A Xinjiang Uygur photographer's documentary

[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Perhaps you'll be disappointed if you only look for picturesque landscapes of Xinjiang in the documentary," explains Kurbanjan Samat, 34, the show's chief director and producer.

"Here, the region is only used as a background. The documentary focuses on people－their joys and sorrows－and reflects issues of relevance to modern society."

While his book has a large number of interviewees, the documentary tells the stories of 18 people, who represent different social strata.

"I didn't want to clutter the documentary with too many themes," he says.

"My topic was warmth. It sounds like an easy subject. But in fact, it's not easy at all to make an exquisite production revealing people's emotions."

People who appear in the documentary live in different places, but they have all made progress in pursuing their dreams over the past three decades, he says.

"I'm telling audiences about Xinjiang people's Chinese Dream."