Gulijanar, a student at Ili Senior Technical School in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang tells of her passion for learning Aken Aytes, a Kazakh folk art, from her father.

Aken Aytes, or Aken Songs, is a folk art form popular among the Kazakh ethnic group, in which the performer improvises a song while playing the dombra. The performer is also called an Aken, which means "poet" in Kazakh, as the lyrics are always beautiful, humorous or inspiring.