For guide, job is a family affair

Eight years ago, Ayinurgul Anigul was a teenager growing up in Bulayiq in the Turpan Basin, without any knowledge of tourism. She didn't know what to make of the strangers and the "good-looking elder brothers and sisters holding little flags".

"Then I knew that it was because Bulayiq was rated as a 5A scenic spot. The people holding flags were tour guides and those strangers were here to visit," said Anigul, 26.

Impressed by the tour guides, Anigul chose to become one. Her first travel group was from Hunan province. "I was so nervous that I forgot all the lines. But they were still very nice to me, and they wanted to see the place where I live," she said.