URUMQI: Although Bayika Kalidibek, 72, is no longer fit enough to accompany border control officers as they patrol the harsh environment of the border of the Pamir Plateau on the back of yaks in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, he said he will continue to tell the stories of his family that has passed on the tradition of protecting the border area of China from one generation to another.
Bayika, of the Tajik ethnic group, made the remarks after being awarded with the national honorary title of People’s Guard on Sept 13 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
In the living room of his house in a small village in Taxkorgan Tajik autonomous county, which borders Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, there are many pictures of Bayika taken by border control officers during patrols. He is always seen taking the lead when crossing rivers or entering narrow paths that are only about half a meter wide. Being a guide for the Khunjerab border force, which guards the China-Pakistan border, is by no means easy. The border route often snakes over several mountains more than 5,000 meters above sea level, and it’s so rugged and slippery that only yaks can be used to transport people.
Since 1972, Bayika has taken part in more than 700 border patrols and has been injured many times. In 1999 he injured his head and two years later five of his ribs were fractured after being hit by stones falling from a mountain. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
