One afternoon, walking on the old streets of Yili, I was surrounded by the brilliant sunlight. Through the mottled light and shadow, the Central Asian-style buildings stood silently, and veiled women passed by lightly. The young man with blue eyes selling naan bread at the street corner glanced at me with his deep eyes, and I felt a bit confused and fascinated. For a moment, I had the impulse to go forward and talk to him. However, I saw the distance behind that gaze, a distance that my footsteps and soul could not reach. A Kazakh woman walking with a child passed by and gave me a friendly smile. I could only communicate with her through a smile because words were unnecessary.
The feeling in my heart is very peculiar. However, I cannot find the perfect language to describe my feelings; just like I cannot accurately describe the uniqueness of Yili or tell what kind of place Yili is. She is unfamiliar and distant, yet she is also familiar and close. The exotic charm that is everywhere in my eyes shows the unfamiliarity that I have not yet entered, and the gentle and friendly smiles make me feel like I have known them before. I come from the southern seaside, while she is in the farthest western region from the ocean. Is there any connection between the two? It seems that there is none.
However, there is indeed a connection. Because I have come before her. I even think that this is the will of the gods, deliberately arranging for me to have a spiritual confrontation with her on such an autumn afternoon. Through the ancient smoke of war, I saw her richness and vastness; through the tunnel of time, I sensed her depth and weight.
The ancient poem "The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low to see the cattle and sheep" and the modern exclamation "Without coming to Xinjiang, one does not know the vastness of China; without coming to Yili, one does not know the beauty of Xinjiang" both speak of the vast and beautiful Yili. The heavens favor it too much, bestowing Yili with boundless grasslands and the fragrant flowers and fruits of the fertile Yili River Valley. In the distance, the snowy mountains are majestic and magnificent; up close, the clear Yili River is colorful. This is the legendary capital of the Queen Mother of the West, the key point on the northern route of the Silk Road and the New Eurasian Continental Bridge; it is the hometown of the Yili Heavenly Horse, which has been bred and stationed by various dynasties since the Western Han Dynasty.
On the 350,000 square kilometers of land in Yili, there are 47 ethnic groups including the Kazakhs, Han Chinese, Uighurs, Mongols, and Xibe, known as the "Central Asian Ethnic Exhibition Hall". Eastern and Western cultures converge here, ancient civilizations collide with modern trends. The Xibe people, who claim to be descendants of the Baishan Blackwater Xianbei people, are the most distinctive ethnic group in Yili. The grand festival of "Westward Migration Festival" held on the 18th day of the fourth lunar month every year is a celebration of the Xibe people's westward migration.
The air in Yili is filled with the fragrance of apples and lavender. It is the season when apples are ripe, and people picking apples can be seen everywhere in the orchard; on the side of the road, baskets of apples are displayed, and the girls picking apples have bright and enticing faces like the apples. A basket full of 15 kilograms of apples, the Kazakh woman only asked for 20 yuan from me. I stared with wide eyes, unable to believe it. She wiped a red apple with her hand and handed it to me with a smile. "Just picked, sweet." she said. I took a crisp bite, the fragrance filled my mouth, and it was indeed sweet to the core.
Looking at the lush wilderness, the endless greenery that cannot be seen at a glance, I had the illusion several times that I was in the Jiangnan region. It wasn't until I looked up and saw the distant snow-capped mountains and the horse-drawn carriages passing by leisurely that I realized that this was Yili in the Western Region. The villages hidden in the poplar forests, the roofs, walls, and courtyards are all in the natural color of mud, simple and integrated with the earth; hanging in front of the doors, golden corn and red peppers reveal the strong and fragrant flavors of life. Stepping into the house, it is another world, colorful and vibrant. In the aroma of milk tea, it is warm and comfortable.
I really want to lie in such a courtyard in the laziness of the afternoon and have a sweet and warm dream. I hope that in my dream, I can meet the camel caravans on the Silk Road, and meet Zhang Qian riding the "Western Region Heavenly Horse"; I can celebrate with the Xibe people who migrated westward, and have a drink with Lin Zexu, who was exiled to Yili. Then, please tell me why Yili is so rich and vast? Why is it so deep and weighty? Why are the eagles on the grassland so agile? Why are the galloping horses so brave? If it takes time, I can stay in a place surrounded by apple trees, with a courtyard hanging with corn and peppers.
In this season, the lavender has already bloomed, and I cannot see the valley filled with flowers in full bloom. However, I can smell the scent of lavender, which is everywhere and full of profound meaning; and there is the unforgettable "Yili Daqu", the passionate friendship of friends, long-lasting, distant, fragrant, and aromatic.
In this way, I am intoxicated, intoxicated in the autumn of Yili.