Between Tarbahatai Mountain and Qiwuer Kayer Mountain in Emin County, Tacheng Prefecture, Xinjiang, there is a wind area where there is wind and snow for more than half of the year. However, right here, there is a group of people who guard the border all year round, guarding the border security of the motherland in the wind and snow. The reporters from the main station came here to change duties with the border guards guarding the border and set foot on the snowy border patrol together.
These two days are the last days for the border guards to change defense before the Spring Festival. Everyone has to go to various duty points to perform border protection tasks, and at the same time replace colleagues on duty on the mountain. The duty points to be visited are all located in the wind area between Tarbahatai Mountain and Qiwuer Kayer Mountain. This is also the source of the wind in the Mayitas wind area in Xinjiang, which the locals call the "Devil's Wind".
The road up the mountain was difficult. The wind was getting stronger and the snow was getting thicker. We had to use a snowplow to clear the way while moving forward with difficulty. Unexpectedly, the duty point we arrived at was almost covered by snow. According to the border guard, the snow here is now 3 meters thick.
Main Station Reporter Cui Ning: The snow here has been blown very hard by the wind, and the windows have all been sealed with snow.
At 12 o'clock in the evening, I thought I could have a good night's rest. Unexpectedly, the border guards received a call from the nearby police station to launch an emergency rescue. Ye Zhenyu, owner of
car: The car was stuck in a snowy day.
After a night of wind and snow, the road that had just been cleared the day before was blocked by snow again. The wind and snow were even worse, and the vehicles were frozen soon after they were parked on the roadside.
Main Station Reporter Cui Ning: The wind was so strong that day that all the vehicles could no longer continue walking. For the rest of the journey, we had to rely on snowmobiles to transport people and supplies to the duty point on the mountain.
Border Guard Guo Qiang: It takes at least 40 minutes to an hour to drive a snowmobile for more than ten kilometers. The snow hit my face so much that I couldn't open my eyes, and it hurt so much.
The farthest duty station for the changing of the guard before the Spring Festival is located on Bayimuzha Mountain, with an altitude of more than 2,300 meters. Everywhere we passed, the roads were buried by wind and snow, so we could only judge the direction and road conditions based on experience.
There were rugged mountain roads under the wind-blown snow, and the snowmobile we were riding flipped over several times along the way.
The further you go up the mountain, the colder the weather becomes, and the temperature quickly drops to around -30°C. The journey of more than ten kilometers seemed to be endless. Because the weather was too cold and the roads were bumpy, the eggs brought to the duty station were frozen and fell out.
Headquarters reporter Cui Ning: National Highway 219 is a major local road connecting Tacheng and Altay. However, in winter, there are nearly 100 kilometers of road sections that are blocked by wind and snow and are impassable. There is a pole on the roadside. Normally, its height is six or seven meters, but now people can reach the top sign, which means that the road is completely covered by thick wind-blown snow.
After more than 40 minutes of extremely cold running, the most remote duty point finally appeared in front of us, like an isolated island in the snow sea, standing in the vast snowfield.
(CCTV News Client)
