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.

Though it was my first time in the county, my head was filled with information I got from my grandpa and a few documentaries. However, things turned out to be a little different from what I had been told.

Grandpa's description of the locals was accurate, but the culture could only be seen in the museum or at a welcoming party at an agritainment event organized to boost tourism revenue.

While walking around the streets, I noticed that only a few old ladies wore traditional clothing. Most of the locals, especially the men, wore modern casual wear, and like me, browsed social media or shopping websites on their smartphones every now and then.

I was a little surprised when a young Tajik woman told me she was binge-watching a famous reality show on her laptop, and she wanted to meet one of the stars in person if she ever had enough money.

Things were quite different from my expectations - a nomadic society living in deep rusticity - and for a moment, I believed they were simply a stereotype of a place I had never visited. But where did that stereotype come from?

The efforts made by the government have improved the quality of life. However, it is debatable whether pop culture and a consumer lifestyle will ever change traditions that have pertained for 1,000 years.

When the bus broke down on my journey to Tashikurgan, I had plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of the Pamirs. Later, a police officer told me that the extraordinary mountain scenery was formed over tens of thousands of years, and, like the local culture, it continues to change.