The Mystery and History of Ailao Mountain

Ailao Mountain: What is its location?

Ailao Mountain is located in the southwestern part of Yunnan, China, extending narrowly from northwest to southeast. It acts as a boundary between the western Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the eastern Hengduan Mountains. Its length from north to south is about 450 to 500 kilometers. It begins in the north from Chuxiong and extends south to Lücun, covering the entire area of Ailao Mountain. Its terrain was formed during the orogenic movement of the Himalayas, as the Tibetan and Indian plates collided, elevating this region.

The average elevation of Ailao Mountain is 2000 meters, with the highest peak at 3166 meters. The vertical change in elevation is quite significant. The entire mountain range has a variety of plants across different fault zones, plus it is a protected area with very primitive forests, so few people visit. The distribution of flora and fauna is dense because the fewer people visit, the less disturbance there is, preserving its natural state. This ancient forest originated in the late Triassic period, about 200 million years ago, making it an ancient forest.

Inaccurate Magnetic Fields?

Additionally, some people often say that the geomagnetic field is inaccurate in this location, or that compasses do not work properly, because the rock composition here is serpentine. Metamorphic rock, simply put, is primarily composed of magnesium and iron. The structure of the rocks and the mountain itself can interfere with magnetic fields because iron can indeed disrupt them, making compass malfunctions or navigation inaccuracies theoretically possible.

Chinese Geological Researchers Missing

For example, in 2021, geological explorers went missing in the area. Including in the 1990s, many people in Shijiakou village died suddenly in the fog. There is also a rumor that the Han bandit Li Runzhi hid 300 boxes of gold here. Another rumor says that the Eastern Han dynasty once completely subdued the entire Ailao country. Because this place is dangerous, there may be some casualties.

Recently Discovered Primitive People

When the time came to 1956, the Chinese military for the first time discovered primitive people called "Kucong people" near Ailao Mountain. These Kucong people were used as slaves by the local chieftains below the mountain, with no human rights. Their living conditions were extremely primitive, with no electricity or water, and all men and women were naked.

This was a very primitive tribe. Because with a little evolution, they would know to differentiate between male and female reproductive organs and would wear skirts or something to cover up. But the men and women there were all completely naked. In the '50s, this was still a very primitive state, and after contact with the People's Liberation Army, these primitive people slowly began to accept some modern civilization and were gradually assimilated.

Ailao Mountain during the Han Dynasty of China

In AD 69, the Ailao country submitted to the Eastern Han, and then rebelled again seven years later. At that time, the Eastern Han sent a large army to suppress these rebels, completely flattening the area around Ailao Mountain. The rebellion was quelled, but a small remnant of the ancient Ailao country fled deep into Ailao Mountain. The Eastern Han army also sent a small detachment into the depths of Ailao Mountain to pursue these remnants. At this time, an incident occurred where the entire small detachment pursuing them died.

When discovered, their clothes were neatly placed aside, and the bodies were neatly arranged without any external injuries and were dead. At the same time, in 1673, after Wu Sangui was defeated, his remnants split into two parts, one part fled to Vietnam, and the other part escaped to the Ailao Mountain range. This group of Wu Sangui's remnants that fled to the Ailao Mountain range was discovered in the 22nd year of the Kangxi Emperor, similar to the Eastern Han soldiers who had died earlier, also with their clothes neatly removed and placed aside, and their remains lying beside them.

300 Boxes of Gold during the Qing Dynasty

This story says that during the Qianlong period, a general surnamed Li from Gansu was sent to manage the Ailao Mountain area, known as the "Tusi," and was also allowed to pass this position hereditarily. That is, from the Qianlong period to the Republic of China, the last Tusi was named Li Runzhi. He was clearly a bandit. Because he was a local emperor, he minted his own coins, gathered wealth, and even established his own army.

