Altay Diaries

AsXinjiang'sAltayrisesasa trendyescape forurban youth，a long-time resident captures life in the localvillages

我在新疆阿勒泰，融入當(dāng)?shù)厝耍谌粘Ｉ钪懈惺堋霸姾瓦h(yuǎn)方”

T heAltay regionis tucked into the northwestern tip of China，a remote corner far from the country'sbustling megacities.With its high latitude，summer isephemeral，yet each summerday lingers.The sun setsafter 1O in the evening，with darkness not falling until nearly midnight.By six in the morning， the sky is bright once more.

It's my second year living here in the Meilifeng village，nestled in the Altay mountains.What wasmeant to bea short stayto recover from health problems turned into along one—Iwas completelycaptivated bythenatural beauty here.My hostisa Kazak auntie who keepsa tidy wooden house.

Surrounded by forests，grasslands，and creeks， Meilifeng village lies justa few kilometers from Hemu village，a better-known tourist destination. Bathed inample sunshine，wildflowers bloom throughout the season，changing the scenery dayby day.Autumn arrivesas earlyas August， bringing the forage harvest，wildberriesin the woods，andabountyofwild mushroomsscattered across the forest floor.

Workon the prairie never ends.Villagers tend to their cattle，horses，and sheep; some keep bees andharvesthoney.Ilendahandwithdailychores whenIcan and often look after thechildren during theirschool breaks.

In2024，thehitTVdramaTo theWonder， adaptedfromXinjiangwriterLiJuan's2010 essaycollectionMyAltay，turned theregion into atrendytouristdestination.Manyvillagers in Meilifeng have since started running homestays. Ihaven't watched the show，butLi's writing resonates deeplywith me，especiallyher reflection on the fading traditional nomadic lifestyle.

Iuse my smartphone and a CCD camera to capture warm moments from daily life and share them on social media.Many of my followers，mostly urban youth，say they dream of living this kind of life.But I also want them to understand： behind the beautiful， serene images lies a life that's just as tough—if not tougher than their own.

A gate is installed at theendof the bridge to keep

cowsand horses from stepping onto it

The author （far left） leads village children onan explorationacross creeks in thenearby forests

Wild mushrooms growing on trees are a common bounty in Altay's forests

Avisitor inhalesthecrisp mountainair amidstAltay'snaturalbeauty

To show more people the real Altay， I also host guests from across the country. Many of them are young women who have reached outto me through social media. Unlikea typical customized tour， we don't followa fixed itinerary.Instead， we live like the locals—sleeping ona large communal bunk in the auntie's wooden house， drinkingfreshmilk，andeatingKazak food.For activities，we either ride horses or simply go forastroll.

IhopeIhaven't romanticized the local life.But my pictures truly reflect what I feel—there'sa sense of poetry and warmth in this simple life that modernity often overlooks.

A Kazak lunch of chicken，potatoes，vegetables，and wild strawberriesenjoyedunderthesun

There's a sense of poetry and warmth in this simple life that modernity often overlooks.

Avisitor helpsanauntiein Hemu village，who theauthor calls Apa {meaning“mother\"in Uygurl，paint herfence