Published: 12:35, August 4, 2025
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Guesthouse offers a view of Tajik culture
By Wu Xiaohui in Tashikurgan, Xinjiang

Former professional dancer caters to tourists back home in Tashikurgan

Abudu Xiamier (center) plays the rabab together with his brother Abudu Xiakeer (second from right) and their cousins in the living room of his guesthouse in Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on June 13, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)

It was nearly 9:30 pm, but the sky above the Pamir Plateau still held the soft glow of the setting sun. In the far west of China, where the borders of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan converge, twilight lingers a little longer.

Inside a cozy guesthouse in Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, 31-year-old Abudu Xiamier was teaching a young couple from Tangshan, a city in northern China's Hebei province, the traditional Tajik eagle dance. With steady, sweeping arm movements, he mimicked the flight of an eagle — strong, graceful, and free.

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For the Tajik people, eagles are not mere symbols; they are living metaphors for heroism, honesty, and strength. The eagle dance, an art form passed down through generations, was officially recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

Abudu Xiamier invites a tourist from Tangshan, Hebei province, to join in a traditional Tajik dance in the guesthouse on June 13, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)
A vlogger from Tangshan records Abudu Xiamier performing on a traditional drum in the guesthouse on June 13, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)

Xiamier's guesthouse is more than a hostel — it is a living museum of culture and memory. A wooden clock carved in the shape of an eagle hangs in a prominent spot. Traditional instruments like the rabab (lute-like instrument) and setar (string instrument) rest in the corners, while richly colored carpets from different decades cover the walls. In one corner hangs a deep red rug from the 1960s — used at his grandfather's wedding, and preserved ever since.

Born and raised in this high-altitude land, Xiamier once left to chase a dream. At 13, he traveled nearly 4,000 kilometers to Zhangjiakou in northern China to study dance. At 17, he was admitted to Minzu University of China — one of the nation's top universities — where he trained to become a professional performer. "Many of my seniors didn't make it, but I did," he recalled with pride.

Tourists from Tangshan enjoy their stay in the guesthouse on June 13, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)

After graduation in 2015, he joined the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Art Troupe, gracing stages across the region and beyond. His guesthouse walls now display over 20 performance badges from that chapter of his life — each one a relic of a dance, a tour, a city, a moment. "In total, I have over 2,000 of these," he said, smiling.

But in 2021, everything changed. A severe injury during a performance forced him to leave the stage. While recovering in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, his parents traveled more than 1,700 kilometers from Tashikurgan to care for him. "They wanted me to come home," he said. And he did.

With their support, he transformed his grandfather's old house into a guesthouse that blends Tajik tradition with modern hospitality. The inspiration came from his travels, particularly his stays in guesthouses in the Xizang autonomous region, where he once danced and shared stories late into the night with the host and other guests.

Abudu Xiamier poses for a photo with a tourist from Tangshan in the guesthouse courtyard on June 13, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)
Abudu Xiamier enjoys a cup of Pu'er tea brought by tourists who drove from Dali, Yunnan province, in the guesthouse courtyard on June 13, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)

His younger brother, Xiakeer, born in 2000, also found his way back to Tashikurgan after studying in Xiamen, a coastal city more than 4,000 km away in Fujian province. "Things are changing fast here," he said. "We used to travel 300 km to Kashgar for many essentials. Now, most of what we need is available right here in the county."

Indeed, infrastructure and tourism have reshaped this remote corner of Xinjiang. In 2022, the Tashikurgan Khunjerab Airport opened, becoming the region's first high-plateau airport. Visitors now flock here to witness the stunning Pamir landscapes and experience Tajik culture firsthand.

A Uygur couple from Aksu city in Xinjiang pose for a photo in the living room of the guesthouse on June 10, 2025. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)
Abudu Xiamier plays the rabab, a lute-like instrument popular across Central Asia. (WU XIAOHUI / CHINA DAILY)

Xiamier said that he sometimes misses the stage — the spotlight, the energy, the audience. "But life now is also full of meaning," he said. "I meet people from all over China — some are curious about Tajik customs, others are fascinated by the structure of our old houses, or the intricate wood carvings. Many say it reminds them of their childhood."

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In the evenings, the guesthouse comes alive with laughter, music, and dancing. Xiamier, once a professional performer on national stages, now plays traditional instruments he taught himself — rabab and eagle flute — and invites guests to join in. The warmth of the room, bathed in amber light, becomes a space of connection: between past and present, tradition and reinvention, guest and host.

Contact the writer at wuxiaohui@chinadaily.com.cn