这里是位于甘肃省酒泉市下辖的敦煌市西北部的雅丹地貌区。在广袤无垠的天地之间，土黄色的雅丹体在苍穹之下散发出一种古朴而苍凉的气息。在一块雅丹体的下缘，一个小小的洞穴赫然可见，洞穴之外是它的主人——一只小狗。
小狗静静地卧着，它棕黄色的毛发与周围的雅丹地貌完美融合，仿佛是这片土地自然孕育出的生命。小狗神态安然，目光或许正望向远方，又似乎只是沉浸于这片宁静之中。
小狗在属于自己的雅丹洞穴前
Here in northwestern Dunhuang, Gansu province, stretches a vast and boundless desert, where towering Yardang formations rise like exclamation points across the horizon. Beneath one such towering formation, a small cave comes into view. And just outside its entrance lies its quiet inhabitant—a small dog. The dog rests peacefully, its tawny fur blending seamlessly with the surrounding terrain.
与这个特殊的狗窝仅仅一条小路之隔，是敦煌西湖自然保护区土梁道保护站的办公/宿舍区，同样是开凿于高耸如墙的雅丹体中。在过去四年里，这里既是路生荣的工作地，也是他的居住地。
开凿于敦煌雅丹体中的敦煌西湖自然保护区土梁道保护站 赵旭拍摄
凿于雅丹体中的土梁道保护站的内部 赵旭拍摄
开凿于敦煌雅丹体中的土梁道保护站 路生荣拍摄
"Yardang"（雅丹）一词来源于维吾尔语，在维吾尔语中，"yardang"意为陡岸或侵蚀形成的垄脊，这个词最早由瑞典探险家斯文·赫定（Sven Hedin）于20世纪初在其罗布泊地区的探险中引入学术界。他在那里首次记录并描述了这种被风侵蚀形成的特殊地貌。
Just a narrow path separates the dog's den from the office and living quarters of Tuliangdao Station—one of four stations in the Dunhuang Xihua Nature Reserve. Like the den, the station is carved directly into the towering, wall-like Yardang formations. Since 2021, this has been both the workplace and home of Lu Shengrong.
For those unfamiliar, Yardang (Yadan in Chinese) refers to wind-sculpted landforms found in arid deserts, shaped as strong winds erode alternating layers of soft and hard sedimentary rock. The term, from the Uyghur language, was popularized by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin after his early 20th-century expeditions in China's Lop Nur region.
敦煌地区的雅丹地貌 仝允杉拍摄
在甘肃敦煌，大面积雅丹地貌形成独特的景观。作为古丝绸之路上的绿洲重镇，敦煌自古以来就是中国通往中亚及更遥远地区的重要门户。早在公元前2世纪，丝绸之路的开通便带动了数次大规模的人口迁徙与土地开发，使绿洲一度繁荣兴盛。然而，荒漠始终潜伏于边缘，从未真正退去。到了18世纪，沙漠开始迅速扩张，湿地日渐消退，人口的持续迁入与耕地的过度开垦导致水源枯竭，为沙漠的蔓延打开了通道。
They are a geological hallmark of Dunhuang — an ancient oasis town and important stop along the Silk Road, which once linked China to Central Asia and beyond.
The opening of that great land route in the 2nd century BC sparked waves of migration and land reclamation that ebbed and flowed for two millennia. Though the desert was always present, the 18th century saw its rapid expansion. Wetlands vanished as migration and overcultivation depleted water resources, allowing the desert's creeping advance.
“我们曾对自然造成过伤害，现在必须努力去修复它。” 巡护员路生荣这样说道。他指出，保护区名为“西湖”，正是对昔日水草丰美景象的纪念——那时，敦煌以西的广大区域湖泊星罗棋布，湿地密布。
敦煌西湖自然保护区的湿地 吴兴东拍摄
“如今，我们负责管理一片约6,600平方公里的自然保护区，其中湿地面积约为970平方公里。”路解释道，“也正因如此，这片区域被视为阻挡沙漠入侵的最后一道天然屏障——它不仅守护着周边的生态系统，也间接保护着举世闻名、位于保护区东侧约145公里处的莫高窟。”
"What we have done to nature, we must now make right," Lu said, pointing out that Xihu, or West Lake, serves as a reminder of a time when water-rich landscapes stretched across the vast region west of Dunhuang.
"Today, within our 6,600-square-kilometer reserve, approximately 970 sq km are wetlands. This is why the reserve is considered the last natural barrier against the encroaching desert — safeguarding not only the surrounding ecosystem, but also the world-renowned Mogao Grottoes, located about 145 km to the east," he said.
