Punch: From third-rate anchor to top chef

Chapter 1736

They picked up the needle and thread and began to embroider skillfully. After a while, a lifelike flower bloomed on the cloth. Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei were stunned and admired the exquisite skills of the Tu women. "This embroidery is so beautiful, your craftsmanship is really great!" Li Xiao praised sincerely. Zhang Yuedong asked curiously: "Does this embroidery pattern have any special meaning?" The women smiled and explained:
"These patterns have different meanings. For example, this flower represents happiness and beauty, while this pattern symbolizes good luck." After listening to it, Lin Yifei said with emotion: "These traditional handicrafts are not only a kind of art, but also the inheritance and symbol of Tu culture. They are really precious."

In the village, they also visited the village temple of the Tu ethnic group. The village temple is the place where the Tu villagers offer sacrifices and worship gods, and is also the center of the religious life of the Tu villagers. The gods who protect the villagers are enshrined in the temple, such as the Dragon King and Qieshi Qiang (the guardian arrow).

Lin Yifei said. Li Xiao nodded in agreement: "Yes, these murals not only have artistic value, but also carry the history and culture of the Tu people. They are precious cultural heritage." Zhang Yuedong took out his mobile phone and took pictures of the murals and the decorations in the temple, wanting to share these beautiful pictures with more people.

In the afternoon, a lively community fire performance was held in the village. After hearing the news, Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei could not wait to rush to the performance venue. They saw that many villagers and tourists had already gathered in the square, and everyone was looking forward to the performance. After a while, the performance officially began, and the first to appear was the dragon and lion dance team.

The two giant dragons tumbled up and down in the hands of the dragon dancers, sometimes holding their heads high and wagging their tails, sometimes winding and circling, as if they were flying freely in the sky. The lion dancers were agile and imitated the various movements of the lions, jumping, rolling, and playing, which were vivid and drew cheers from the audience. "This dragon and lion dance is so wonderful. It feels like their movements and rhythms are just right. It's amazing!" Zhang Yuedong shouted excitedly.

Li Xiao also kept taking pictures of the wonderful moments and said, "Yes, the dragon and lion dances are the highlights of the community performances, which fully demonstrate the vitality and enthusiasm of the Tu people." Lin Yifei watched the performance intently with a happy smile on his face.

Then, the stilt team came on stage. The performers walked on stilts, dressed in brightly colored costumes, and danced gracefully in the square with light and steady steps.

Their performance was extremely difficult. Not only did they have to maintain their body balance, but they also had to perform various complex movements, such as jumping, turning, splitting, etc., which made people nervous for them. However, the actors performed with ease, and their wonderful performance won rounds of applause and cheers from the audience. "This stilt performance is amazing. How did they manage to perform so many difficult movements on such high stilts?" Li Xiao exclaimed. Zhang Yuedong smiled and said:
"This must have taken a long time of practice to achieve. Their skills are really admirable." Lin Yifei added: "The stilt performance has a long history among the Tu ethnic group. It is not only a form of entertainment, but also the inheritance and expression of the Tu people's traditional culture."

Afterwards, the yangko team, land boat team, sedan chair team and others also took the stage one after another. Their performances were unique, some were cheerful and lively, some were humorous and witty, pushing the atmosphere of the scene to one climax after another.

Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei were completely immersed in the lively atmosphere. They cheered and applauded with the audience around them, feeling the enthusiasm and love of life of the Tu people. During the performance, the actors also invited the audience to participate in the interaction. Li Xiao and Lin Yifei were also invited to the stage to learn the Yangko dance with the actors. Their clumsy movements made the audience around them laugh, but they didn't care and had a lot of fun.

Zhang Yuedong took photos of them from the audience to record this joyful moment. "You two are so funny, but just have fun," Zhang Yuedong said with a smile. Li Xiao and Lin Yifei panted and smiled in response, "It's really fun. This is my first time to do Yangko. It feels really interesting."

After the community fire performance, they came to the village market, which was very lively and full of various commodities, including exquisite handicrafts, distinctive Tu ethnic costumes, sweet barley wine, and various delicious snacks.

