Love In No Man's Land

by Duo Ji Zhuo Ga

  *

  Early the next day, Feng and Gongzha stood in front of Master Zhamu’s stone house saying goodbye to the old man.

  Zhamu, and those who had hurried over at the news of their departure, escorted them to the mouth of the valley. Prayer flags fluttered between the two red cliff walls, the wind casting high into the air blessings that had gone unchanged for thousands of years. A clear spring rushed out of a fissure in one of the rocks, causing the prayer wheels set along its course to turn constantly. Mantras for peace and wellbeing sounded continually on the breeze.

  Master Zhamu pulled out two khatas and placed them round Gongzha and Feng’s necks. ‘Noble children, may the Buddha bless you and grant you health and peace.’

  Samu took their faces in his hands and pressed his forehead against theirs. He too placed a pure white khata around each of them. The rest of the community came forward and soon all anyone could see were khatas and prayer flags dancing in the air.

  Gongzha walked over to Ciwang, who was being supported by two young monks because of his crippled leg. ‘Yangji is not dead. She was recued in No Man’s Land by Jijia.’

  Ciwang raised his head and looked at Gongzha, tears glistening in his eyes. ‘Thank you, thank you. Go back and tell your mother I am sorry.’

  Gongzha nodded. He turned and mounted his horse, then reached down to help Feng up.

  The same old horse and the same old gun; he was even still wearing the same old sheepskin chuba. They galloped off beneath the blue sky, their figures receding into the distance.

  Under that blue sky there were just the two of them: the man rough and proud, the woman soft and sophisticated. The horse kept a steady pace and they passed the nameless lake again; its water rolled and rippled, and the waterfowl chased one another playfully.

  ‘You know, Gongzha, my coming to Tibet and you being here almost as if you’d been waiting for me… it’s as if everything was planned for us. That snowstorm that made me lose my way, maybe it was the Buddha who arranged for you to save me, so that no matter how hard I tried when I got back to Shanghai, I couldn’t forget you and I had to come back.’

  The blue sky is our priest, the great earth our witness; the cool wind carries our promise and prints it on the mountaintop. From this moment on, our hearts and bodies will stay as one and never part. Gongzha looked at Feng and was silent.

  At the far end of the flat valley, a black dot suddenly appeared, and with it a voice travelled on the wind, yelling in accented Mandarin, ‘Gongzha! Feng!’

  ‘It’s Sega,’ Feng said to Gongzha. ‘Let’s go! Quick!’ Then she shouted back, ‘Sega…!’

  ‘Feng, Gongzha, I’ve finally found you.’ Sega galloped over on her horse. ‘Come with me quickly, Yongxi… she… she won’t be here long and she wants to see you. She’s ill, seriously ill. The doctor’s tried many different treatments, but it’s no good. They say… they say… Auntie Yongxi might not… not last…’

  ‘What’s happened? She seemed fine when I was there,’ Feng said, surprised.

  ‘It’s all Brother Jijia’s fault. Do you remember the little antelopes you raised?’

  Gongzha nodded.

  ‘The one called Beibei wandered into Auntie Yongxi’s pasture and never left. Jijia ordered his men to follow a herd of pregnant antelopes about to give birth, and they went to her pasture and… and… killed them all. Even Beibei was killed.’

  ‘Poor Beibei, he was so trusting around people…’ Feng’s tears slid down her face and she buried her head in Gongzha’s shoulder.

  Gongzha patted her back and looked at Sega. ‘And then…?’

  ‘Yongxi’s been sick ever since. She throws up everything she eats. Jijia made Qiangba bring her every medicine he has, but none of it’s worked.’

  ‘Let’s go! Quick!’ Gongzha kicked his horse’s belly, Sega did the same, and they shot off like arrows to Yongxi’s pasture.

  29

  Another side of Tajiapu Snow Mountain. The wilderness stretched into the far distance and across it a small river wound its way west. A black tent stood on the west-facing slope and a solitary dog lay beside it, staring out across the plain.

  Jijia was pacing round and round the outside of the tent, looking more distressed than anyone had ever seen him.

  The two horses sped up. The dog got to its feet and bared its teeth, but it didn’t need to bark, because the new arrivals were familiar. It lay down again, gazed out at the wilderness and became lost in its thoughts.

  When Jijia saw them, he stopped pacing. Gongzha, Feng and Sega dismounted, threw down their whips and followed him into the tent.

  Yangji was wiping away her tears as she stood over the stove, stewing some meat, and her daughter Dawacuo sat miserably beside the couch, holding Tajiapu. Yongxi was lying on the couch, showing as little sign of life as a blade of grass in winter.

