain bridges and consider myself skilled, when I looked down at the surging river on this temporary bridge over the Nu River, my legs trembled and went weak, and I felt dizzy and disoriented.
Among all the bridges, the ones that made me most anxious were the vine bridges swaying over the great river, because these were the bridges countless children must cross to go to school.
There are two types of vine bridges. One type consists of single ropes with equal heights at both ends, where a pulley is attached to a rope across the river, and one uses hand and foot strength to slide across. The other type consists of double ropes, utilizing the height difference at both ends to slide automatically. The children use the second type for school, while the first type is suitable only for strong young adults.
In Maji Township of Fugong County, I observed and experienced a double vine bridge with height differences. As we approached, everyone in our group stepped back. Looking at the thin rope swinging in the air and glancing down at the rolling river below, everyone stuck out their tongues and shook their heads. Being the heaviest and oldest among us, I should have been the first to retreat. But then I thought, even six or seven-year-old elementary school students can do it independently, so shouldn’t I, who has wandered for decades, be able to cross a vine bridge? And I've always believed that whether it's a vine bridge, a log bridge, or a cable car, under normal circumstances, there is no danger as long as you maintain the right mindset and courage.
I decided to cross by myself, but the tour guide arranged for a young man to escort me like a bodyguard. A sturdy, elliptical seat held my bottom, with two nylon ropes at each end of the seat. Above were two semi-circular iron hooks the size of fists, hooked together onto the vine bridge. The accompanying young man hung opposite me. Originally with my feet on the ground, once everything was set up, lifting my legs made me shoot off like an arrow leaving the bow, zipping away from the shore instantly. With the speed, height, wind, and river sounds, plus the abyss beneath me, I couldn’t help but close my eyes. Within seconds, I reached the other side of the 200-meter-long vine bridge. The young man said we had arrived, but I was still dazed, truly faster than flying! My mind was blank during my first experience sliding on a vine bridge.
On the return trip, I was much more aware, keeping my eyes open this time. I noticed that before starting, the young man deliberately grabbed a handful of grass from the side, though I didn't know its purpose. This time, I clearly saw the towering mountains on both sides and the deep valley and rapids beneath me. Just as we were about to rush ashore, a few seconds before landing, the young man tightly gripped the cable with his grass-holding hand, immediately reducing the speed. He explained that grabbing the grass was for deceleration; otherwise, inertia would crash us into the rock wall upon arrival. This method was simple, economical, and convenient. Coincidentally, it was also the dismissal time for elementary school students. Observing carefully, it seemed that every child had a handful of grass in their hands!
After leaving Maji Township, I couldn't stop thinking about those elementary school students who relied on vine bridges to cross the river for schooling. One day, in a store in Bingzhongluo Town, everyone was generously spending money buying candies, pastries, and clothes for the mountain families. After much thought, I recalled those elementary school students crossing the vine bridges in the cold weather. The wind in the valley was even colder, and snow often fell. The children’s small hands holding the grass were completely exposed to the rain, snow, and river winds. If they became numb from the cold and couldn't grip tightly upon reaching the other side, failing to decelerate, wouldn't accidents happen? Perhaps no incidents have occurred, but that's what I worried about. So, I bought dozens of gloves and entrusted someone to give them to those elementary school students, hoping that when they crossed the river, they wouldn't have to hold a handful of grass exposed to the cold wind. Whose parents wouldn't feel heartbroken seeing their children cross the river like that?
I asked, and learned that local children start learning to slide on vine bridges when they are five or six years old. The school is on the other side of the river, so how else can they go to school if not by vine bridge? Not going to school is something adults cannot allow. When asked about their greatest wish, the children said they hoped for a bridge to cross the river to attend school—any bridge that they could walk across would suffice.
A single steel wire, a thin nylon rope, a homemade pulley, and a handful of dry grass in their hands—these are the tools with which a six or seven-year-old child challenges and conquers the canyon and rapids of the Nu River, which is incredible! In the city, children are picked up and dropped off at school by their parents using various modes of transportation, whereas here, the children already possess the balance of life with their tiny, pitiable bodies. Whenever I think about this, my heart quivers...
Nu River, please bless these children who "fly" over the grand canyon to attend school!
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