TheborderbetweenTugurmitiTownshipandtheKyrgyzRepublicstretchesmorethan80kilometers.Now,about2,000borderprotectionworkersresideinthetownship.Afterperformingaroutinefour-hourpatrol,42-yearoldMehmetKasimtakesabreak.Afewyearsago,themanfromtheKirgizethnicgroupmadealivingbygrazingsheep.LikemanyofhisneighborsinTugurmitiVillageofTugurmitiTownshipinAtuxCityofChina’sXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion,Kasimnowworksasaborderpatroller.Dressinginacamouflagesuit,heridesahorsetopatroltheborderalmosteveryday.
ANewProfession
ManyareaslikeTugurmitiinsouthernXinjiangarehometoavarietyofChineseethnicgroups.Theyaresituatedneartheborder,andmanyarepoverty-stricken.Inrecentyears,apolicyofrecruitingborderprotectionstaffhasbecomeanewmeansforlocalstoescapepoverty.AccordingtostatisticsfromtheBorderDefenseCorpsofXinjiangArmedPoliceForce,thepopulationinthe205,000squarekilometersofborderareasinXinjiangisonlyabout1.2million,withadensityoflessthansixpeoplepersquarekilometer.Inordertomonitorvarioussituationsalongtheborderinreal-time,localsmustbemobilizedtosupplementtroopsandborderguards.Inrecentyears,large-scalerecruitmentofborderprotectionstafffromlocalpopulationshasrolledout.Dutiesofpatrolworkersalongthebordervaryindifferentareasbutgenerallyconsistofpatrolsandcooperationwithlocalpoliceforcesoncrimepreventionandcontrol.
AccordingtoDuanHongming,firstPartysecretaryofTugurmitiVillage,hisvillageisthelargestinthetownship.Already,405residentsfrom243poverty-strickenhouseholdsinthevillagewerehiredasborderprotectionworkers,soalmosteverypoverty-strickenfamilyhasbenefited.“Ifonememberofapoverty-strickenhouseholdoffourpeopleishiredasaborderprotectionworker,thewholefamilywillbeliftedoutofpoverty,”saysDuan.
Locatedinamountainousareaontheplateau,TugurmitiTownshipfeaturesaridgedlandform.ItsborderwiththeKyrgyzRepublicstretchesmorethan80kilometers.Now,about2,000borderprotectionworkersresideinthetownship,accountingfor20percentofthetotalpopulation.Thesepeople,mostlyaged20to50years,havelivedthereforgenerations.Theyarefamiliarwiththelocalenvironment,nearbymountainousroadsandvarioussurroundingvillages.
InTugurmitiTownship,checkpointsaresetupat30kilometers,10kilometersandfivekilometersfromtheborder.Borderprotectionpersonnelliveinspeciallybuiltdorms.Every15peopleworkasagroupandshiftschangeeverysixtoeightdays.Aftercompletingtheirdailypatrols,MehmetKasimandhisco-workersbravethecoldtochiselblocksoficetomeltforwaterforcookingandwashing,performdrillsorchataroundafire.
Inrecentyears,borderprotectionworkershavegainedrespectastheirworkbecomesincreasinglyimportant.Governmentsubsidiesforborderprotectionworkershavealsowitnessedarapidrise.Themonthlysubsidyhasrisenfrom210yuanin2010to1,000yuanin2016andthen2,600yuanin2017.Kasim’swifeisemployedasaforestrangerforwhichsheearnsamonthlyincomeof800yuan.Thecouplealsoraisessheep,whichearnsrevenuesofabout20,000yuanannually.Kasimexpectslifeto“bequitegoodthisyear.”
AsFarastheBorderStretches
Today,theprofessionofborderprotectionisquitecommoninsouthernXinjiang.IntheKashgararea,thenarrowWakhanCorridortraversesthePamirMountainsandextendsintoAfghanistan.ThisnarrowstripoflandconnectstoPakistantothesouthandTajikistantothenorth.ThesectionofthecorridorinChinaislessthan20kilometerswideandnearly80kilometerslong,butfeaturesmorethan10mountainpassesdirectlyleadingtoforeignlands.