位于保护区西北边缘的土梁道工作站的西侧就是库姆塔格沙漠。库姆塔格沙漠以极端干旱、庞大的沙丘体以及与人类聚居区距离之近而闻名，是典型的流动性沙漠。人们普遍认为，沙漠持续的东移，是导致西湖区域多个大型湖泊与湿地消失的重要原因之一。
“目前，整个自然保护区已全面禁止任何人类活动。” 路生荣介绍道。他与另外四位同事的主要职责之一，是监控所有试图进入保护区的人员——无论是误入的旅客、偷猎者，还是非法砍伐胡杨树的人。
路生荣（中）和他的巡护员同事们观测水鸟 路生荣提供
胡杨是一种生命力极强的树种，不仅能在极度干旱的环境中存活，还具有出色的耐盐碱能力。西湖自然保护区内，分布着中国西北地区最大、最为集中连片的胡杨林。
Just west of Tuliangdao Station lies the Kumtag (Kumutage) Desert, known for its extreme aridity, towering sand dunes, and proximity to human settlements. As a typical shifting-sand desert, its gradual encroachment is believed to have contributed to the disappearance of several major lakes and wetlands once part of the West Lake region.
"Today, the entire nature reserve is closed to human activity," said Lu. He and his four colleagues are responsible for monitoring anyone attempting to enter the area—whether off-course travelers, poachers, or illegal loggers targeting Euphrates poplars. These trees, remarkably resilient to drought and saline-alkaline soil, form the largest and most contiguous poplar forest in the region.
除了巡护林地，对濒危野生动物的保护，尤其是国家一级保护动物——野骆驼和普氏野马，也是重中之重。
敦煌西湖自然保护区里的普氏野马 吴兴东拍摄
“野骆驼有时非常具攻击性。” 路回忆道。有一次他甚至不得不翻越一道高高的围栏，才躲过一头对他紧追不舍的野骆驼。“但真正让我们感到恐惧的，是蜱虫——它们叮咬后会引发剧烈瘙痒，甚至高烧，而在野外巡护时，几乎无法避免与它们接触。”
他回忆起曾为制作标本而回收一具野骆驼尸体的情景：成群的蜱虫覆盖了动物的皮毛，令人毛骨悚然。
Lu said they also closely monitor endangered wildlife, particularly wild camels and Przewalski's horses, both under Class 1 national protection.
"Wild camels can be aggressive," he recalled, describing how he once had to leap over a high fence to escape one in pursuit. "But what truly terrifies us are the ticks—they cause unbearable itching, frequent fevers, and are nearly impossible to avoid during fieldwork."
He winced at the memory of swarms of ticks crawling through the fur of a camel carcass he once had to collect for taxidermy.
敦煌西湖自然保护区里的野骆驼 吴兴东拍摄
不过，比起环境的艰苦，更令人难以承受的，是那种渗入骨髓的孤独。这里是一片荒芜之地，唯有风声昼夜低吟。在这样的地方，同伴的陪伴就显得尤为珍贵——共同驻守的巡护员成为彼此的心理支撑。
42岁的路生荣就在土梁道站就有一位这样的战友——比他年长11岁的田守军。田自2017年起便在此工作。“我以前是个司机，开着卡车做野外调查都没问题，可一旦车陷进沙子里，就得自己动手用千斤顶把它弄出来。”田笑着回忆道。
“不过来了这里，要学的东西多了，比如写巡护报告、做饭。饭我以前在家从来没做过，现在我们几个人轮流做饭。”
敦煌西湖自然保护区土梁道保护站的田守军在做饭
他一边说，一边熟练地拉着一条条当地特色的手擀面。他的厨艺，就是在这间狭小厨房里练出来的——和土梁道站的大多数室内空间一样，这里是直接从坚硬的雅丹地貌中凿出的。保护站一共有四个窑洞，每个大约45平方米，建一个要耗时一个半月。
Despite the physical hardships, nothing compares to the deep loneliness of life on the reserve, where only the wind keeps constant company. The bond between rangers is both comforting and essential for mental well-being.
At 42, Lu Shengrong found companionship in Tian Shoujun, 11 years his senior, who joined Tuliangdao Station in 2017. "I used to be a driver. Driving the survey truck was easy—until it got stuck in the sand," Tian joked. "I also had to learn new things like writing reports and cooking. Now we take turns in the kitchen."
As he spoke, he skillfully pulled strands of hand-stretched noodles, a local specialty. Like most spaces at the station, their compact kitchen was carved straight into the towering Yardang formations. "We have four such cave dwellings, each about 45 square meters. It takes around a month and a half to dig one out," Tian said.
亿万年前，这片地貌曾是远古海洋的底部，这也解释了为何这里的沉积岩层清晰可辨，层理分明，硬软相间。“像砂岩、石灰岩这种硬质岩层尤其难以开凿。”卢生荣补充道。“施工时得从上往下倾斜打洞，晚上灌水软化岩石，第二天再继续凿，有时还得用上炸药。”
这些洞屋通常没有窗户，因为无需通风，全天依靠电灯照明。只有在打开房门的一瞬间，外界的光才会短暂涌入，如同从岩缝中倾泻而下的水流，瞬间点亮整个屋内。
These landforms, once ancient seafloor, are marked by alternating layers of hard and soft sedimentary rock.