  Sega hurried forward and called softly, ‘Auntie, Brother Gongzha is here. Wake up…’

  Yongxi finally opened her eyes. When she saw Gongzha and Feng, she tried to sit up but didn’t have the strength, so Sega quickly helped her.

  ‘Yongxi.’ Gongzha walked over to the couch and Yangji passed him a stool. ‘How come you’re so sick?’

  ‘Broth… brother, I heard… Feng… was hurt and I kept… worrying. It was all… all my… I brought you trouble, but now… all is… well, you… have found peace. I can… be calm,’ Yongxi said in fits and starts, looking from Gongzha to Feng.

  Sega gave a quick translation.

  Yongxi put her hand to her mouth and began to cough violently. She spewed out a river of vomit, throwing up all of the medicine she’d just taken. ‘Feng, I… didn’t protect… Beibei, he was shot… and killed. He…’ Yongxi gasped. Her face flushed and she pointed at Jijia, who was standing behind Gongzha with his head bowed.

  He didn’t dare say anything.

  Feng forced back the tears that were welling and lightly patted Yongxi’s hand, which had got so thin her bones jutted out. ‘That’s okay, Sister Yongxi, Beibei has gone to Shambhala. That’s a heaven for animals as well as people. He’ll never be hurt again, so don’t feel guilty, alright?’

  ‘Bless you and Brother, you… you two are both… good people.’

  ‘You’re a good person too, Sister Yongxi,’ Feng said. ‘Without your directions, I might still be looking for him.’ She glanced at Gongzha beside her, her eyes clouded with tears. Since coming back to the grassland, she’d been deeply moved by the kindness and sincerity of the grassland women: Yongxi herself, and Sega, who’d injured her and then saved her, and Yangji and Dawacuo.

  Yongxi continued to gasp. Sega tried to get her to lie back down, but Yongxi waved her away. Once she’d caught her breath, she turned to Sega. ‘Thank you, Sega. Tajiapu… Tajiapu…’

  Dawacuo hurriedly brought the little boy over. ‘He’s here, Auntie. Tajiapu’s here. Tajiapu, say something to your mother.’

  ‘Ama…’ he wailed.

  Yongxi rubbed her son’s head. Her eyes suddenly flashed and her words had force to them. ‘Tajiapu, my son, Ama cannot take care of you any more. You must listen to Sister, and don’t be naughty. When you’ve grown up, don’t just go wandering about on the grassland – you have to go to school. Alright?’

  Tajiapu didn’t understand what she was saying, he just kept crying as he crawled onto her.

  Jijia suddenly lifted his head. ‘I’ll send him to school, don’t worry,’ he said, tears dropping down his cheeks. ‘I’ll definitely send our son to school.’ Watching the life of the woman he loved slowly slip away was enough to make even ruthless, bloodthirsty Jijia cry.

  Yongxi didn’t look at him; she didn’t want to see him. Ever since he’d come into her life, she hadn’t had a day’s peace. But things would be better now; she would finally be released and she wouldn’t have to worry any more. In her next life, she would marry a steady grassland man. She wouldn’t care if their life was hard; as long as they lived out their days in peace, she would be content.


  Jijia couldn’t stand the sight of Yongxi’s vacant stare. He knelt by the couch, grasped her hand and held it to his tear-streaked face. ‘I’ll disband the shadow hunters, woman. I’ll disband them very soon, how’s that? You get well, and I’ll disband the shadow hunters.’ Then he shouted out of the tent, ‘Qiangba!’

  Qiangba came in. ‘Brother!’

  ‘Disband the shadow hunters, give your auntie some peace. From now on, no one is allowed to kill antelopes. Do you hear me?’

  ‘Brother…’

  ‘Go! Tell everyone,’ Jijia said fiercely. ‘As of today, the shadow hunters are no longer.’ He turned and spoke coaxingly to Yongxi. ‘See, woman, I’ve put a stop to it. I won’t kill any more antelopes, or wild yaks either. I’ll just stay here with you and look after our son; we’ll raise yaks and sheep.’

  Yongxi looked at him, and there was a new calmness in her face. ‘You owe the wilderness a huge blood debt, Jijia. Do you think the Buddha will let you off? If you really want to change, go and turn yourself in. Turn yourself in to the government.’

  ‘Give myself up?’ Jijia murmured. ‘Go to jail?’

  ‘You were never willing to stop the slaughter.’ Yongxi averted her gaze. Her eyes swept over everyone in the tent and they were full of pain and longing. Then her head slumped to the side. She lay in Sega’s arms and slowly closed her eyes.

  ‘Woman…! Woman…!’ Jijia lay down beside Yongxi’s body and wailed.

  The sky was suddenly thick with black clouds and hail came down in bursts. The dog continued sitting in front of the tent, staring fixedly at the snow mountain through the clouds. Then it let out a tortured howl and raced off into the wilderness.

