The mountains accumulate snow for a thousand autumns, and the flowers fly with frost in June. The vast Daxing'an Mountains, which have been dormant for thousands of years, used to be a high-altitude forbidden zone that was difficult to enter. 60 years ago, the resounding "logging horn" awakened the forest and snow plains, and the Greater Khingan Range became an important national timber production base. Ten years ago, commercial logging of natural forests was completely stopped, making the forests quiet and green. The Greater Khingan Range has now become an important ecological barrier in northern Xinjiang, China. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that forests are a great treasure trove that combines reservoirs, grain depots, money depots, and carbon depots. To establish the concept that greening is to increase advantages and forest protection is to protect wealth, and to enable the people to increase their income through the development of agroforestry under the premise of protection. From the development and construction in 1964 to the complete cessation of commercial logging of natural forests in 2014, and now to the simultaneous development of agroforestry and tourism, the Greater Khingan Range is accelerating the transformation of ecological advantages into development advantages, and making great strides towards high-quality development and sustainable revitalization. Ecological priority has shifted from being dominated by a single tree to developing multiple industries simultaneously, such as living in tents, sleeping on small pole beds, eating red sorghum, and drinking 'Three Provinces Soup' (which saves oil, salt, and vegetables). This catchy phrase accurately depicts the real scene of the early development and construction of the Greater Khingan Range in 1964. In order to support national construction, the developers and builders of the Greater Khingan Range have overcome numerous difficulties and produced a total of 126 million cubic meters of high-quality timber. Zhou Rushan, a veteran of the First Battalion of the 45th Regiment of the 9th Division of the Railway Troops, sighed and said that with their hard work, the railway from Jiagedaqi to Tahe section was quickly opened, and good materials were circulated to various places, turning into thousands of buildings and providing strong support for national construction. However, due to long-term high-intensity logging, the forest resources in this forest area have significantly decreased, and it has once been in a state of "resource crisis and economic hardship". In 2014, commercial logging of natural forests was completely halted in the Greater Khingan Range, leading to a turning point in the ecological landscape of the forest area. What should we do after stopping the logging? The forest people gave the answer. Specialty dried blueberries, sea buckthorn juice, and pine nuts, come in and take a look... "Walking on the streets of Tahe County in the Greater Khingan Range, the loud shouts of nut merchants are overwhelming. On the outskirts of the county town, a prominent enterprise called Daxing'anling Yikang Wild Food Processing Co., Ltd. has multiple large factories neatly distributed here. I grew up eating wild nuts such as blueberries and pine nuts when I was a child Yu Zailin, Chairman of Yikang Company, told reporters that there are many "good things" in the forests of Daxing'anling. In earlier years, due to its remote location, some resources could not be utilized well. "Now the government strongly supports us to build factories, carry out deep processing, and continuously improve infrastructure such as transportation and logistics. The specialties of our hometown have been sold to the whole country." Wang Liyong, Director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Daxing'anling, said that there are a total of 49 species of wild economic plant resources distributed in Daxing'anling, and they have integrated and used ecological product resources to the greatest extent possible. Forest product processing plants and northern medicine plantations have blossomed everywhere in Daxing'anling, and the development model has also shifted from "one tree dominant" to a green ecological industry system dominated by forest food and medicinal processing. In the past two years, ecotourism has become popular throughout the country. The climate here is particularly cool, and the northernmost geographical location is also very meaningful Chen Li, a Shanghai tourist who came to Mohe City in the Greater Khingan Range for the first time, sighed. She and her family came all the way, and the forest and Jiejiang scenery along the way were all amazing. Some of the local attractions and cultural and creative products related to the "northernmost" were also ingenious. "Not only did we avoid the summer heat, but we also 'found the north' and want to come back next year." With cool breeze in summer and snow in winter, holding out the green scenery was intoxicating. In recent years, various tourist attractions such as Arctic Treasures and Longjiang First Bay have sprung up like mushrooms in the Greater Khingan Range. Since the beginning of summer this year, the scenic spots have been packed every day, "said An Shichun, General Manager of the Ecotourism Development Company of the Tuqiang Forestry Bureau in Daxing'anling. In addition to creating new scenic spots, they have continuously improved tourism supporting industries such as catering and accommodation, and the annual income of the scenic spots has increased from tens of thousands of yuan to tens of millions of yuan. According to statistics, in the first half of 2024, the Greater Khingan Range region received a total of 2.1892 million tourists and spent 1.979 billion yuan on tourism, an increase of 35.57% and 88.48% year-on-year, respectively. Yang Ying, Director of the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau in the Greater Khingan Range region, stated that the next step for the region will be to continuously improve service quality and efficiency, deepen the integration of culture and tourism, and build a new pattern of comprehensive and seasonal tourism development. A song created by Ke Mingwei, an observer from the Huzhong Forestry Bureau of the Daxing'anling Group, who dedicated himself to safeguarding the ecological barrier in northern Xinjiang, tells the story of the forest protection work of the forest people who have been carefully guarding the northernmost ecological barrier for ten years. Ke Mingwei's workplace is located on Observation Tower 04 at an altitude of 1404 meters in the hinterland of the Greater Khingan Range. Usually, we use a telescope to observe every half hour, "said Ke Mingwei." If it is a critical period for fire prevention and dry and windy weather increases, in order to detect fires in a timely manner, we will observe every ten or even several minutes. I definitely have feelings for Linzi, but over time, it's inevitable to feel lonely In the past decade of guarding the tower, in order to alleviate loneliness, Ke Mingwei has turned his love for work and longing for his loved ones into lyrics and melodies, singing the perseverance and resilience of a forest ranger amidst the lush mountains. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must attach equal importance to afforestation and forest protection, be proactive and prevent problems before they occur, and never let decades, hundreds, or thousands of years of achievements be destroyed in one fell swoop. In order to ensure that in the event of a fire, firefighting teams are able to "fight early and extinguish small" and enter the fire prevention period every year, various regions in the Greater Khingan Range organize firefighting team training. In addition to daily physical training, there will also be occasional firefighting drills to exercise practical skills, "said Xu Bailin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Mohe Forest Farm in Mohe City. Through unremitting efforts, the local area has achieved" no man-made fires, no lightning fires overnight "for many years. Since the comprehensive "ban on logging" in 2014, the Greater Khingan Range has taken various measures such as suspension, management, rehabilitation, and construction to allow forests to recuperate and recover. Grasp forest protection with one hand and forest cultivation with the other. Nurturing is particularly crucial for the ecological restoration of forest areas. In spring, we will bring high-quality saplings that have been cultivated up the mountain for replanting and reconstruction. In winter, we need to endure extreme cold and go deep into the forest for nurturing young and middle-aged forests. Xu Bailin told reporters that nurturing is to use the dormant period of the forest to concentrate on clearing dead and diseased trees, thereby enhancing forest transparency and promoting forest growth. Ten years ago, from the tower, one could see a bright town and sparse forests in the distance. Now, looking back, the buildings have been obscured by lush trees, and everything in sight is green. Hu Shouqing, Chief Economist of Daxing'anling Forestry Group Company, said that since the cessation of logging in 2014, the total volume of standing timber, forest area, and forest coverage have achieved "three growth", reaching 644 million cubic meters, 6.8852 million hectares, and 86.26% respectively. It is reported that the total annual service value of forest and wetland ecosystems in the Greater Khingan Range has reached 797.503 billion yuan. The northernmost forest barrier in China has been rebuilt, and wild animals have also returned home. The silly roe deer gaze at tourists on the roadside, while flocks of green headed ducks play in the river... The vast forest is full of vitality. Enriching the people and strengthening the border, we adhere to the dual development of agroforestry and tourism. "In the high Xing'an Mountains, there is a large forest where brave Oroqen people live, hunting horses, guns, and hunting, patrolling, and protecting the mountains and forests..." This Oroqen tune takes us through the life scenes of the Oroqen ethnic minority who lived in the Greater Khingan Mountains decades ago. With the continuous ecological restoration and industrial transformation and development of the Greater Khingan Range, the Oroqen ethnic group, known as the "last hunters" of the Greater Khingan Range, has also emerged from the deep mountains with the help of the local party committee and government, achieving a peaceful and prosperous life. Walking into Baiyinna Oroqen Ethnic Township in Huma County, Daxing'anling Mountains, colorful cottages are neatly arranged in the embrace of the forest. When we first came down the mountain, we lived in a house made of round logs called 'woodcut Leng'. Later, the government built brick and tile houses, buildings, and unique new homes for us, "said Meng Shuqing, an elderly member of the Oroqen ethnic group. She was born in the traditional mobile residence 'Culuozi', and her daughter was born in the 'woodcut Leng' house. By the time her grandson was born, the whole family had already moved into the brick and tile house. Strolling through Baiyinna Oroqen Ethnic Township, several self driving RVs for tourism occasionally pass by on the regular cement road surface. I heard that there is an Oroqen Folk Museum ahead, so we came to take a look. "As soon as we walked into the museum, the elder sister Meng Caihong, dressed in Oroqen ethnic costumes, warmly welcomed us and said," Welcome to the Folk Museum to experience the culture and skills of our Oroqen ethnic group. "Meng Caihong is the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of traditional handmade birch bark craftsmanship in Oroqen. After the museum was put into operation, she took the initiative to introduce the situation and showcase her skills to visitors. I want our ethnic culture and skills to be seen, learned, and utilized by more compatriots, "said Meng Caihong. Whenever she has free time, she takes the women in the village to learn how to make ethnic handicrafts, which drives more villagers to increase their income through their own hands. The Oroqen culture has also opened up a new path for the villagers to become prosperous Fang Na, Deputy Head of Baiyinna Oroqen Ethnic Township, said that in the past two years, the township has created one cultural and tourism hotspot after another around the innovative promotion and planning of Oroqen ethnic culture, attracting many tourists to visit and check-in. The newly renovated museum not only provides employment opportunities for villagers, but also offers entrepreneurial opportunities. In the past, we couldn't see any outsiders all year round. In the past decade, the ecology has improved, the culture has become richer, and there have been more tourists A homestay owner in Baiyinna Oroqen Township sighed, "In the past, he relied on logging to support his family. After the logging stopped, he could only rely on harvesting mountain goods to make a living. Later, with the gradual improvement of transportation conditions in the township and the encouragement and support of the government, he opened a homestay." Now during the peak season, the rooms are often full, and I think we can build a few more next year. "The green mountains will not disappoint people, and the green mountains will not disappoint people. As the 'ecological foundation' becomes thicker and the 'path to wealth' becomes wider, hardworking and simple forest people are striding forward on the road of enriching the people and strengthening the border. (New Society)