The eternal circle of life

Herdsmen battle sleepless nights, hunger and cold to ensure health of flocks, livelihood

Birth and death walk side by side among Dilai's flock - that's just the way things are on the Bayan Bulag grassland in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

It's already April, but the grassland has yet to show any sign of spring's arrival. With the sun absent, Dilai and his family have seen nothing but dark clouds and snow for three days. Pregnant ewes paw at the snow-frosted ground looking for grass, while newborn lambs shiver in the wind.