Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Life

    Town's fate is truly out of this world

    Science project brings location known for its harsh climate in from the cold, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

    By Cheng Yuezhu | China Daily | Updated: 2023-04-04 00:00
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    Legend has it that the town of Lenghu, literally, "Cold Lake", got its name in 1956, when an oil exploration team arrived in the desolate region. A team member washed his hands in a lake and found that the water was freezing cold, hence the name.

    Cold weather is one of the key features of the town lying in the city of Mangya, Northwest China's Qinghai province, along with little rain and strong winds that resulted in the formation of ridges of compact sand called yardangs through erosion.

    In the latter half of last century, the town prospered from oil mining, which then declined as a result of resource exhaustion. However, science-related projects that have been initiated in recent years are helping the town regain its former glory.

    When Gao Junling, founder of Lenghu Lab, first came to the town, he was stunned by the unearthly scenery he found himself in, which, quoting others, he describes as "the place on Earth that most resembles Mars".

    An astronomy aficionado, Gao considered the town an ideal location for his Lenghu Lab project, an educational program centered on science popularization. He says the inspiration for the project came from taking his teenage daughter to an open-day event hosted by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    At the event, his daughter was fascinated by the advanced technology and fell in love with science. After graduating from high school, she chose to study mathematical physics at university.

    "I realized that a good education should not only include specific knowledge and prepare students for exams, but also inspire in them a desire and interest in learning," Gao says.

    The Mars Camp was established, which can host 72 participants, and simulates the experience of landing on a desolate planet for the first time.

    Upon arriving at the camp, the participants, most of whom are teenagers, are tasked with searching for resources and putting them to use, such as purifying water and building small electric generators. Over a period of 84 hours, they will complete 10 main tasks. One of the tasks is to build a rocket using 3D printing, which requires them to learn 3D modeling, before designing and constructing the rocket, carrying out tests in a wind tunnel, and finally launching it.

    "We would like to motivate the teenagers to survive using their own knowledge, achieve their goals with their own effort and have the passion to explore the unknown," Gao says.

    The Mars Camp is a part of the grand Lenghu Mars Town project, which aims to draw on local characteristics and help develop the area with approaches including science popularization, science fiction and technological innovation.

    The project is run by Lenghu Mars Town Culture and Tourism Development Co, with support from the local government.

    "Lenghu had prospered from oil mining. Now because of the depletion of oil resources, the town is seeking new ways of transformation," says Qu Xiangdong, chairman of the company.

    "I feel that our project has shown that culture and tourism development must be conducted in accordance with the region's unique characteristics in order to maintain vitality and sustainability. Without green mountains or clear water, we can also utilize the yardang landforms and create innovative projects."

    The company has also established the Lenghu Sci-fi Literature Award in order to support domestic sci-fi writers. Because of the region's favorable geographical conditions, the town is collaborating with major observatories, such as the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the construction of an astronomical observatory base, building telescopes on top of the town's Saishiteng Mountain at an altitude of 4,576 meters.

    Last year, Lenghu Mars Town was selected by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a national tourism and science demonstration zone, the only area in Qinghai province to make the list.

     

     

    Teenagers at the Mars Camp in the town of Lenghu, Mangya, Qinghai province, prepare to launch a rocket they built. CHINA DAILY

     

     

    Young participants hike in the wilderness near Lenghu. CHINA DAILY

     

     

    Today's Top News

    Editor's picks

    Most Viewed

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    免费看无码特级毛片| 2022中文字字幕久亚洲| 最近2019中文字幕免费大全5 | 最近更新中文字幕在线| 久久无码av三级| 八戒理论片午影院无码爱恋| 日韩亚洲不卡在线视频中文字幕在线观看 | 毛片免费全部无码播放| 国产亚洲精久久久久久无码77777| 少女视频在线观看完整版中文| 国产三级无码内射在线看| 国产成人综合日韩精品无码不卡| 久久中文骚妇内射| 在线看福利中文影院| 丰满人妻AV无码一区二区三区| 无码国产精成人午夜视频一区二区| 亚洲视频无码高清在线| 最近中文字幕2019高清免费| 久久久久久久人妻无码中文字幕爆| av无码国产在线看免费网站| 亚洲AV永久纯肉无码精品动漫| 最近更新免费中文字幕大全| 视频二区中文字幕| 亚洲精品中文字幕无码蜜桃| 亚洲av无码国产精品色在线看不卡 | 97免费人妻无码视频| 少妇人妻无码专区视频| 无码午夜成人1000部免费视频| 极品粉嫩嫩模大尺度无码视频| 中文字幕一区二区三区在线不卡| 中文字幕在线观看免费视频| 中文字幕日韩欧美一区二区三区| 日本中文字幕网站| 开心久久婷婷综合中文字幕| 韩国三级中文字幕hd久久精品| 在线播放中文字幕| 午夜无码中文字幕在线播放| 无码精品A∨在线观看免费| 精品人妻无码区在线视频| 中文字幕亚洲无线码| 在线观看片免费人成视频无码|