AtgayliistheonlyvillageinsidetheWakhanCorridorinChineseterritory.LocalresidentKenjebayoftheKirgizethnicgroup,nowworkingasaborderprotectionworker,istakingaholiday.“Wehavemorethan80householdsandmorethan300peoplelivingonChineselandinthecorridor,”heestimates.“Becausethisplaceservesasthesummerpastureforsurroundingareas,around1,300herderscomehereeverysummer.Ourborderprotectionworkiscomplicated.”
Borderprotectionworkersventureasdeepandfarastheborderstretches.Sincetheregionencountersextremeweatherpatternsandfeaturescomplicatedlandforms,wadingthroughicyriversandclimbingsnow-cappedmountainsabove5,000oreven6,000metersarecommon.About80kilometersfromAtgayliisXindieVillageinTaxkorganTajikAutonomousCounty,hometownofborderprotectionworkerNiyeMollamet.XindieVillagenowhasatotalof76borderprotectionworkerswhorotatethrough20-dayshifts.TheirdormsarelocateddeepintheWakhanCorridor,uptoseveraldozenkilometersfromthenearestvillage.Inwinter,thesnowcangetmorethanameterdeep.WhenMollametwascaughtinaheavysnowstormduringapatrol,heheldtighttohisyakandcontinuedtrudgingthroughthesnow.“Youneedtofulfillyourdutieswholeheartedlyagainstalldifficulties,”heinsists.
InTugurmitiTownship,borderprotectionworkersbravethecoldtochiselblocksoficetomeltforwaterforcookingandwashinginwinter.GuardingtoEscapePoverty
Kashgar,HotanandtheKizilsuKyrgyzAutonomousPrefectureinsouthernXinjiangaretogetherlistedasawholeamongthe14Chineseexceptionalpovertyareasacrossvastandcontiguousstretches.Althoughtheregionishometoacomparativelysmallimpoverishedpopulation,itcoversalargegeographicalareainhabitedmainlybyethnicminorities.Furthermore,mostpartsoftheregionareborderareas.Inrecentyears,thenumberofborderprotectionworkershasbeguntomultiply.Workinginconcertwithotherpovertyreductionpolicies,thedriveisbeginningtohelptheregionescapepoverty.
Localshavebeenencouragedtorisefrompovertythroughmultiplemeans.XindieVillageisaprimeexample.In2017,thevillage’spercapitanetincomeexceeded8,200yuan,andithadofficiallybeenliftedoutofpoverty.Butlocalswerenotcontentandstilldesiredtoexpandtheirroadtoprosperity.Thatyear,villagersplanted80hectaresofcommonseabuckthorn.Theyplantedanother80hectaresin2018,whicharenowflourishing.Thevillageisalreadyreceivingordersfromprocessingfactories.Ripeseabuckthornberrieswillbeshippedtothesefactorieswithinacoupleofyears.
InTugurmitiVillage,supportofthelocalgovernmentfacilitatedtheestablishmentofcattlecarecenterstohelpborderworkerslookaftertheirlivestockwhiletheyareawayatwork.
RemahunAlimandhistwobrothersjoinedseveralimpoverishedfamiliesinthevillageinopeningashoptobakenang,akindofcrustybreadpopularinXinjiang.Theyearnedamonthlyincomeof20,000-plusyuanandendedthetraditionoflocalstravelingfartothecitypropertopurchaseit.Theyvoluntarilyquittheirjobsasborderprotectionworkerstogiveothervillagersachanceforemployment.“IthinkIcanescapepovertyonmyown,”saysRemahunAlim.
TheKirgizpeopleareproudoftheirhorseridingtradition.Thevillagebuiltaracetrackanddevelopedarecreationalareawhereentertainmentprojectssuchoff-roadmotorcycling,dining,folkculturalactivities,andvalleytourismareoffered.MehmetKasimandhisfellowvillagersfeeltheirqualityoflifeimproving.
“Aftershakingoffpoverty,wefocusonbuildingabeautifulvillage,”explainsDuanHongming.“Wewantourvillagerstoliveamoderatelyprosperouslife,bothmateriallyandspiritually.”Althoughanumberofyoungpeoplehaverelocatedtobiggercitiestoworkandstudy,manylocalswhohavelivedinborderareasforgenerationsremaincommittedtoguardtheirhomelandandnationalborders.
“Itisourhonor,”saysMehmetKasim.
LocalsplantseabuckthorninXindieVillage.Thevillagehadofficiallybeenliftedoutofpovertyby2017.Butlocalswerenotcontentandstilldesiredtoexpandtheirroadtoprosperity.