shepherds witness eternal circle of life

The ewe snorts and runs away, leaving her newborn in fear and trembling. It is the fourth time the lamb has been rejected by its mother.

Coldness and hunger paralyze the ewes' mothering instincts. Many first-time mothers are not able to take care of their newborns, so shepherds are needed to help the abandoned lambs.

The shepherds hold or bind the front legs of the mothers so that the lambs can suckle. Mothers that continually reject their newborns have them tied to their legs.

The shepherds anxiously watch their flock by night, with dozens of lambs expected to be delivered overnight. Without timely care, the new arrivals will die soon after birth.

Dilai and Qimti are on night watch and have to spend it in an open enclosure without heating and nothing but a small torch for light. For a month, they have to spend their nights in the enclosure, keeping an eye on the pregnant sheep, preventing them from running away or giving birth elsewhere. Dilai's eyes are bloodshot after little sleep.

"The family's income depends on the new lambs, so taking good care of them is crucial, even if it means we don't eat or sleep," he said.

Wrapped in a quilt, he huddles up beside the enclosure, waiting, listening.

Dilai's wife, Tuya, prepares supper at 11 pm. It is the family's only chance to get together after a hard day's work.

It is not the first storm that Dilai has lived through, but he has never thought about leaving. Life on the grassland is all he knows.

Tuya recalled that they only had a yurt, a bed and an offering table when they got married. But their work over the years has paid off. Now their children have houses and cars in the town.

In addition to annual government subsidies of 10,000 yuan ($1,400), Dilai earns 300,000 yuan from herding.

"I am a shepherd. Herding on the grassland is my life," he said. "I won't leave my flock until I'm too old to walk or ride my horse."

Dovton, 26, decided to stay with his parents after he graduated from high school. He is the eldest son and it is his obligation to take on his father's career so that his two younger brothers have a chance to see the outside world.

"My parents can't leave their flock. They have to take care of the animals, and I want to help take care of them. That's why I stay," Dovton said.

Overlooking his flock and home on a nearby slope, Dovton said he achieved good grades at school and would have gone to college if it were not for his parents.

As the night ticks away, another dozen lambs are born. Most are healthy, although a few are in critical condition.

One lamb is too weak to open its mouth. It lies motionless as a shepherd tries to poor milk into its mouth.

For more than half an hour, Qimti tries to help the lamb, but it's breath becomes weaker and weaker. Nearby, vultures and crows circle overhead.

Eventually, the lamb stops fighting for its life. Death wins.

A new day arrives, but the sun is still not present and snowflakes fill the air.

Whatever the weather on the Xinjiang grasslands, the shepherds continue to watch their flock and experience the continuous cycle of birth and death.