Memet Ali and his wife Bahail Idris patrol the Liaodun Fire Beacon Tower in Hami city, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, last month. CHEN LIANG/CHINA DAILY
Traveling along the highways that traverse Hami prefecture in the eastern part of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, one cannot miss the sight of tower-like mud mounds rising from the vast and desolate plains.
They are ancient fire beacon towers that date back to as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
In ancient times, they formed a crucial part of the military defense system and played a vital role in safeguarding the Silk Road, ensuring its smooth operation and serving as a testament to the governance and jurisdiction of Xinjiang by the central government.
In total, there are 106 of these ancient structures scattered throughout Hami, which has an area of more than 137,000 square kilometers — slightly smaller than Shandong province.
Located about 100 km west of Hami city and 250 meters north of the Lianyungang-Horgos Expressway stands the Liaodun Fire Beacon Tower, known as one of the largest and best-preserved among the collection.
Fifty meters from the fenced compound protecting the tower and several remains of ancient buildings is a patch of poplar trees, a wetland and a meadow.
A dozen sheep, several camels and horses graze on the meadow. In a house built at the mini-oasis lives the family of Memet Ali and his wife Bahail Idris.
For 23 years, the Uygur man has been living there to watch over the ancient structure, which has been under national first-class protection since 2013.
Early connection to relics
Memet was born in Shazaoquan village of Liushuquan, Hami city, in 1955. In 1978, he was hired by the local forestry bureau as a patrolman.
He and 11 fellow patrolmen were tasked with overseeing forests scattered in an area of nearly 600,000 sq km in the prefecture.
While patrolling the area, Memet has become familiar with the ancient fire beacon towers.
"In the 23 years I worked as a ranger, I kept an eye not only on trees and wildlife, but also on about 10 towers scattered around our farm," he said.
When the Hami Bureau of Cultural Relics launched a comprehensive survey of the prefecture's immovable cultural heritage, he eagerly stepped forward to offer his services as a guide.
"In the vicinity of Liushuquan there are dozens of karez wells and those towers," Memet said. "I am familiar with all of them."
Karez wells are an ancient irrigation system dating back over 2,000 years, with underground channels that supply water from the melted ice and snow in the Tianshan Mountains to human settlements dotted on the vast land.
After the survey, he was appointed by the bureau as a voluntary cultural relics guardian.
Having retired from the forestry bureau in 2001, he now receives a pension of 2,300 yuan ($322) per month from his former position.
After retiring, he relocated his family from Shazaoquan to Liaodun, about 25 km west of his village, where there are no signs of human habitation within a radius of over 10 km, to oversee the beacon tower situated at an ancient courier station site, which contains remnants of several rammed earth buildings. He was aware of a functioning karez well near the site, which sustained the surrounding meadow and his livestock.
Between 2001 and 2016, he and his wife dedicated themselves to be voluntary watchers over the ancient site.
Following the site's inclusion on the national protection list in 2013, the local government built iron fencing around it.
In 2016, his wife was hired by the local government as a full-time cultural relics guardian, earning a monthly wage of 400 yuan. Now, her wage is 2,000 yuan per month.
Memet and his wife walk on a dirt road leading to the ancient structure that was put under national first-class protection in 2013. CHEN LIANG/CHINA DAILY
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
