A place where modern and ancient worlds collide

Almost half a century ago, when he was a young man, my grandfather visited Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. He described the area and the locals as unique and different from any other people or place in China.

He told me that the eyes of members of the Tajik ethnic group are as blue as the Mediterranean Sea, their hair as blond as ripe wheat and the vivid colors of their traditional dress lit up the wild Pamir Plateau.

For my visit to Tashikurgan, I took the same route as my grandpa, but the difference is that he spent almost five days traveling there from Kashgar, while my journey was a mere nine hours, including four hours to repair the bus, which broke down on the way.