  A fortnight later, news circulated that the police had suddenly burst into the shadow hunters’ base; it was said that some of the poachers had been arrested and others had escaped.

  Yangji took her daughter Dawacuo back to the grassland and she had a little boy with her.

  People said that Sega went back to Ganzi in Sichuan and took Qiangba, the shadow hunters’ doctor, with her. No one knew what happened to Jijia.

  Thanks to Feng’s pleading, Gongzha finally agreed to give up trying to get his revenge on Kaguo. After all, Kaguo had only been acting in defence of her cub, just as he would have done anything to protect his Cuomu.

  The mistiness that shrouds ancient legends eventually clears, and histories always have an ending. But when it comes to people…

  The stars in the sky

  Are like Brother’s eyes

  Watching Sister’s silhouette.

  The butter lamps ablaze all night

  Cannot see your eyes, Brother,

  As they fall inside the tent

  To light up Sister’s heart.

  Two figures that had seen a great deal were engraved into the eternal scroll of heaven and earth. Age-old songs lifted on the breeze and drifted in the deep blues of Cuoe Lake.

  The woman smiled broadly, slipped her hand into the man’s palm and rested against him. They gazed out across the grassland to where the jade-coloured grass met the sky. Up in the heavens, a great ball of fire hung gleaming and resplendent over Mount Chanaluo.

  The two figures on the grassland stayed together, year upon year.

  We hope you enjoyed this book.

  Translator’s Note

  Glossary

  About Duo Ji Zhuo Ga

  An Invitation from the Publisher

  Translator’s Note

  Making decisions about the language used in Love in No Man’s Land, a book written in Mandarin about Mandarin- and Tibetan-speaking characters, was no easy task.

  In the hope that readers of this English translation will be equipped to find out more about the places and topics featured in the novel, I have tried to use commonly received place names and terms. Where none were readily available (primarily for character names, but also for some place names), I have used Mandarin Pinyin.

  I have retained Tibetan and dialect family terms and translated Mandarin family terms into English.

  – Hallie Treadway

  Glossary

  aba – father

  ama – mother

  baijiu – Chinese alcohol distilled from grain

  bodhisattva – in Mahayana Buddhism, a person who delays entering nirvana in order to guide others along their spiritual path

  bala – father

  bola – grandfather

  cham – Buddhist dance performed in masks and costumes at temples

  chuba – traditional outer robe of Tibetan nomads, often made of sheepskin or leather with the fleece worn closest to the skin; it’s fastened around the waist or hips and pulled up to create a spacious front pocket for carrying tools, food and other items; the sleeves are very long and one or both are usually shrugged off the shoulder and tied around the waist

  fen – smallest unit of Chinese currency: one-tenth of one mao

  Four Olds – the four elements of traditional Chinese culture – ‘old ideas’, ‘old customs’, ‘old habits’ and ‘old culture’ – that, according to the Cultural Revolution, needed to be smashed in order for China to progress

  gela – teacher

  Guxiula – an honorific for monks

  khata – a ceremonial scarf, usually white, worn or presented on special occasions

  living Buddha – reincarnate custodian and teacher of Buddhist doctrine; tulku

  mao – unit of Chinese currency: one tenth of one RMB

  mo – granny

  momo – steamed meat dumpling

  PLA – People’s Liberation Army

  production team – rural work unit in communist China

  Shambhala – mythical Tibetan Buddhist utopia, Shangri-La or heavenly realm

  struggle session – public meeting used during the Cultural Revolution to humiliate and forcibly extract confessions from anyone perceived to be a class enemy

  tsampa – roasted barley or buckwheat flour: a staple food in Tibet, often mixed into hot tea

  yuan – unit of Chinese currency: another term for RMB

  Vajrapani – a bodhisattva and protector of the Buddha

  About Duo Ji Zhuo Ga

  DUO JI ZHOU GA is a Han-Tibetan author and photographer living in Lhasa. She wrote her first novel, Tibetan Marriage, in 2009 and has since published seven novels. She serves as the vice-chair of the Tibet Writers Association.

  An Invitation from the Publisher

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  First published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Head of Zeus Ltd

  Copyright © Duo Ji Zhou Ga, 2019

  Translated by Hallie Treadway

  English translation rights © China Educational Publications Import & Export Corp. Ltd

  Edited by Lucy Ridout

  The moral right of Duo Ji Zhou Ga to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8

  A CIP catalogue record for t
his book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN (HB) 9781786699442

  ISBN (XTPB) 9781786699459

  ISBN (E) 9781786699435

  Cover design: Leah Jacobs-Gordon, images: front © Shutterstock

  Author photo: Tony Edwards

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