Qilian Secret Realm · Binggou River | A Summer Glacier Kissed by Wind and Light

Morning mist has not yet dispersed🌫 I walked into Binggou River. The first thing that struck my heart was not the scenery, but the sound— the clear trickle of stream water flowing over mossy stones, like someone gently pouring a whole jar of glass beads into the valley. Walking deeper along the wooden plank road, sunlight was leaking through the gaps in the spruce trees. That light was not scattered, it was dripping💧 drop by drop, falling on the curled tender shoots of ferns, falling on the trembling tips of white wildflower petals. I squatted down to look at a patch of moss, they were fluffy and green, so seriously green, as if the time in this mountain stream was dyed inch by inch by them. Turning a corner, the river suddenly widened. In the distance, the snowy peaks of the Qilian Mountains floated against the blue sky❄ Nearby, the river water shimmered with a milky pale blue— the unique color of glacier meltwater. The water was so clear that you could see the patterns on every pebble, yet it was so cold it stung the cheeks from three steps away. Suddenly I felt, this was not a river, but a wound in the mountain, flowing its purest blood. In the afternoon, I sat on the meadow. The wind made the grass tips fuzzy, carrying the fresh scent of mint and pine needles🌿 A marmot peeked out from its burrow, its black bean-like eyes looked at me for a moment, then retreated back. Here, time seemed diluted— slow enough to watch the entire process of light moving across a leaf. On the way down the mountain, the wind picked up. Prayer flags rustled by the Mani stone pile🎐 Colorful cloth strips filled the valley’s breath. Looking back at Binggou River once more, it lay quietly in the embrace of the mountains, like a strand of moonlight the earth forgot here. On the departing car, my fingertips still held the coolness touched by the river water. It was no ordinary coolness, but a breathable chill stored with millions of years of snowlight. It quietly seeped into the skin, becoming the clearest memory mark of this summer. —— 📌 Travel Tips: ▫ Altitude about 3000 meters, slow and steady walking recommended ▫ Glacier meltwater is extremely cold, do not enter the water directly ▫ Marmots often appear in the meadow, please do not feed them ▫ Large temperature difference between day and night, bring windproof jackets