The mysterious Dulong River is home to the legendary ancient people hidden deep in the Gaoligong Mountains. Although the national poverty alleviation project has changed the community to a great extent in recent years, the Dulong River is still a remote mystery for most people. The Dulong River is a separate river that does not intersect with the Nujiang River, but we are used to including it in the "Greater Nujiang Area." Thus this article can be also titled "Travelogue of the Nujiang River" for this reason.
I. The cold fairyland at the edge of the world
The Dulong ethnic group is a very small tribe, with only 5,000 people in China. The Dulong tribe has a similar mixed relationship (difficult to distinguish) with the Rawang tribe in Myanmar. Many international scholars classify it as part of the Rawang tribe. The Dulong ethnic group was formerly called Qiu people, and the Dulong River was Qiu River. Premier Zhou Enlai later renamed Qiu Jiang as Dulong River and Qiu Ren as Dulong Tribe.
After flowing into Myanmar, the Dulong River is called the Nmai Hka. The Nmai Hka is the mainstream of the Irrawaddy River, with the Indian Ocean as the destination. In China, the Dulong River is generally divided into upstream and downstream sections; Dulongjiang Township is the midpoint. The upstream section extends to the Kraichgau Valley, and the downstream section extends to the 41st boundary marker between China and Myanmar.
The Dulong River is the edge of the world! Traveling on the Dulong River yields a sense of being at the extreme edge of the world. I have visited the Dulong River three times and called it a cold fairyland at the edge of the world. The Dulong River has a particularly fantastic beauty, like the world of elves in the Hollywood blockbuster The Lord of the Rings. The valleys and trees are characterized by unique shapes, like creatures in the world of elves. The water of the Dulong River is as green as emerald. From the mountaintop, the river looks like an emerald belt wrapped around the valley.
II. The secret valley of legendary "Paul"
Even in such a remote world as the Dulong River, there are traces of apostles. In many villages along the way, you can see churches and crosses. I found out about a missionary named Paul, who was from the Lisu ethnic minority. He was baptized by an American missionary named Morse in the 1930s and 1940s. Later, he went to the Dulong River area to preach. It is said that he had extraordinary talent and a keen understanding of the Bible. The most incredible thing is that he learned to make paper from tree sap and a certain printing technique without a teacher. He printed some chapters of the Bible on his homemade paper. He carried the word of God printed by himself and traveled along the Dulong River, bringing Christianity to Myanmar. This is legendary. A few years ago, I found Paul's grave, a small dirt mound with a small wooden cross. I visited the Dulong River again last year and saw the rebuilt tomb. It had been moved next to a church at the foot of the mountain. The new tombstone detailed Paul's life story in Lisu, Dulong, English, and Chinese.
III. The sacred songs by the Dulong River
There are only 5,000 people of the Dulong ethnic group in China. They have their own unique writing system, which is based on the Latin alphabet created for them by early missionaries. The missionaries also compiled a collection of hymns in the Dulong script. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete a translation of the Bible into the Dulong language. About 10% of the Dulong people in China are Christians, while almost all of the Dulong people in Myanmar are Christians. On several trips to the Dulong River, I had the privilege of meeting Dulong Christians and listening to hymns in the Dulong language. Their singing was incredibly beautiful, featuring pure vocals, four-part harmony, and rich layers of sound.
The beauty of the Dulong River is beyond words. However, there is something concerning in the community. I had heard that the Dulong River region had the highest suicide rate in China. During my visits, I realized that "suicide" was a euphemism for the true cause of death, alcoholism. No wonder the missionaries had banned alcohol among the Christians in the Nu River area. Alcoholism has severely disrupted the normal lives of many local ethnic minorities. In fact, the Christians in Dulong are better disciplined, and such tragedies are rare among them. Additionally, many non-believers in the Dulong River area rely heavily on poverty alleviation measures. They have become accustomed to various forms of state welfare and no longer work hard.
