The "Gobi Couple" has been rooted in the desert for 18 years to protect the Han Great Wall

Outside Yumen Pass, in the desert Gobi,Han Great Wall SiteStanding tall, it tells the stories of the frontier battles and the vicissitudes of the Silk Road in history.

58 years oldZhang JiquanHe and his 56-year-old wife Wen Chunyu are villagers of Lvjiazhuang Village, Zhuanqukou Town, Dunhuang City. In 2006, the State Council promulgated the "Great Wall Protection Regulations", which clearly proposed the establishment of a Great Wall protector system. Zhang Jiquan applied to become a cultural relic protector at the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Protection Center, responsible for protecting the Yumen Pass Han Great Wall ruins 100 kilometers away from home.

At first, the living and working conditions here were very difficult. There were only two adobe houses and a saltwater well on the Gobi desert. The sun was scorching during the day, the wind was howling at night, the wind was freezing in winter, and mosquitoes were biting in summer. In addition to daily patrols, observing and recording the conditions of the Great Wall and its surroundings, Zhang Jiquan often had to walk to drive away large animals such as cattle, horses, donkeys, and camels that approached the Great Wall Reserve to several kilometers away.

Compared with these hardships, Zhang Jiquan felt that the silent loneliness in the wilderness was the most unbearable.

Later, thanks to Dunhuang's efforts to strengthen cultural heritage protection, his wife Wen Chunyu also became a cultural heritage protector. From then on, the couple took root in the desert and guarded the Great Wall like ancient border guards. They planted poplar trees in front of and behind their house and watered a vegetable garden, adding a little greenery and hope to their lives.

In recent years, as the country continues to strengthen its efforts to protect cultural relics, grassroots cultural relics protectors have also ushered in a "spring". The local government built a new house for the "Gobi couple", and gradually provided electricity, Internet, and water supply, and installed monitoring and sound amplification equipment to help them better protect the Han Great Wall.

From bitter cold and loneliness to poetic living, after 18 years of guarding the Great Wall, this "Gobi couple" has found a paradise in the heart of the desert. When the sun sets, they will take their dog for a walk outdoors, quietly enjoying this romantic moment that belongs only to the desert.

"We don't have much ability, but our biggest wish is to protect the Great Wall with due diligence so that future generations can still see history," said Zhang Jiquan.