China's westernmost airport opens, lending Pamir residents wings

LIFE TO TAKE OFF

In Toglunxa village, Xanbi Libiq's house looks out on some picturesque scenery. On the wetland outside the front door, herds of cattle and flocks of sheep can be seen beneath the blue sky, with the lofty mountains in the distance.

Taxkorgan has invested heavily in the tourism business that depends on the local scenic spots, such as Mount Muztagata and Mount Qogir. Homestays and supporting facilities have been set up, while farmers and herdsmen have been given professional training to raise the quality of service.

In the first 10 months of this year, nearly 700,000 tourist trips were made to Taxkorgan, up 9.89 percent year-on-year, with the county's tourism revenue registering a year-on-year increase of 13.67 percent to hit 372 million yuan.

Ayimhan Murateli, 22, works as a livestream salesperson, promoting yak meat jerky and other local agricultural products on e-commerce platforms.

"The sales volume can reach up to 70,000 yuan a month. With the airport opening, our products can be delivered more quickly and we are expecting more customers," she said.

Taxkorgan, in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, 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. The scarcity of convenient and efficient transport once hampered the county's socio-economic development.

For a long time, villagers on the plateau relied on yaks and camels to stay connected with the world outside. Anyone who wanted to walk out of the area had to scale mountains, avoid rocks falling from the cliffs, and cross rivers, either on the back of an animal or on foot.

However, since 2013, more than 1 billion yuan has been invested in carving out roadways in Taxkorgan. From 2016 to 2020, nearly 1,050 km of paved rural roads were laid and the county's total length of highways exceeded 1,500 km.

Now, all the townships and administrative villages under the county have access to hardened roads. With the inauguration of the new airport, Pamir residents' lives are ready to further take off.

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.