After leaving Mount Everest, several members of our group angrily discussed the naming of Mount Everest. We have always believed that Mount Everest has various names abroad, and some historical reasons are even more frustrating.
I really don't like it being called "Mount Everest" by the outside world, and the more repulsive "Everest". The naming of a mountain peak in a Tibetan area after other cultural landmarks is truly disheartening. This behavior does not respect the cultural history of the Tibetan region, nor does it respect the vast Tibetan people. It is said that Everest himself opposed being named Everest because he believed that his name could not represent the local culture. But in 1865, the Royal Geographical Society of Britain officially adopted Mount Everest as the name for the world's highest peak. This is the arrogant British, in an era where Britain was the world's axis, forcefully exporting their discourse power to the world
In 1258, the unearthed "Lotus Legacy" referred to Mount Everest as "Razzi", while the Kagyu Buddhist monk Sangjijian praised the "Milarepa Taoist Songs Collection" and called the location of Mount Everest "Top Snow". In 1717, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty sent personnel to survey the "Comprehensive Map of the Imperial Map", which was named "Zhumulang Ma'alin". "Alin" is Manchu, meaning "mountain". In Tibetan, "Zhumulangma" means "Zhumulangma" (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ). There is no consensus on the pronunciation and meaning of "Everest". A common saying is "the goddess of the earth". "Zhumu" (ཇོ་མོ) means goddess, and "ma" is a feminine noun. The meaning of "lang ma" (གླང་མ) varies: one is a brief term for the goddess "Miyo lang sangma" (the virtuous and wise goddess) who resides on this peak among the longevity five heavenly maidens in Tibetan Buddhist legend, one is "cow" and the other is "female elephant". In 1951, Duke Juhou of Geography proposed using the name "Mount Everest". In 1952, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the People's Republic of China adopted its proposal to rename Mount Everest as Mount Everest. In 2002, People's Daily published an article suggesting that the English name "Mount Everest" used in the Western world should be officially named as its Tibetan name "Mount Qomolangma".
Leaving the base camp of Mount Everest, the sky darkened rapidly and soon fell into the pitch black of nowhere. Based on this, the nearest hotel passed through Baiba when it arrived. If we had to rush there, it would be several hours' drive, and the Everest base camp no longer has camping conditions. Returning to Baiba is our only option.
But at this moment, Long Ge came up with a brilliant plan: Long Ge met Zhuoma, who was doing tent accommodation business at the headquarters of Mount Everest in the summer. Her home was only a ten to twenty kilometer drive from Mount Everest, and he stayed at her home at night. The next morning, he climbed up the Mount Everest observation deck to watch the sunrise, which was both time-saving and labor-saving. After listening to Long Ge's words, everyone cheered and all agreed with his plan.
In this way, under the leadership of Long Ge, we rushed left and right on the pitch black rural road, without knowing where we were. After walking for over an hour, we finally saw Brother Zhuoma waiting at the village entrance. Originally, Long Ge had already spoken to Zhuoma on the phone before coming, so there was no need for much communication. We followed Zhuoma Ge for more than ten minutes in the village before reaching Zhuoma's home.
When I saw Zhuoma, she wasn't quite good-looking. Perhaps it was because she was too tanned by the high-altitude sun, but her simple and generous temperament left a deep impression on me. "Zhuoma" is a Tibetan term for women, meaning "Tara", a beautiful goddess. Our losers are more commonly understood as "beautiful women". So even Longge doesn't know what Zhuoma's name is, so it's quite appropriate to call her Zhuoma in Chinese.
Zhuoma's simple smile instantly warmed us who had been frozen in the cold night. After the small talk, everyone relaxed as if they had returned to their own homes. Under her leadership, we visited her home, where the ubiquitous strong Tibetan flavor gave us a refreshing experience.
Zhuoma Family is a three story small building with mainly stone walls and a flat roof. The bottom floor is a livestock room or warehouse, while the second floor has a bedroom, kitchen, reception room, and a dedicated scripture hall. Tibetan areas worship Tibetan Buddhism, and almost every household recites scriptures and worships Buddha. Therefore, scripture halls have become an essential part of residential buildings and occupy an important position.
We climbed up the steep wooden stairs to the second floor where they usually live, and met Zhuoma's brother and sister. Her parents were still alive and looked friendly. We greeted each other and although we didn't quite understand each other's language, we both conveyed warmth through our smiles.
Everyone sat around the stove, while Long Ge coaxed Zhuoma to sing Tibetan folk songs for everyone, creating a lively atmosphere. Zhuoma felt a bit embarrassed and quickly asked everyone, "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?".
People laughed heartily, then remembered their already hungry stomachs. After discussing for a while, Zhuoma suggested eating lamb soup soaked in rice, and everyone cheered. I have been very sensitive to the smell of mutton since I was young. When I saw that everyone had no objections to eating, I silently suppressed my inner thoughts. In an environment like the deep mountains of Tibet, I couldn't justify being picky about food anymore
After deciding what to eat, everyone began to coax Zhuoma into singing again. Zhuoma was too shy to do anything, so she threw her sister to us and quickly used an excuse to cook. The poor sister left behind had to sing to everyone in the midst of the commotion, and the living room was filled with laughter and joy.
In a moment, Zhuoma prepared the food. She brought a large pot of stewed lamb with white radish, and waves of meat fragrance drifted by, causing the living room to boil. I cautiously filled half a bowl of rice, afraid that I would not let Zhuoma down if I didn't finish it. I didn't know if I didn't eat it, but when I started eating it, I realized that Zhuoma's lamb soup soaked in rice was really delicious
Lamb is a sheep raised by Zhuoma himself. It is pure natural, free of feed, and grows up on grass. It not only has no smell of mutton, but also has a delicious taste. I had a liking for lamb for the first time, and when I was hungry, I no longer hesitated and boasted about two large bowls before giving up.
After dinner, people feel a bit bored and idle. Long Ge, who was scrolling through his phone and had come back from leaving, told us that there are so many bright stars in the sky outside! Upon hearing this good news, I suddenly couldn't sit still and the camera at hand began to stir
Standing in the courtyard of Zhuoma's house, I looked up at the sky, and the black sky curtain seemed to be a piece of glass protruding downwards. The clear and transparent black appeared deep and quiet, as if it was within reach, and I could touch it with just lifting my hand. The sky was densely covered with stars, each shining brightly. I am immersed in this vast starry sky, and my thoughts drift towards the distance