Myself, Darren Pulitzer, and Ives Will went hunting in Zijin Mountain, Nanjing, China. As we were planning to hunt at night, we chose the Chinese brand Wildguarder from Shenzhen. Through this hunting trip, I tested the Owler1 night vision binoculars with practical experience, while also exploring local customs and cuisine.
Zijin Mountain is a famous peak in Nanjing and was an important battlefield in Chinese history. It has abundant wildlife resources and is an ideal place for hunting enthusiasts. The three of us booked a professional hunting team online, who provided us with hunting permits, guides, weapons, and ammunition. We planned to stay on Zijin Mountain for two days and one night, exploring the scenic spots during the day and hunting at night.
To ensure the effectiveness and safety of night hunting, we decided to purchase a professional night vision binoculars – the Owler1 night vision binoculars. This night vision binoculars is produced by the Chinese brand Wildguarder from Shenzhen and has the following features:
- It can be used both during the day and at night, with multiple functions such as taking pictures, recording, and replaying.
- It can clearly observe targets in complete darkness, with a farthest night vision distance of 1640 feet/500 meters.
- It supports 20x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, allowing you to observe details up close.
- It has excellent optical clarity and high-performance night vision.
- It is equipped with a 2-inch TFT display screen, allowing you to view the picture on a large screen.
- The pictures and videos it saves can be stored in a TF card and downloaded to a computer or other device through USB or HDMI interface.
We ordered three Owler1 night vision binoculars online and received them quickly. After unpacking, we found that the night vision binoculars were very exquisite and sturdy, with a good hand feel. We followed the steps in the manual for simple setup and testing of its functions. We found it very easy to use and could clearly see distant objects both during the day and at night. It can also take high-definition pictures and videos, and the operation is very simple and convenient.
With this night vision binoculars, we began our trip to Zijin Mountain. On the first day, we visited some historical sites and natural landscapes on Zijin Mountain with the guidance of our tour guide, such as Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, an ancient and magnificent imperial mausoleum located at the foot of the southern slope of Zijin Mountain. It is the burial site of the Ming Dynasty’s founder, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, and his empress, Ma. The empress was posthumously named “Xiaoci Gao Huanghou” (Empress Xiaoci of High Virtue) and the emperor was known for his filial piety, hence the name Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Ming Xiaoling was built in the 14th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1381) and completed in the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1405). It took 25 years to complete and employed 100,000 workers. It was the first large-scale and well-designed imperial tomb in Chinese history. It inherited the old system of imperial tombs in the Tang and Song dynasties, which were built on mountains, and created a new system of square tombs and round mounds. It achieved a perfect harmony between humanity and nature, reaching the perfect height of unity between heaven and man, becoming an excellent example of the combination of traditional Chinese architectural art, cultural and environmental aesthetics. It is also the first of the Ming and Qing imperial tombs, influencing the shape of imperial tombs for more than 500 years. The imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties located in Beijing, Hubei, Liaoning, Hebei and other places according to the regulations and patterns of Ming Xiaoling have a special position in the history of imperial tombs in China, hence the reputation of “the first imperial tomb of the Ming and Qing dynasties”.
Under the guidance of the guide, we visited the divine road and the tomb palace of Ming Xiaoling. The Divine Road is a road that leads to the main part of the tomb, which is 2400 meters long and does not run in a straight line, but curves around Meihuashan. Along the Divine Road, there are buildings such as the Dismounting Archway, the Prohibited Tablet, the Great Golden Gate, the Stele Pavilion of Divine Merits and Saintly Virtues, the Imperial Bridge, the Stone Statue Road, the Stone Watchtower, the Warriors, the Civil Officials, and the Lingxing Gate. Among them, the most amazing is the Stone Statue Road, which has twelve pairs of stone animals, including sitting lions, standing lions, sitting xiezhi, standing xiezhi, lying camels, standing camels, lying elephants, standing elephants, sitting qilin, standing qilin, lying horses, and standing horses. These stone animals are lifelike and exquisitely carved, reflecting the superb artistic level of the craftsmen in the early Ming Dynasty.
The tomb palace is the main part of Ming X
iaoling and the burial site of Zhu Yuanzhang and his wife Ma. It consists of a treasure city, a treasure top, a Ming building, and an underground palace, covering an area of 220,000 square meters. The treasure city is a square city wall, about 10 meters high, with a circumference of about 1700 meters and four city gates. The treasure top is a circular earthen mound, about 8.6 meters high and about 180 meters in diameter, with trees such as pine and cypress planted on top. The Ming Building is a tall building located directly in front of the Treasure Top, about 30 meters high, with three floors and three eaves. The underground palace is an underground tomb located in the center of the Treasure Top, about 20 meters deep, with four stone gates and four stone chambers. The tomb contains the coffins of Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma, as well as burial objects, but due to historical reasons, it has never been opened, and its interior remains a mystery.
Under the guide’s explanation, we visited various parts of the tomb palace and were amazed by the scale and grandeur of Ming Xiaoling. We were also interested in the story of Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma. Zhu Yuanzhang was one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. He went from a poor farmer to the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, unified China, and carried out a series of reforms and construction, bringing prosperity and stability to China for more than 300 years. Ma was Zhu Yuanzhang’s first empress and his favorite wife. She was born into a wealthy merchant family but did not despise Zhu Yuanzhang’s background and poverty. She shared his hardships and helped him unify the country. She was not only beautiful and virtuous, but also intelligent and capable, and often gave advice to Zhu Yuanzhang to help him pacify the world. She also gave birth to 26 children and educated them to be talented and virtuous. She and Zhu Yuanzhang respected and loved each other and lived together for a lifetime, becoming one of the best couples in Chinese history.
After visiting Ming Xiaoling, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant. We ordered some local specialties, such as Nanjing salted duck, chicken soup dumplings, small steamed buns, and sour fish. These dishes were all delicious and we enjoyed them very much. We also drank some local yellow wine and white wine, feeling the enthusiasm and generosity of the people of Nanjing.
After lunch, we returned to our hotel to rest for a while. We were ready to start our hunting activity in the evening. We took out our purchased owler1 night vision binoculars and checked their battery life and functions. We found that this night vision binoculars was very durable and practical, and could clearly see distant objects even during the day. We looked forward to using them to observe and capture wild animals on Purple Mountain at night. We heard that there are many kinds of wild animals on Purple Mountain, such as wild boars, deer, rabbits, foxes, and owls. We hoped to have the opportunity to see them and take some precious pictures and videos. We also hoped to experience the fun and excitement of hunting, but we would also follow the rules and ethics of hunting and not harm innocent life. We believe that with the help of the owler1 night vision binoculars, our hunting trip will be successful and unforgettable. This is our first day in Purple Mountain, Nanjing, China. We feel the charm of history, culture, and nature here, and we look forward to more surprises and discoveries on the second day.
