At a train maintenance center in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang, a multi-ethnic team of technicians has been working around the clock to ensure the safe operation of bullet trains.

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URUMQI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A passenger aircraft on Friday morning arrived in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, marking the inauguration of the region's first high plateau airport.

Departing from the regional capital Urumqi at 8:57 a.m., the flight CZ5193, operated by China Southern Airlines, landed at the Taxkorgan Airport at 10:59 a.m. The airport, located at 3,258 meters above sea level, is China's westernmost transportation airport.

"A round-trip flight between Urumqi and Taxkorgan has been opened now," said Chen Xiaoguo, general manager of the airport, adding that more airlines will soon join.

Equipped with a 3,800-meter runway, the airport is designed to handle an annual throughput of 160,000 passengers and 400 tonnes of cargo and mail.

Taxkorgan is the only Tajik autonomous county in China, with more than 80 percent of its roughly 40,000 residents belonging to the Tajik ethnic group. Inaccessibility to convenient and efficient transport once restrained Taxkorgan's socio-economic development.

The construction of Taxkorgan Airport began in 2020, with an investment of more than 1.6 billion yuan (about 229 million U.S. dollars).

"In the past, I needed to travel 40 to 50 hours by bus and train to get to Beijing. Thanks to the new airport, the plane has slashed the time to only eight hours," said Mirsayip Nuralip, a local Tajik resident who attended college in Beijing.

The convenient air passage will bring a steady flow of people, logistics and information to the Pamir Plateau, promoting industrial development on the plateau, said Zapar Atawulla, head of the county government.

"The airport will also play a positive role in improving the local transport, promoting local tourism and opening up to the outside world," he added.

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The seventh China-Eurasia Expo kicked off in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Monday. Join Xinhua's Shao Yibo to find out more. #GLOBALink

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In recent years, an increasing number of ethnic minority students from Xinjiang, NW China, have chosen to leave their hometown to pursue studies in inland schools. Let's meet some of them in Wuhan, central China, and find out how they have grown up and achieved life goals.

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"We tell stories of our culture, ancient history and the current development through our dances," says Hadila Abdurayjan, a dancer from Hotan, China's Xinjiang. Her biggest wish is to live a happy life with her family. Abdurayjan shares her story. #GLOBALink

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A scenic highway built across Hongkeng Village in northwest China's Xinjiang has boosted local tourism industry and improved people's wellbeing.

The 301.6-km S101 highway links provincial capital Urumqi with Bayin'gou pasture in Wusu City.

Along the road, travelers can enjoy views of Yardang, Danxia, the Gobi desert, river valleys, canyons, alpine meadows and forests which are called the "geographic gallery on the Tianshan Mountain."

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URUMQI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Kaderliya is a post-95 Uygur lady. She's also a driver of large railway machinery. Here's her story.

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With the help of a smart agricultural management system, a young lady who barely has experience in farming can now manage a vast swath of cotton fields in China's Xinjiang. #GLOBALink

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