HERDERS WELCOME CHANGES IN XINJIANG’S ‘VALLEY OF LIFE’ New roads, solar panels and motorcycles are improving living conditions in the remote Akyaz area
As the first rays of sunshine climbed over the snowy mountains on the Akyaz Valley, Nurkaldi Tursunali drove his 60 sheep to the pasture before going back to his log cabin to drink milk tea by a burning stove. It was a typical start to the herdsman’s day.
Winters are harsh in the valley, and Nurkaldi’s family and his flock do their best to avoid the bitter cold. About 130 kilometers from the nearest town, Akyaz is an important winter grazing place for herders in Zhaosu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Despite being at an altitude of 2,000 meters, the valley has a warmer climate than surrounding areas, and abundant grass and water. It is sometimes referred to as the “Valley of Life”.
For centuries, herding has been an ancestral tradition for nomadic Kazakhs in Zhaosu. Migration begins in October, and more than 10,000 people drive 400,000 cattle and sheep to their winter homes, where they remain until May.
To enter the valley, herders and their animals must pass a narrow, winding road. With cliffs on both sides, the road is just wide enough for a car to pass. Drivers hold their breath when zigzagging on the icy, rocky passage, careful not to fall off the cliff when taking sharp curves.
It usually takes two hours to drive to the heart of the valley. Sheltered by three mountains, the homes of the herders are scattered along the 200-kilometer valley. The nearest neighbors are just 400 to 500 meters away, while some people live dozens of kilometers away and have to ride on horseback for two or three hours to visit a friend.
Amangul Hanuyalbik, 61, is the oldest herder in the neighborhood. “I’m too old to work, so now I mostly look after my grandchildren,” he said.
He has passed on his whip to his son, who takes care of 250 sheep, 50 horses and 10 cattle.
In the daytime, men usually graze sheep and cattle on the pasture, while women cook meat and naan bread at home. Their traditional dwellings are built from logs and mud. When night falls, the whole family gathers around the stove, chatting over hot milk tea.
But life is not as idyllic as it seems. The four doctors in the hospital in the valley know best how perilous life here can be. They have just saved a herdsman who fell from a cliff and nearly died from bleeding inside his skull.
Years ago, a member of an epidemic prevention team also had a brush with death after falling from his horse when delivering oral poliovirus medicine to children.
Gyens, head of the nearest hospital, has been working in Akyaz for 12 years. In the remote mountains, patients do not go to see doctors. Instead the doctors go house to house by car, motorcycle, horseback or on foot to treat minor illness and injuries. Patients in serious condition are sent to the county hospital.
The doctors even treat
Gyens has witnessed many changes over the years: Roads have been widened; cellphone towers have been built; solar panels have been installed so that herders no longer need to use kerosene lamps or candles for light; people have also set up satellite receivers to watch TV; and motorcycles are replacing horses. “When spring comes, construction of the new hospital building will be complete,” Gyens said.
Business has also taken root. The only shop nearby is owned by Baktikeld Bagaturbay, who has turned his little cabin into a trading center. He sells beer, instant noodles and snacks, simple but sufficient to fill the stomachs of hungry herders.
“I started my business with a loan. Then my business expanded thanks to my wife’s cooking. Now I can earn 4,000 to 5,000 yuan ($630 to $790) every winter,” he said.
Bagaturbay is not only the most successful businessman in the valley, but also the proudest father. As a top student, his daughter Aydala has been admitted to a program in Guangdong province for students from Xinjiang to study in more economically developed regions.
About 5,000 km from home, Aydala has inspired the children in the valley.
“When I grow up,” Yeyeni, 14, told his father Nurkaldi, “I want to work in a big city.” animals. returns home after grazing sheep and cattle on the pasture in the Akyaz Valley, in Zhaosu county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. house.