So after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1951, this bandit Li Runzhi was executed immediately. He had hidden his gold and silver treasures deep in Ailao Mountain. At the same time, some villagers said that their elders had been enslaved by Li Runzhi and had moved these gold treasures deep into the mountains, approximately 300 boxes of gold. So this adds a layer of mystery and intrigue to Ailao Mountain, beyond the mysteriousness brought by its terrain and landscape, making it a rather mysterious event.

Commonalities in Mysterious Death Incidents

The most recent and mysterious incident involves four scientific expedition members who died of hypothermia here. Among them, the strangest case was that of one member, whose circumstances of death were similar to those of the Eastern Han and Wu Sangui's remnants; their clothes were neatly folded aside, and the person died smiling without any external injuries.

Why Are There Mysterious Disappearances?

Natural Factors

The first and most important reason is that people still lack sufficient respect for nature. The highest elevation of Ailao Mountain is nearly 3200 meters, and the lowest valley positions are basically around forty to fifty meters, with a vertical height of over three thousand meters.

This vertical height of over three thousand meters can easily lead to sudden weather changes, such as sudden rain or wind, bringing about a rapid temperature difference of nearly 20 degrees. This 20-degree temperature difference can cause rapid hypothermia. Therefore, I believe that from the Eastern Han to today, at least 50% of the people who died in Ailao Mountain did so due to hypothermia caused by low temperatures.

Because when entering Ailao Mountain from the valleys or lower areas, it feels like a spring breeze. The weather is good and the air is moist, causing many people to let down their guard, carry less equipment, and wear simple clothes into Ailao Mountain. I think this has been the case since the Eastern Han. But once you start climbing the mountain, because the forest here is very dense and the light is not very good, it's not possible to quickly descend.

Once it suddenly starts to blow hard and it starts raining, the temperature can drop rapidly by ten or even twenty degrees. Once people are wearing too little and their clothes get wet, and the temperature drops by another twenty degrees, they can rapidly become hypothermic within a few hours if there isn't a proper way to deal with it, so I absolutely think that hypothermia accounts for no less than 50% of the deaths in Ailao Mountain.

Beasts?

Many people say, could it be attacks by wild beasts? Rest assured, in these primitive forests, whether you encounter snakes, bears, tigers, or similar creatures. When they see a few people, a rare type of animal to them, and not like the silent primitive animals. Everyone is moving stealthily, you are walking so loudly and openly, so these animals' first reaction is to flee, not to attack you directly. Unless you step directly on a king cobra, which might bite you in retaliation. Do you think a snake four or five meters away will not run when you approach loudly through the bushes? It's impossible for it to leap four or five meters just to bite first. Friends, so it is absolutely not the case that these people's deaths are caused by wild beasts and animal attacks.

Miasma

Miasma, as mentioned earlier, how is it formed? After animals and plants die, they are buried at the surface, and as they get buried deeper, vapor slowly forms below. This vapor is a gas produced by the decomposition of these dead materials. These vapors contain a lot of carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide, all of which are deadly to humans. If you breathe in these gases, people can die in a moment. In Ailao Mountain, its protected areas and the places where the water flow is not passable are less frequented by people, causing poor air circulation near the ground in these forests. Poor air circulation means that these ground erosions over many years have not been cleaned, not washed away by rainwater, forming a thick layer of these dead animal and plant bodies, and this gas will float on the surface layer of the ground, not dispersed by wind or other disturbances.

Magnetic Field

The magnetic field can cause some interference to compasses, including signals under satellite navigation. But this is just a possibility of some interference. The anti-interference capability of compasses, including navigators and the precision of the devices, mean that it is relatively rare for complete geomagnetic interference to cause compasses to spin around and give inaccurate directions. Including navigation systems becoming completely erratic is also relatively rare.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have introduced the entire terrain and geological features of Ailao Mountain quite clearly. Finally, a tip for everyone: do not rashly go to the undeveloped areas of Ailao Mountain, please refer to more of our science popularization materials, and this area is also a core protected area.