They strolled around the market, admiring various goods and feeling the local customs. Zhang Yuedong was attracted by a stall selling highland barley wine. He walked over, smelled the wine, and praised it highly: "This highland barley wine smells so good. I must buy a few bottles to take back." The stall owner enthusiastically introduced: "Our highland barley wine is brewed using traditional techniques. It has a mellow taste and a long aftertaste. It doesn't make you drunk after drinking it."

Zhang Yuedong bought several bottles without hesitation. Li Xiao picked out some exquisite Tu ethnic handicrafts, such as embroidered pendants and wood carvings. He said, "These handicrafts are so beautiful. If I take them back as gifts for my friends, they will definitely like them." Lin Yifei bought a book about Tu ethnic culture. He said, "This visit to the Tu ethnic village has made me more interested in Tu ethnic culture. I want to study it carefully."

In the folk village of HZTZ Autonomous County, Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei spent a fulfilling and enjoyable day. They gained an in-depth understanding of the culture and living customs of the Tu ethnic group, enjoyed the wonderful community fire performances, tasted delicious Tu ethnic food, and bought their favorite Tu ethnic specialties. This day's experience has given them a deeper love and attachment to the land of Qinghai, and made them look forward to the next journey more, with more surprises waiting for them. Starting from HZTZ Autonomous County, Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei headed west towards the Chaka Salt Lake. The car sped along the road, and the scenery outside the window kept changing like a slide show. The vast grasslands, continuous mountains, and herds of cattle and sheep formed a beautiful picture of the plateau scenery. Zhang Yuedong looked out the window excitedly, and exclaimed from time to time: "The scenery along the way is so beautiful that I feel like I can't see it all."

Li Xiao was driving the car attentively, and occasionally he would take time to appreciate the beautiful scenery outside the window, and said with a smile: "Yes, the beauty of Qinghai is really everywhere, which makes people intoxicated." Lin Yifei sat in the back seat, quietly feeling it all, and his heart was full of expectations for Chaka Salt Lake. He said: "Chaka Salt Lake is known as the 'Mirror of the Sky', I can't wait to see the dreamlike scenery with my own eyes."

As they approached their destination, the air seemed to be filled with a faint smell of salt, as if announcing to them the unique charm of Chaka Salt Lake. When they finally arrived at the Chaka Salt Lake Scenic Area, the scene before them instantly shocked them.

The salt lake is endless. Under the sunlight, the lake surface sparkles with dazzling light, like a huge mirror, perfectly reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, the snow-capped mountains in the distance and everything around. It is hard to tell whether it is the sky reflected in the lake or the lake melting into the blue sky.
The beautiful scene of "the water reflects the sky, the sky connects to the ground, and people walking in the lake are like swimming in a painting". Li Xiao excitedly raised his camera and kept pressing the shutter, wanting to freeze this stunning beauty forever. He said excitedly: "This is the legendary mirror of the sky. It is so beautiful, even more spectacular than I imagined!"

Zhang Yuedong was also deeply attracted by the beautiful scenery. He stood there blankly, muttering to himself: "This scenery is so shocking, I feel like I am in a fairyland." Lin Yifei took a deep breath, feeling the dreamlike atmosphere, and said with emotion: "Such a beautiful scenery is really a treasure given to us by nature. I am so lucky to witness it with my own eyes."

They strolled along the lake, with white salt grains under their feet, making a "crunching" sound, as if playing a beautiful piece of music. The lake water was crystal clear, and the salt layers and salt flowers of various shapes could be clearly seen. Some of these salt flowers looked like blooming flowers, and some looked like exquisite corals. Under the sunlight, they were crystal clear and beautiful. Zhang Yuedong squatted down and gently touched the lake water with his hand. The lake water was cool and had a slight salty taste. He smiled and said:
"This lake water is really interesting. It feels like touching the treasure of nature." Li Xiao also squatted down and carefully observed the salt flowers on the bottom of the lake. He said: "These salt flowers are so beautiful. They are masterpieces of nature. Each one is unique."

Lin Yifei explained to them the reasons for the formation of Chaka Salt Lake: "The formation of Chaka Salt Lake is a masterpiece of nature and a miracle of time. Billions of years ago, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was still a vast ocean. With the collision and compression of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau gradually rose, and part of the sea water was sealed in the low-lying areas, forming large and small salt lakes, and Chaka Salt Lake is one of them. Later, due to the dry climate,
The evaporation here is much greater than the precipitation. Day after day, year after year, the lake water continues to evaporate and concentrate, and the salt gradually crystallizes and precipitates, eventually forming a thick salt layer, which is what we see now as the Chaka Salt Lake. Moreover, the salt layer here is rich in sodium, potassium, magnesium, lithium and other minerals.

These minerals show different colors under the sunlight, which complement the sky reflected on the lake surface, forming this dreamlike wonder of "mirror of the sky". "After hearing this, Li Xiao and Zhang Yuedong couldn't help but sigh at the formation process of Chaka Salt Lake and were full of awe for the magical power of nature.

In order to appreciate the beauty of the salt lake more deeply, they decided to take a small train to go deep into the hinterland of the salt lake. The small train started slowly, making a "whoosh" sound, and took them to the depths of the salt lake. Along the way, they enjoyed more spectacular scenery. The vast salt lake shone with silver light in the sun, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance were rolling.
The contrast with the salt lake is like a beautiful painting. Occasionally, you can see some salt mining boats working in the salt lake. They move slowly on the lake, like elves in the lake, adding vitality to this quiet salt lake. Li Xiao kept taking pictures of the beautiful scenery along the way with his camera. He said:
"It's a different feeling to watch the salt lake from a small train. You can take great photos from every angle." Zhang Yuedong also took out his mobile phone and started a live broadcast. He excitedly introduced the beauty of Chaka Salt Lake to netizens: "Family, look, this is Chaka Salt Lake, known as the 'Mirror of the Sky'. The scenery here is so beautiful that it's breathtaking, with blue sky, white clouds, snow-capped mountains and salt lakes. Everything is like a dream. It's really shocking!"

Netizens in the live broadcast room left messages and liked the video, attracted by the beautiful scenery of Chaka Salt Lake. Lin Yifei sat quietly on the train, admiring the surrounding scenery and feeling the breeze, his heart full of love for nature and gratitude for life.

After reaching the depths of the salt lake, they got off the train and continued to walk on the salt lake. At this time, more and more tourists came to the lake. Everyone was attracted by the beautiful scenery and took photos. Li Xiao, Zhang Yuedong and Lin Yifei were no exception.
They posed in various interesting poses on the salt lake and took photos of each other. Li Xiao also used the reflection of the lake to take many creative photos, such as him lying on the lake, as if floating in the sky; or he holding hands with his own reflection, as if meeting another self. Zhang Yuedong took Li Xiao and Lin Yifei and took many group photos of the three of them. He smiled and said:
After playing on the salt lake for a while, they felt a little thirsty, so they came to the rest area by the lake. There were many snack stalls and shops in the rest area, and they bought some local specialties, such as salt-baked eggs, salt soda, etc., which tasted unique.

The shell of the salt-baked egg is covered with a thick layer of salt. After peeling it, the fragrance of the egg hits your nose. The taste is fresh and tender with a hint of saltiness. Salty soda is cool and refreshing. After taking a sip, you will feel refreshed instantly, as if every cell in your body has been activated. While eating the salt-baked egg, Zhang Yuedong said: "The taste of this salt-baked egg is really special. It is completely different from the eggs I have eaten before. I feel that the salt adds a lot of flavor to the egg."

Li Xiao also took a sip of the salty soda and nodded, saying, "This salty soda is also very delicious. It's really comfortable to drink it in such hot weather." Lin Yifei smiled and said, "It seems that this salt lake is not only beautiful, but even the food here is closely related to salt. It's really interesting."

After the break, they continued to tour the scenic area. They came to the salt sculpture area, where there were many exquisite salt sculptures, including lifelike animals, such as mighty lions, cute elephants, and smart deer; beautiful mythological figures, such as Chang'e flying to the moon and fairies scattering flowers; and some creative modern sculptures, which made people marvel at the ingenuity of the artists.