Some time ago, I went to Lanzhou, a city where the Yellow River passes through the city, with a rugged and heroic temperament, which deeply attracted me.
After visiting the ancient Yellow River Iron Bridge and tasting authentic Lanzhou ramen, my friend said that he wanted to take me to experience the style of "the most beautiful highway in the northwest" and see the legendary "985 in the mountains" - Yuzhong Campus of Lanzhou University.
We rented a car and headed south towards Yuzhong County.
Seriously, in addition to the Gobi or Gobi along the way, there are occasionally a few tenacious camel thorns, which makes me wonder if I have gone to the wrong set.
My friend smiled and said, "You will know right away, the new campus of Lanzhou University, it is the famous 'plugging Jiangnan'!" ”
After driving for more than an hour, the mobile phone navigation suddenly prompted me that I was about to enter Lanzhou University.
I was stunned for a moment, Lanzhou University?
How can there be a university in this wilderness?
My friend pointed out the window and said, "Look! Following his direction, I saw a modern campus of magnificence in the midst of rolling hills not far away.
The magnificent school buildings, the wide sports fields, and the sparkling artificial lake are as desolate as imagined, and it is simply a university town!
We drove into the campus and drove on the wide school road, lined with trees and birds, and it was hard to imagine that this was located in the middle of nowhere.
We walked around the campus and found that the environment here is really good, the air is fresh, the trees are shady, and all kinds of modern facilities are readily available, but the atmosphere of life is a little lighter, there are few pedestrians on the road, and there are not many shops, and there is still a gap between the lively university town and the imagination.
A friend told me that this is just the new campus of Lanzhou University, which is located in the urban area of Lanzhou, with a long history and profound cultural heritage, and is known as "a milestone in the history of modern higher education in China".
The new campus where we are now is built in Xiaguanying Town, Yuzhong County, surrounded by mountains, and the traffic is not very convenient, so it is nicknamed "985 in the deep mountains" by students.
I can hear the interest, how deep is this "deep mountain"?
A friend took me to the edge of the campus, pointed to the rolling mountains in the distance and said, "Look, that's the hill behind the school, and when you climb over this hill, you'll see the village on the other side." Only then did I realize that this university was really built in a "village"!
We drove to the school gate and found that there are many food stalls selling local snacks such as baked potatoes, cold skin, and meat buns.
A friend told me that it is too far from the city, and it takes more than an hour to take a bus to the city, and it is difficult to find a ticket on weekends or holidays.
Therefore, students rarely go out, so they solve the problem of eating at the food stalls around the school.
Later, when I chatted with the students of Lanzhou University, I realized that life in the "deep mountains" is not easy.
They say that it is too far away from the city, and if you want to eat something delicious and buy some daily necessities, you have to travel far.
Some students really couldn't stand this kind of "isolated" life, and even joked that they were "riding a camel to school", and ridiculed that going to college was like being "exiled".
I thought it was funny, but it was also a little sad.
In pursuit of knowledge, these young people have to endure the boredom of inaccessible transportation and monotonous life.
I heard that the former president of Lanzhou University once counted that every year due to the environmental reasons of the Yuzhong campus, about 36 undergraduates choose to drop out.
Although this number is not much, it also reflects the impact of the environment on students.
Of course, the students of Lanzhou University have not been defeated by the life of "exile", they are optimistic, they have fun in the bitterness, and create their own wonderful in the "deep mountains".
There are various club activities on campus, and many students will go to climb mountains and picnics together on weekends to experience the magnificent scenery of the great northwest.
I know a senior sister from Landa who told me that when she first arrived, she also felt that it was too remote and uncomfortable.
But after a long time, I gradually liked it.
Although there is no hustle and bustle of the city, there is a rare tranquility that allows people to calm down and study and think.
Moreover, the teachers here are excellent, the teaching level is very high, and the relationship between the students is very harmonious, just like a big family.
When I left Lanzhou University, I looked back at this university in the "deep mountains", and my heart was mixed.
It is like a pearl left on the Gobi Desert, silently exuding the light of knowledge.
And those young people who choose to stay and study here are also like the poplars on the Gobi Desert, tenacious and born to the sun.
This trip to Lanzhou gave me a deeper understanding of the word "study".
It's not just sitting in a spacious and bright classroom, it's also about packing your bags and crossing mountains and mountains to pursue the true meaning of knowledge.
It may mean enduring loneliness and loneliness, but it can also reap growth and transformation.