Zhang Hongying asks a pregnant woman how she feels lately. [Photo by JIANG WENYAO/Xinhua]

The average altitude in the region is more than 2,500 meters. And there are mountains and valleys between one household and the next. So, in order to send medicines to every household, the clinic team need to constantly unlock new "dark alleys".

To do this, they set out from the foot of the mountain, hunchbacked, moving slowly with reins of the horse in one hand.

Then, after reaching a certain height, they press their bodies against the cliffs and move forward, because the edge of the abyss is too close for comfort.

One often feels dwarfed by the sheer scale of the place. And it is essential for the doctors to watch out for each other.

Yelxat takes the lead, with Zhang Hongying in the middle, followed by Ashat and Seysen.

The four doctors in the clinic are all dressed in coats and hats. And, with bronze horse whips in hand, they look like herdsmen. Only the red cross on the saddle bags identifies them as medical personnel.

This team has men and women, young and old, Kazakh and Han.