Couple devoted to guarding cultural relics

Tedious and tough job

It has never been an easy job to safeguard the relic site.

Constructed with rammed earth and wooden beams, the fire beacon tower reaches a height of about 6 m, with a base measuring 7.2 m north to south and 6.4 m east to west.

Before 2001, when Kazak herders living in the region moved livestock between their winter and summer pastures in spring and autumn, they used buildings at the site as temporary pens.

After Memet started protecting the tower, he would intervene, persuading the herders to keep their livestock away from the site.

Once three herders from Liushuquan grazed their livestock near the site on their way of seasonal migration between the pastures. Memet asked them to leave, but they refused.

"They said, 'The Gobi Desert is vast with no pens, no water. Livestock have no way to survive without a break while grazing here'," he recalled.

Unable to reason with the herders, Memet eventually found a house 15 km from the tower for the herders to temporarily reside in. He helped them to build enclosures for their livestock.

He also encountered tomb raiders during his patrols in the area. Sometimes he scared the raiders away by himself and sometimes he called the local police for help.

Before he moved to Liaodun, Memet had a failed marriage. His first wife, a Han Chinese from Anhui province, left him with their three children and moved to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang.

Later, he married Bahail Idris, a Kazak woman, in Liaodun. On April 9, 2006, as Bahail showed signs of going into labor with their first child, a severe sandstorm struck the area, causing flying debris that shattered his car's windows.

Despite the challenging conditions, he drove for six hours to transport his wife to a hospital in a nearby town around 30 km away.

The sandstorm resulted in a temporary power outage in the township. As a result, the doctors had to deliver their son by the light of flashlights.

Last month, almost 20 years later, their son was admitted to Chongqing University. The couple's second child, a daughter, is 11.

On July 20, 2008, an unusual rainstorm triggered floods in the Gobi Desert, posing a threat to the relic site. Memet waded through waist-deep floodwaters, tirelessly digging trenches to redirect the water away from the site.

Thanks to his efforts, the tower managed to withstand the flooding and remained unharmed.

Regular work

About once every two days, Memet drives with his wife on their regular patrol of the fire beacon towers in the area.

When tourists arrive to visit the site, Memet will open the gate for them.

He will take the time to not only grant them access but also to explain essential guidelines for respectful behavior during their visit. Sometimes he takes on the role of a volunteer guide.

With the surge in tourism within the prefecture, an increasing number of travelers are flocking to Hami to uncover the wonders of the Gobi Desert, particularly the breathtaking mesa landforms nestled deep within the arid landscape.

Whether navigating on camel-back, horseback or by car, these adventurers rely on knowledgeable locals like Memet to lead the way. Ultimately, Memet can leverage his expertise to benefit from this flourishing tourism industry.

He leads self-driving tour groups through the expansive Gobi Desert, navigating the route from Hami to Dunhuang in Gansu province. Frequently, after receiving requests from local tour services, he mobilizes his team of two temporary assistants and transports his four camels and two horses to the Dahaidao scenic area by truck.

At the vast park known for its stunning mesa landforms, he guides tourists on camelback and horseback to enjoy sunsets and sunrises. The two-day experience yields substantial returns, with Memet and his team earning about 10,000 yuan.

"Now almost everything in my life is on the right track and I am truly enjoying my life here in Liaodun," he said.

chenliang@chinadaily.com.cn