Dedicated couple maintains water station along Tarim Desert Highway
From March to October each year, they stay at the station. They inspect the irrigation pipelines, apply fertilizer, water plants, and keep the surrounding areas clean.
Huang used to run a clothing business in Sichuan province for 30 years. Diagnosed with glaucoma in 2022, she decided to travel to Xinjiang and visit her sister, a well-keeper since 2008. What started as a trip turned into a life choice.
"I thought the desert would be too harsh to live in," said Huang, "But the living conditions are better than we imagined."
Their home is a bungalow beside the rooms for the water pump and diesel generator. Solar panels now power the facility, providing electricity for a television, a refrigerator, and air conditioning. They raise chickens fed with grain and fruit scraps.
