Located within the Kanas Lake scenic area in the north of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Hemu is a rather primitive village. [Photo by Du Wei/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Though its fame as a quiet picturesque village has rapidly spread among tourists, Hemu is still a comparatively isolated place, only lightly impacted by modern life. Some income of the village has been derived from tourism in recent years, but most local people still make a living from animal husbandry. In ever brighter daylight, Hemu Village look serene in the early morning, with its wooden huts neatly scattered on the two sides of a dusty road rutted by vehicles.