With abundant ice and snow resources, Narat township, Xinyuan county in Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang, has attracted more local people to return to their hometowns these years.

Photo shows the Narat scenic spot. (Photo/Science and Technology Daily)

Kazak girl Aidana graduated from Xinjiang University in 2022, and now is a tour guide in the Narat scenic spot, 16 kilometers away from her hometown, Aershan village. "Growing up here, I know how beautiful my hometown is. By working in my hometown, I want to make more people fall in love with it," she said.

Aidana explained that with dreamlike rime scenery, rolling mountains, horses galloping across snow-covered grassland and hospitable herdsmen, the place is truly a wonderland.

Jumping on the bandwagon of tourism, every household in the village has opened homestay hotels, receiving guests from all over the world. This has not only brought them wealth but has also opened their eyes.

Ersin is the captain of a horse team in the Narat scenic spot. The man won many titles in various sports, and became a member of China's national cross-country skiing team in 2017. Last year, he chose going back to his hometown over working as a coach in Beijing, for he wanted to make contributions to his hometown.

With the help of the relevant departments of local governments, he established a horse team cooperative and a cross country skiing team for learners under 18. "My hometown has excellent ice and snow resources, as well as many young talent. I want to do my utmost to train them and help them stand on higher podiums," he said, adding that two of his students have been selected for the Xinjiang team and Shandong team, respectively, both preparing for the 14th National Winter Games.

Similarly, Erdana chose to return to Narat to start his own business after graduating from Xinjiang University in June 2023, and joined one horse team cooperative. Another 21 college graduates in the cooperative promote their hometown Narat by making promotional videos and short videos, and are confident about the future of their hometown, said Erdana.

Che Hua, deputy head of the local tourism development and management bureau, said Narat has provided employment for 25,000 people through tourism, with an increment in annual per capita income of over 18,000 yuan ($2,526).

Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen

Editor Ⅱ: Wu Dan

Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong