Residents of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region note improvements throughout the area and speak of their love for their surroundings and hope for the growing prosperity to continue.

1 Mirzat Halmurat, 24, Urumqi

I am from Turpan prefecture and, as a reporter at Xinjiang TV, I'm always on the road to cover news around the region. I have made many friends from all over China. I hope every corner of Xinjiang will be connected by high-speed rail in the future.

2 Kuomonk, 43, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture

I used to live a nomadic life and am now a performer in a park featuring Kazak culture. I hope to earn more money in the future and live a carefree life like before.

3 Pallida Hossam, 21, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture

I am a sophomore majoring in Russian at Beijing Foreign Studies University. I hope to be a diplomat after graduation.

4 LiuLiu Jinxia, 46, Hotan prefecture

I moved to Xinjiang from Henan province in 1996. I am now a farmer in Hotan. I will work harder to make more money, and I hope my son will find a good job and stay in Xinjiang.

5 Mamutjon Jumar, 28, Kashgar prefecture

I own a motorcycle repair shop and just got married. I hope to run this business well and give my wife a happy life.

6 Ye Liwei, 34, Kashgar prefecture

I am from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and am now the deputy general manager of Kashgar Development Group's Real Estate Development Co, Ltd. I want to contribute to Kashgar's development. I hope the city, which is now a special economic zone, will become another Shenzhen, China's first and one of the most successful SEZs.

7 Kerim Abiliz, 56, Urumqi

I am a security guard in a residential community. My biggest dream is to travel to Turkey, South Korea and Singapore after retirement.

8 Saliye Hobay, 37, Urumqi

I am from Altay prefecture and am the chairwoman of Sallyking Dress Co, Ltd, a company that employs about 100 women. I hope to help more women in Xinjiang to gain working skills and a good job.

9 ChenChen Demin, 75, Urumqi

I came to Xinjiang in 1964 from Wuhan, Hubei province, and I'm now retired from a vocational school in Urumqi. I hope Xinjiang will be stable and safe so that I can invite my old colleagues in Wuhan to reunite in Xinjiang.

10 Zhang Xin, 47, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture

I am from Gansu province and am chairman of Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co, Ltd. With the opportunity brought by the Silk Road Economic Belt and putting innovation as the priority, I am confident that TEBA can become a leader in the equipment manufacturing industry in China and the world.

11 Yang Jie, 48, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture

As the Imam of a local mosque, I hope to help more followers to become better off. I want to help more non-Muslims understand Islam, with the help of social media, and eliminate misunderstanding.

12 Gulbaherem Nabijon, 14, Hotan prefecture

I am a proud member of the girls' soccer team at Hotan No. 4 Middle School. My dream is to join the national soccer team and represent China in international matches.

13 Dong Yinwa, 88, Hotan prefecture

I am a veteran who came to Xinjiang in 1949 from Gansu. I now live in a nursing home in Moyu county. I hope the country will provide better healthcare for senior citizens in Xinjiang.

14 Cui Xinjian, 28, Hotan prefecture

I am a kindergarten teacher in Tushala township. I hope to get more opportunities to learn teaching skills in big cities so that my students can broaden their horizons and make it to top universities.

15 Abylikem Memetkadeer, 21, Hotan prefecture

I am an employee of Shangyi Clothing Co, Ltd, in Pishan county. I want to work hard and learn more job skills so I can start my own clothing factory in the future.

16 Adila Alet, 25, Kashgar prefecture

I am from the Kezilesu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture and work at Kashgar Tourism Bureau. I hope to use what I learned from the university I studied at outside the region to better develop Xinjiang.

17 Li Yuan min, 51, Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture

I am now the Party secretary of Gaimai village. The villagers' lives have been greatly improved in recent years. I hope the village will become as rich and prosperous as those outside Xinjiang.

18 Zhang Yan, Tacheng prefecture

I am the Party chief of Tacheng prefecture. "I hope the Belt and Road Initiative will bring more opportunities to Tacheng and make the city a center for international exchanges."

19 Sharipov Bahodir, 19, Urumqi

I am from Uzbekistan and am a student at Xinjiang Normal University. I came to Xinjiang to learn Chinese. I might try to find a job here after I graduate, because there seem to be quite a lot of job opportunities.

20 Ke Xianzhi, Urumqi

I am the deputy general manager of Shanqi Xinjiang Automobile Co, Ltd. I have worked for more than 13 years in the company, and stayed for more than three years in Xinjiang. The market demand for our products has slumped this year. I hope it will pick up soon.

21 Wang Yi, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture

I am the president of Xinjiang Agricultural Vocational Technical College. We want to help improve the quality of agricultural produce in Xinjiang as well as in central Asian countries. We hope more central Asian students will come to our college to further the exchanges.

22 Yang Xuejun, Urumqi

I am the Xinjiang branch manager of Goldwind Science and Technology Co, Ltd. We hope the Silk Road fund will solve the funding difficulties for companies in Central Asia. That will help us to further beef up the exports to the area.

23 Gulxiaxi Kaikax, Tacheng prefecture

I own a family restaurant in Tacheng. Business has been good since we opened in May. I hope we will be able to expand the restaurant in the near future, and we will have another baby.

24 Zhang Hui, 32, Karamay

I work for PetroChina in the oil city of Karamay. It is not always safe to work on the oilfield. I hope our work unit will be able to maintain a good safety record every day.

25 Ajiahan Wuxur, 68, Turpan prefecture

I am a restaurant owner in Turpan, the hottest place in China. "I merely hope that we can maintain our tourism development in the city so that our living standards keep improving."

26 Zhao Yanhua, 76, Urumqi.

I am a resident of the Xudong community. I hope Xinjiang will continue to prosper, and I keep my health. I want to see more of the world in the future.

27 Xia Fengyong, Altay prefecture

I am the head of landscape and forestry department of urban construction bureau in Altay. The reforestation of mountains in the city has already brought back the rabbits and foxes. We hope more tourists will come to the city as its ecology continues to improve.

28 Mariam Kadeer, 53, Tacheng prefecture.

I am a retired worker. My life after retirement has mostly been about square-dancing and cooking for my children. I also pray for the health of my children and my grandchildren during Ramadan.

29 Galina Bagdanava, 62, Tacheng prefecture

I am a retired worker from a local pharmaceutical company. I hope my daughters-in-law will someday learn the skills of making jams and cheese, so that I will be able to pass them down.

30 Shen Fusheng, 86, Karamay

I am a retired soldier and former transport worker in the Xinjiang Branch of PetroChina Xinjiang Co, Ltd. Karamay was built on the Gobi Desert from nothing and now it has become a modern city. Because it's an oil city, we need to plan ahead before the natural resources run out, even though the reserves can last another hundred years.

31 Xu Xiuqi, 63, Altay prefecture

I am a retired forest worker who was re-employed to help plant trees in the barren mountains. I always tell my co-workers that we need to create wealth for our future generations. I will be immensely proud if my grandson can point to the mountain one day and tell people that it was reforested by his grandfather.

32 Dilai, 46, Beyinguoleng Mongolian prefecture

I am a Mongol herdsman, and I also run a restaurant from my yurt for tourists who come to visit the beautiful grassland home of Mongols. Business has been booming since the grassland was named a World Natural Heritage site. I hope tourists will stop carelessly dropping litter on the grassland, which we see as a most precious thing.

33 Ouqierala, 73, Beyinguoleng Mongolian prefecture

I've been showing movies to the herdsmen scattered on the grassland for 37 years. They now have more and better ways to know about the outside world. I hope the schools will give more Mongol language lessons so my grandchildren won't forget how to speak and write their own language.

34 Gulmina Yiliham, 22, Hotan prefecture

I am now studying at a university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. I can tell that people still have some misunderstandings about Xinjiang and the Xinjiang people. I hope more people will visit Xinjiang and make friends with Xinjiang people. We are all Chinese people.

35 Abulimit Muhtar, 18, Hotan prefecture

I am studying Uygur traditional medicine at Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi. I am trying my best to master Mandarin so I can learn about the latest developments in the medical world. I want to become a doctor who can treat patients with both Uygur medicine and Western medicine.

36 Soccer team, ages 6 to 11, Hotan prefecture

For us, playing soccer together on the sand dune of Takelamakan Desert is the best time of the day. We hope China will host the World Cup one day, and it would be perfect if we've all made it to the national team by that time.

37 Shi Zhongyan, 48, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or Bingtuan

I am a farmworker for Bingtuan. With advanced agricultural technology, we can grow more and better quality cotton than ever. Farmworkers can water and manage their farmland via computer now. I hope we won't even have to step outdoors to take care of the farmland in the future.

38 XieXie Yulin, 70, Urumqi

I am running a farm in my village on the outskirts of Urumqi. I am more of a businessman than a farmer now and making more money than people living the city. I think city people will soon envy our way of life.

39 Mehtiya Rexiding, 14, Urumqi

I am a student at a school that teaches in Mandarin and the Uygur language. I want to go to the top medical university in China and become a doctor. I hope that Han Chinese students can also learn Uygur, just like we learn to speak Mandarin.

40 Abudukadeer Musar, 72, Aksu prefecture

I've been playing the rewap, a traditional Uygur instrument, since I was 12. I am so glad to see young people are interested in traditional instruments. Some even use them in rock bands and breathe new life into traditional music. I just want to teach as many students as I can so our music will live forever.

41 Tohut Yiliyas, 66, Aksu prefecture

I've been a farmer all my life, so I know how important the village head is. A bad one can lead villagers to religious extremism and a good one can guide us to a better life. I hope we always have a good village head.

42 Marbaha Yusup, 17, Aksu prefecture

I am senior high school student. I love reading novels written by famous Uygur writers. I want to translate them into Mandarin so more people can enjoy the works of Uygur talents.

43 Musar Asar, 67, Aksu prefecture

My son has been selling on the Internet the pears and peaches we grew since 2014. Our family income has significantly increased. We recently bought a car, and I hope my son will take me on a trip around China in it. He can do business on his cellphone while we are on the road.

44 Zhao Wuzhong, 47, and Mohdan, 52, Aksu prefecture

When I wanted to quit because I found it too difficult to take care of the walnut trees in 2002, Mohdan lent me a helping hand by teaching me the skills and with money to get through the hard times. Now we have become very good friends and business partners. We are going to brand our walnuts and sell them on the Internet.

45 Talatbek Jalikun, 19, Henan province

I am from the Kezilesu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture and study at No. 11 High School in Zhengzhou. My class has both Xinjiang and local students, so we can learn from each other. I miss home all the time, and I will definitely go back to Xinjiang after I graduate from the university.

46 Yaxiar Parhat, 23, Anhui province

I am from the Ily Kazak autonomous prefecture and came to the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei to study in 2003. Every time I see pictures of beautiful Ily on social media, I always have an urge to go back right then. Whether I find my career in Xinjiang or elsewhere, I will always love Xinjiang - my home, home of my grandfather and my grandfather's grandfather.

47 Li Ming, 46, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region

I am from Korla, the Beyinguoleng Mongolian prefecture. I've been working on the oilfield in Xinjiang for 20 years and witnessed the Tarim Basin becoming China's third-largest oilfield. I was transferred to Guangxi in 2009, and my job was to construct natural gas pipelines linking the southeastern corner of China to the northwestern corner. I hope more people in China will use natural gas instead of coal so the environment will improve.

48 Mo Zhizhong, 42, Karamay

I am a second-generation oil worker in Karamay. I was born in Xinjiang and am proud to call myself a Xinjiang person. I hope more modern technology will be used in Xinjiang's oil fields to release its full potential to fuel China's development.

Contact the writers at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn and xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn