The Confidence Stone
It is well known that stones are hard and lasting, but have you heard of "The Confidence Stone"?
The blue sky, the overwhelming snow mountain, the flying eagles, the strong yaks, the cute Tibetan antelopes, the fluttering prayer flags, and the majestic Qomolangma...A series of Tibet scenery pictures in the magazine "Chinese National Geography" stirred my heart when I was fourteen. From then on, the dream of visiting Tibet took root in my mind. On hearing about the opening of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway, I was ecstatic because my dream would come true very soon. I not only gathered lots of related materials and made out a detailed schedule for my trip, but also drew up a plan to do physical exercises. When people were sleeping soundly in early mornings, I had sweatily finished the distance I assigned for myself.
At last, I got on the train to Tibet with the name "Snowy Divine Land" as I wished. The elevation went up little by little as the train moved on. Geermu, altitude of 2829 meters; Kunlun Mountain Pass, altitude of 4772 meters; Tanggula Mountain Pass, altitude of 5072 meters - the Qinghai-Tibetan railway reached its highest elevation. And I was going to stand at the peak point of my life!
The auto struggled forward on the bumpy road to Mount Qomolangma. As soon as the snowy summit far away came into our eyes, we all screamed cheerfully. Suddenly, the auto sank into the mud. In the vast meadow, as there were no trunks or stones big enough to fix the bowstrings, all we could do was to pick up the small stones, place them under the wheels and propel the auto. But the auto went on sinking despite the exhausting work of more than an hour. Due to the lack of oxygen at that high altitude, almost all of us caught a headache and vomited. It was quite difficult for anyone of us to make a single movement which was extremely easy in ordinary life. When darkness began to enshroud the desolate and uninhabited area, someone complained about taking a short cut. Knowing for sure that moaning and waiting made no sense at all, I proposed to look for help from over the hill together with several people, leaving the rest to recover on site. In the thin air, we took great trouble walking on the steep path. When I caught sight of two kids herding yaks, I ran for them with my maximum strength, tired out. Due to the language barrier, I had to make myself understood by gestures once and once again. Fortunately, one of them seemed to comprehend my intention. He nodded and then ran away. When we returned together with three Tibetan adults, taking ropes, sticks and spade. And two Tibetan children, the crowd burst a shout of excitement. It was not long before we realized that our attempts were all in vain; the auto did not break away from the mire. Accompanied by the merciless rain, the howling mountain wind left us in deep despair. Possessing a firm belief of success and enduring the pains of headache, I kept on conveying stones in order to increase the friction power. Suddenly, a stone caught my attention, which was the only stone thirty meters away from the auto. Although the outcropping part was not very big, its huge body gradually exposed with persistent digging. Embedded deeply in the soil, it was particularly fit for a steel drill. At last, thanks to the winch and cooperative efforts, the auto moved out of the trap, which was followed by a continuous applaud. They all praised me for finding the "Helping Stone", but I would prefer to call it the "Confidence Stone".
Giving thanks to the Tibetan brothers who provided powerful support, we started out for the second time. Noses running and bodies shivering with cold, the shock-headed Tibetan kids were waving to us goodbye in the cold wind and falling snow. Noticing this, I could not help running off the auto and gave them all the chocolates I brought with me. In my feather down coat did I dress the little Tibetan girl, whose shining smile warmed me from head to feet.
The next day, when I was standing at the base camp which was 5200 meters above sea level, the Qomolangma appeared so close to me as if I could touch it easily with my own hands. What a spectacle! The fantastic scene left me a distinct and eternal impression.
I have gone through the long-distance trudge full of pleasure and sufferings. I have experienced the extensive, beautiful, dangerous and impoverished Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. I have covered the broad land from Lhasa to Qomolangma on wheels. I have bared all the inspirations and affections of Tibet on my mind. It was in the sacred place that I challenged my limitation of life, passed the test on will and quality, overcame the difficulties with optimism, and triumphed over the pain of plateau sickness by my stubbornness. At the same time, the stone which helped us out of the snare made it clear to me that the difficulties in our daily life were bound to become "tough stumbling blocks" if we chose to avoid or abandon. Once we have the firm purpose, any "tough stumbling blocks" will turn into "slab stones" the confidence stones in heart.
It is well known that stones are hard and lasting, but have you heard of "The Confidence Stone"?
The blue sky, the overwhelming snow mountain, the flying eagles, the strong yaks, the cute Tibetan antelopes, the fluttering prayer flags, and the majestic Qomolangma...A series of Tibet scenery pictures in the magazine "Chinese National Geography" stirred my heart when I was fourteen. From then on, the dream of visiting Tibet took root in my mind. On hearing about the opening of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway, I was ecstatic because my dream would come true very soon. I not only gathered lots of related materials and made out a detailed schedule for my trip, but also drew up a plan to do physical exercises. When people were sleeping soundly in early mornings, I had sweatily finished the distance I assigned for myself.
At last, I got on the train to Tibet with the name "Snowy Divine Land" as I wished. The elevation went up little by little as the train moved on. Geermu, altitude of 2829 meters; Kunlun Mountain Pass, altitude of 4772 meters; Tanggula Mountain Pass, altitude of 5072 meters - the Qinghai-Tibetan railway reached its highest elevation. And I was going to stand at the peak point of my life!
The auto struggled forward on the bumpy road to Mount Qomolangma. As soon as the snowy summit far away came into our eyes, we all screamed cheerfully. Suddenly, the auto sank into the mud. In the vast meadow, as there were no trunks or stones big enough to fix the bowstrings, all we could do was to pick up the small stones, place them under the wheels and propel the auto. But the auto went on sinking despite the exhausting work of more than an hour. Due to the lack of oxygen at that high altitude, almost all of us caught a headache and vomited. It was quite difficult for anyone of us to make a single movement which was extremely easy in ordinary life. When darkness began to enshroud the desolate and uninhabited area, someone complained about taking a short cut. Knowing for sure that moaning and waiting made no sense at all, I proposed to look for help from over the hill together with several people, leaving the rest to recover on site. In the thin air, we took great trouble walking on the steep path. When I caught sight of two kids herding yaks, I ran for them with my maximum strength, tired out. Due to the language barrier, I had to make myself understood by gestures once and once again. Fortunately, one of them seemed to comprehend my intention. He nodded and then ran away. When we returned together with three Tibetan adults, taking ropes, sticks and spade. And two Tibetan children, the crowd burst a shout of excitement. It was not long before we realized that our attempts were all in vain; the auto did not break away from the mire. Accompanied by the merciless rain, the howling mountain wind left us in deep despair. Possessing a firm belief of success and enduring the pains of headache, I kept on conveying stones in order to increase the friction power. Suddenly, a stone caught my attention, which was the only stone thirty meters away from the auto. Although the outcropping part was not very big, its huge body gradually exposed with persistent digging. Embedded deeply in the soil, it was particularly fit for a steel drill. At last, thanks to the winch and cooperative efforts, the auto moved out of the trap, which was followed by a continuous applaud. They all praised me for finding the "Helping Stone", but I would prefer to call it the "Confidence Stone".
Giving thanks to the Tibetan brothers who provided powerful support, we started out for the second time. Noses running and bodies shivering with cold, the shock-headed Tibetan kids were waving to us goodbye in the cold wind and falling snow. Noticing this, I could not help running off the auto and gave them all the chocolates I brought with me. In my feather down coat did I dress the little Tibetan girl, whose shining smile warmed me from head to feet.
The next day, when I was standing at the base camp which was 5200 meters above sea level, the Qomolangma appeared so close to me as if I could touch it easily with my own hands. What a spectacle! The fantastic scene left me a distinct and eternal impression.
I have gone through the long-distance trudge full of pleasure and sufferings. I have experienced the extensive, beautiful, dangerous and impoverished Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. I have covered the broad land from Lhasa to Qomolangma on wheels. I have bared all the inspirations and affections of Tibet on my mind. It was in the sacred place that I challenged my limitation of life, passed the test on will and quality, overcame the difficulties with optimism, and triumphed over the pain of plateau sickness by my stubbornness. At the same time, the stone which helped us out of the snare made it clear to me that the difficulties in our daily life were bound to become "tough stumbling blocks" if we chose to avoid or abandon. Once we have the firm purpose, any "tough stumbling blocks" will turn into "slab stones" the confidence stones in heart.