RETURN TO THE VILLAGE

From age 25 to 40, Mijit Yasinjan, an ethnic Uygur, worked as a second-hand car dealer in Shanghai, more than 5,000 km from his hometown.

Azgan Village where Mijit was born is in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. For decades, the young people of this Uygur village in Suntag Township of Artux City have traveled to the developed areas on China’s eastern coast in large numbers to do business, for example, engaging in the wholesale of fabrics or running restaurants. Today, among the 4,127 villagers, more than 400 are still