- Translated by June I. Chen
【按】神秘的独龙江，传说中的太古之民，隐藏在高黎贡山的最深处，虽然近些年国家扶贫工程已经很大程度改变了当地，但对于大多数人来说，独龙江依然是一个偏远的谜语。独龙江是一条单独的河流，和怒江并没有什么交汇，但习惯上，我们还是把独龙江列入“大怒江区域”，所以，本文的大题目依然是“出怒江记”。
【一】世界尽头的冷仙境
独龙族可以说是一个极少族裔，是因为在中国境内，只有五千人。独龙族和缅甸的日旺族部落有近似的杂居关系（难以明辨），很多国际学者也把独龙族划在日旺族范畴。独龙族，从前叫俅人，独龙江叫俅江，后来周恩来总理把俅江命名为独龙江，俅人命名为独龙族。
独龙江流入缅甸以后叫恩梅开江，恩梅开江是伊洛瓦底江的干流，终端注入印度洋。在中国境内的独龙江，一般分为上游段和下游段，以独龙江乡为中间点，上游段到克劳洛河谷，下游段到中缅41号界碑。
独龙江，世界尽头！行走在独龙江，有到了世界尽头的极限感。我曾三次进入独龙江，称之为世界尽头的冷仙境。独龙江有一种特别奇幻的美，仿若好莱坞大片《指环王》的意境，那些山谷和树木各具异形，仿佛精灵世界的生物。独龙江的水亦是碧绿如翡翠，站在山顶眺望，江就像一条翡翠色的带子缠绕在山谷。
【二】传奇保罗的隐秘谷
即使在独龙江这样的世界尽头，也有使徒的脚踪。在很多沿途的村庄，也能看见一座座的教堂和十字架。我发现一位叫保罗的传教士，是傈僳族人，大致在上世纪三四十年代在美国传教士莫尔斯那里受洗归主，后来进入独龙江宣教，传说他天赋极高，对圣经的领悟力极强，最传奇的是他无师自通地学会了用树浆造纸，而且学会了某种印刷技术，用自制的纸张印刷了一些圣经的篇章。他背着他自己“印刷”的神的话语，走遍了独龙江，并顺着独龙江把基督教传入缅甸。这是一个传奇。几年前，我找到了保罗的墓地，立着一个小小的木质十字架，很矮小的土堆就是他的墓地。去年，我再次前往独龙江，看见了重建的保罗墓地，墓地整体搬迁到山下的一座教堂旁边，新建的墓地用傈僳文、独龙文、英文、汉文详细介绍了保罗的生平。
【三】独龙江畔的圣歌声
独龙族在中国境内只有五千人，但却有自己独特的文字，而且是拉丁文，这是过去的传教士为独龙族创制的，并且编撰了独龙文字的诗歌集，稍有遗憾的是过去的传教士未能完成独龙文字的圣经翻译。中国境内的独龙族信仰基督教的比例占10%，缅甸境内的独龙族几乎百分百信基督教。我有幸在几次独龙江之旅中接触到独龙族的基督徒，聆听他们的独龙语赞美诗歌，真是美极了，纯人声、四声部、层次感极其丰富。
独龙江美则美矣，但也让人忧思，早就听闻独龙江是中国自杀率最高的地方，实地考察一番，才知道“自杀”是个外在的说法，其实真正的死亡原因是“喝酒致死”。这又不得不想起从前的传教士们为什么禁止怒江信徒饮酒，因为酒精依赖严重困扰着当地少数民族的正常生活，事实上，信基督教的独龙族人确实要自律得多，这样的悲剧很少发生在信基督教的人群。在独龙江，不信基督教的人群还普遍存在着扶贫依赖症，他们已经习惯于国家的各种扶贫福利，不再努力劳动。
【出怒江记】独龙河谷，世界尽头的冷仙境
The mysterious Dulong River is home to the legendary ancient people hidden deep in the Gaoligong Mountains. Although the national poverty alleviation project has changed the community to a great extent in recent years, the Dulong River is still a remote mystery for most people. The Dulong River is a separate river that does not intersect with the Nujiang River, but we are used to including it in the "Greater Nujiang Area." Thus this article can be also titled "Travelogue of the Nujiang River" for this reason.
I. The cold fairyland at the edge of the world
The Dulong ethnic group is a very small tribe, with only 5,000 people in China. The Dulong tribe has a similar mixed relationship (difficult to distinguish) with the Rawang tribe in Myanmar. Many international scholars classify it as part of the Rawang tribe. The Dulong ethnic group was formerly called Qiu people, and the Dulong River was Qiu River. Premier Zhou Enlai later renamed Qiu Jiang as Dulong River and Qiu Ren as Dulong Tribe.
After flowing into Myanmar, the Dulong River is called the Nmai Hka. The Nmai Hka is the mainstream of the Irrawaddy River, with the Indian Ocean as the destination. In China, the Dulong River is generally divided into upstream and downstream sections; Dulongjiang Township is the midpoint. The upstream section extends to the Kraichgau Valley, and the downstream section extends to the 41st boundary marker between China and Myanmar.
The Dulong River is the edge of the world! Traveling on the Dulong River yields a sense of being at the extreme edge of the world. I have visited the Dulong River three times and called it a cold fairyland at the edge of the world. The Dulong River has a particularly fantastic beauty, like the world of elves in the Hollywood blockbuster The Lord of the Rings. The valleys and trees are characterized by unique shapes, like creatures in the world of elves. The water of the Dulong River is as green as emerald. From the mountaintop, the river looks like an emerald belt wrapped around the valley.
II. The secret valley of legendary "Paul"
Even in such a remote world as the Dulong River, there are traces of apostles. In many villages along the way, you can see churches and crosses. I found out about a missionary named Paul, who was from the Lisu ethnic minority. He was baptized by an American missionary named Morse in the 1930s and 1940s. Later, he went to the Dulong River area to preach. It is said that he had extraordinary talent and a keen understanding of the Bible. The most incredible thing is that he learned to make paper from tree sap and a certain printing technique without a teacher. He printed some chapters of the Bible on his homemade paper. He carried the word of God printed by himself and traveled along the Dulong River, bringing Christianity to Myanmar. This is legendary. A few years ago, I found Paul's grave, a small dirt mound with a small wooden cross. I visited the Dulong River again last year and saw the rebuilt tomb. It had been moved next to a church at the foot of the mountain. The new tombstone detailed Paul's life story in Lisu, Dulong, English, and Chinese.
III. The sacred songs by the Dulong River
There are only 5,000 people of the Dulong ethnic group in China. They have their own unique writing system, which is based on the Latin alphabet created for them by early missionaries. The missionaries also compiled a collection of hymns in the Dulong script. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete a translation of the Bible into the Dulong language. About 10% of the Dulong people in China are Christians, while almost all of the Dulong people in Myanmar are Christians. On several trips to the Dulong River, I had the privilege of meeting Dulong Christians and listening to hymns in the Dulong language. Their singing was incredibly beautiful, featuring pure vocals, four-part harmony, and rich layers of sound.
The beauty of the Dulong River is beyond words. However, there is something concerning in the community. I had heard that the Dulong River region had the highest suicide rate in China. During my visits, I realized that "suicide" was a euphemism for the true cause of death, alcoholism. No wonder the missionaries had banned alcohol among the Christians in the Nu River area. Alcoholism has severely disrupted the normal lives of many local ethnic minorities. In fact, the Christians in Dulong are better disciplined, and such tragedies are rare among them. Additionally, many non-believers in the Dulong River area rely heavily on poverty alleviation measures. They have become accustomed to various forms of state welfare and no longer work hard.
- Translated by June I. Chen
Dulong River Valley, a Cold Fairyland at the 'Edge of the World'
