An aerial view of Saremu border station in Wushi county of Aksu Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Photo: Courtesy of Meng Pengju from Saremu station

Aimaier Yuseyinaike, 48, likes to play his electric guitar when he is not on duty. His favorite song is about a young man who misses the girl he loves.

Aimaier has worked as a guard at the Saremu border station of Ying'awati village in Wushi county for over two years.

Wushi county is located in Aksu Prefecture of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Aksu shares 263.8 kilometers of borderline with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and the total area of the border region in the prefecture is 16,700 square kilometers. Wushi accounts for 137.2 kilometers of the border line.

Saremu border station stands alone in the Gobi desert, and the nearest village is 12 kilometers away. Aimaier and 19 other border guards live and work at the station.

Their daily work includes patrolling the border areas, looking for people trying to sneak into the area, working with border guards in other regions and border police officers on joint patrols and dealing with emergencies.

The work may sound a little dull, but it is not easy. Border guards need to walk dozens of kilometers every day. When the weather is not suitable for walking, they patrol by motorcycle or horse.

A border guard rides a horse on his patrol. Photo: Liu Xin/GT

Life here is tough. "When I first came here, there was nothing but a tent, a gate and some chain-line fence. When the wind blew and we happened to be eating outside, sand got into the food and your mouth," Aimaier recalled.

In 2017, the local government began taking measures to improve the living conditions of the border guards, and Saremu station was upgraded to a 100-square-meter house with several rooms of different functions.

Getting water used to be a major problem. Aimaier and his colleagues had to ride a motorcycle for two kilometers to bring water back in buckets. Several trips had to be made to get enough water for one day. Aimaier suggested getting water from the foot of a mountain by using water pipes. After several attempts, they finally managed to get running water to the station.

After the water problem was solved, Aimaier got his colleagues to plant trees around the station.

A border guard of the station puts his name tag on the sapling. Photo: Liu Xin/GT

"I used to ask myself how to turn the desert into an oasis," Aimaier said.

They brought several trucks of soil from nearby villages, leveled the land around the station and planted around 100 saplings which local villagers gave to the station for free. Each guard put a name tag on several saplings to better take care of them.

Using their experience of planting trees, the border guards also began to plant vegetables and raise poultry to increase their food stock.

Gulibahar Rahaman, Aimaier's wife, also works in the station. She used to complain about her husband's life as a border guard, saying, "It was hard and doesn't make money."

"But when I brought my sons to visit him in the station, I saw his efforts to make the place more beautiful and better and I was touched. I began to understand him and the importance of his work," Gulibahar said.

Aimaier and his wife Gulibahar Rahaman play with their sons during a visit on the weekend. Photo: Courtesy of Meng Pengju from Saremu station

She now works in the station with her husband. When they are off duty, she likes to sit with Aimaier and listen to him play his guitar.

During their breaks, the border guards at the station used more than 500 rocks to make an image of a star and the Chinese characters for China in front of the station, then painted them red and yellow.

Border guards in Saremu station use rocks to make an image of a star in front of the station. Photo: Courtesy of Meng Pengju

"We do this to enhance our sense of Chinese identity. The life of a border guard is not easy, but it is an honor. The station is our home. We stand here to do our jobs better, which can contribute to the stability of the country," Aimaier said.

Aimaier and his dog, Tiger, who usually accompanies the border guards during their patrols. Photo: Liu Xin/GT

Motorcycles used by the border guards. Photo: Liu Xin/GT

A washing machine donated by a company in Wushi to the station Photo: Liu Xin/GT

Aimaier plays his electric guitar while his wife listens at the station. Photo: Liu Xin/GT

A wall outside the station is painted black for the border guards to learn Putonghua during breaks. Photo: Liu Xin/GT