A frontier land of hope and dreams

The first people that appear in the documentary are an ethnic Kazak herder and his grandson from Zhaoshu county in Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture. Like most of his nomadic ancestors, Sabyt Abukhadir follows the centuries-long tradition of living a life in the meadows with his love for healthy cattle, clean water and lush grassland.

But family tension soon ensued when his grandson, Erjanat Nurkidir, insisted on leaving his hometown to study dance at Ili Normal University. Abukhadir believed it was "useless" to study dance. By displaying his talent onstage, Nurkidir changed his grandfather's mind and obtained Abukhadir's blessings to study dance.

Xinjiang's rich cultural variety is like a treasure trove for many artists. The documentary features how Meng Lulu, a leather engraver in Urumqi, and Memet Metqasim, a musician from Hotan, did a deep dive into the local cultures to seek inspiration for their works.