"The harder layers—like sandstone and limestone—are especially difficult to bore through," Lu said. "We drill at an angle from top to bottom, soften the rock overnight with water, and sometimes use explosives."
The caves have no windows, needing no ventilation, and rely entirely on electric light. Only when the door opens does a slice of the outside world pour in, like water through a crack in stone.
在土梁道站以西不到100公里处，便是罗布泊——一座早已干涸的盐湖。
1980年，生物化学家兼探险家彭加木在此神秘失踪，使得这片土地在中国人的记忆中与神秘、荒凉与干旱紧密相连。
“很少有人知道，罗布泊曾是一个庞大的盐湖系统的一部分，西边有塔里木河，东边则有疏勒河注入其中。” 路生荣说道。
20世纪中叶，罗布泊迅速干涸，到1970年代末已彻底沙化。然而，塔里木河与疏勒河这两条沙漠动生命线并未完全枯竭。近年来，国家启动了大规模生态保护工程，情况已大为改善。
Less than 100 kilometers west of the station lies Lop Nur, a former salt lake made infamous by the 1980 disappearance of biochemist Peng Jiamu, which etched the region into China's imagination as a symbol of mystery and desolation.
"Few realize Lop Nur was once fed by the Tarim and Shule rivers," said Lu.
Though it vanished by the late 1970s due to desertification, recent large-scale conservation efforts have brought significant improvements to the rivers and surrounding ecosystems.
“敦煌市，包括我们所在的自然保护区，位于疏勒河下游。过去多年，上游水源紧张，连农田灌溉都难以保障，更别提让水流到我们这儿了。”路生荣说，“但自2017年以后，情况就不一样了。”
得益于水流恢复，这片区域的植被和野生动物数量显著回升。久违的芦苇沼泽再度显现，迁徙的水鸟种类和数量也日益增多——它们重新将这里视为长途迁徙中的重要驿站。
敦煌西湖自然保护区的水鸟 孙志成拍摄
最令路生荣欣慰的是，如今的沙丘已在青草扎根、湿地重现的地方止步不前。“这让我觉得我们的坚守没有白费。” 他说。在相当长一段时间里，大自然对种种保护措施的反映的迟缓，无声地考验着每一位守护者的耐心与信念。
"Dunhuang, including our reserve, sits at the lower reaches of the Shule River," said Lu. "For years, upstream water was too scarce even for farming, let alone reaching us—but that changed after 2017."
Since then, renewed water flow has revived vegetation and wildlife. Reed marshes and lakes are returning, and migrating waterbirds now stop here in greater numbers and diversity.
What reassures Lu most is that sand dunes have now stopped advancing where grasses grow or wetlands form. "It means our efforts haven't been in vain," he said, though nature's slow recovery once tested his patience.
这种耐心至今仍至关重要。尽管当地生态有所改善，但这里依旧是年降水量有些年份甚至不足20毫米，而蒸发量却通常在2,400到3,000毫米之间的极旱之地。
“每年四五月间是沙漠风力最为猛烈的时候。” 路生荣说。他已习惯于在风声呼啸中入睡。白天，沙尘暴搅动天地，将世界吞没在一片炽白的迷雾之中。
长久以来，敦煌的雅丹地貌被称为“魔鬼城”。在苍茫大地上，风蚀土丘如堡垒般林立，风穿其间，发出阵阵的啸声。然而田守军却说，这并不是全部。
“站在保护区边缘时你也许无法想象，但越往深处走，展现在你眼前的景象就越不同。”他说。“荒凉逐渐退去，碧草如茵的湖泊渐次显现，金黄的胡杨树在单调无垠的沙海中惊艳了双眼。生命那份坚韧而静默的力量，令人由衷敬叹。”
敦煌西湖自然保护区里成片的胡杨林 吴兴东拍摄
Patience is still vital in this harsh land, where annual rainfall is under 20 millimeters while evaporation ranges between 2,400 and 3,000 millimeters.
"The wind is fiercest in April and May," said Lu, now used to sleeping through its constant roar. By day, sandstorms blur earth and sky into a blinding haze.
Reflecting on the name "Devil City," inspired by wind whistling through jagged Yardang formations, Tian said, "From the edge, it seems desolate. But deeper in, the desert softens—grassy lakes emerge, golden poplars shine—and you can’t help but marvel at life's fierce, quiet persistence."
记者：赵旭
China Daily精读计划
每天20分钟，英语全面提升！
Notice: The content above (including the pictures and videos if any) is uploaded and posted by a user of NetEase Hao, which is a social media platform and only provides information storage services.