A documentary focusing on the culture and social development of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has won the special recommendation award at the ongoing Beijing International Film Festival.

The documentary, titled Xinjiang, was chosen for the award from more than 220 domestic and foreign films, including some award-winning titles, in a special section on documentaries during the festival.

Produced by Beijing Television Station, Xinjiang will premiere on May 8 on Beijing TV.

Some highlights of the six-episode documentary were played during the event and won warm applause from the viewers.

Director Li Dan says to best present the true image of Xinjiang, the crew spent nearly 500 days on the whole filming process. Li's team traveled more than 30,000 kilometers, from the borders on Pamirs Plateau of more than 5,100 meters in altitude to the autonomous region’s modern capital, Urumqi.

Unlike some previous documentaries that focused more on Xinjiang's food or natural beauty, the new documentary sorts out the historical developments of Xinjiang's culture, ethnicity and religions to give the audience a better understanding of the region's past and present.

The crew had chances to film quite a few treasured cultural relics and historical records that are not open to the public.