Uyghur photographer, author and director Kurbanjan Samat Photo: IC

"I am Abuleti Mehmet from Maralbexi county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; now a Guangdong Province-based glider trainer. I dream to fly through the country and around the world until I'm 80…"

With informal voice-overs paired with scenes of day-to-day life, the documentary I am from Xinjiang on the Silk Road aims to establish an honest dialogue across ethnic groups in China.

The book-turned-documentary series telling the stories of Xinjiang-born people from all walks of life made its debut on State-run CCTV and online streaming platforms iQiyi, LeTV and v.qq.com on June 22, garnering over 10 million views in just a week. 

Divided into six 20-minute episodes, the series captures the sorrows and joys of 18 people who moved from their hometowns in Xinjiang to major cities further east to pursue their dreams.

Clearing up misconceptions



Kurbanjan Samat, director of the film and also the author of the book of the same title, explained that the film's aim is to help clear up misconceptions people outside of Xinjiang have about the people that live in the region, especially the Uyghur ethnic minority.

But, "it seems to have won more positive responses from Xinjiang people. And after so many unjustified accusations towards the group, there is finally a chance to help rebuild their self-confidence," wrote the 34-year-old Uyghur photographer and director during an e-mail interview with the Global Times.

Having witnessed too many examples of poor relations between China's Han ethnic majority and Uyghurs, Kurbanjan said he had wanted to make a film long before he began working on his book or photography exhibitions.

"As a photographer with limited resources at the time, I then decided to hold photography exhibitions first.

"The film idea took shape in 2012 and the whole plan started in 2013," said Kurbanjan.

"The Kunming terror attack in March, 2014 only served to push the project to early completion."

His 2014 book I am from Xinjiang on the Silk Road, which presents portraits and stories of more than 100 Uyghurs working and living in the Chinese mainland, was a huge success.

An English language version even appeared at the BookExpo America in New York city in 2015.

Despite criticisms that it focuses too much on minority success stories, the documentary series has been highly recommended by cultural celebrities such as former Minister of Culture Wang Meng and actor Chen Jianbin. According to Kurbanjan, a second season is expected to air in 2017.

Q: You are a photographer and writer, and now have a new role as film director. What do you feel are the major differences between the mediums?



Kurbanjan: Photography is the language that I'm most comfortable with. Through it, I can demonstrate my understanding of the relationships between people and the world. When writing, however, you can describe images in a more complete way. Yet nowadays, not many people like to read, not even micro-blogs featuring a mere 140 words. This is why people use eye-catching headlines to bring in readers, but my style of writing is more straightforward. When it comes to filmmaking, there are a lot more elements that have to be taken into consideration, but it is more expressive and more straightforward.

Q: What message do you want to convey to the audience through this documentary?



Kurbanjan: I hope that anyone who watches the film will come to understand that however different the religious beliefs and customs among different ethnicities are, we share the same feels when it comes to the ups and downs in life... Everyone should learn to respect cultural diversity in our country and to treat each other with respect as a human being.

Q: You mentioned in a previous interview one of the things that prompted you to make this series, as well as your book, was the unfair treatment you and your friends have experienced, such as being rejected by employers or being thrown out of apartments by landlords simply because you're Uyghurs. Have things improved since then?



Kurbanjan: Yes, that served as the motivation for my film project. I often wonder why people like to group people by ethnicity or region. We all contribute to the prosperity of our country. And the situation still hasn't improved yet. I heard some time ago, that a friend of mine was denied a room at a hotel because of his ethnicity. This might just be one individual case, but I think we should pay attention to these things as long as they still continue to happen.

Q: I heard that you planned to include 20 people in the documentary but ended up with 18. What happened? What other difficulties did you run into while making the film?



Kurbanjan: Filmmaking is a complex process. We had to choose those people who best suited the themes that we wanted to express. Due to scheduling or a person's story being a weak link in an episode, we didn't get things exactly as we had planned. This is quite common in filmmaking. We also experienced difficulties when it came to funding and working as a crew, but fortunately we made it through.

Q: I had an interview with a Uyghur singer from Xinjiang who didn't like talking much about his ethnicity. He pictured himself as an ordinary man that came to North China to earn a better living. Some people feel that focusing too much on ethnicity can also be a type of prejudice. What are your thoughts on this?



Kurbanjan: Yes, I agree. The reason I'm able to make a living in Beijing has nothing to do with my ethnicity. Anyone who emphasizes his or her ethnicity identity too much or too little is a person that lacks self-confidence. My ethnicity only stands for where I was born and grew up, but is by no means the only label for who I am.

Q: You said in a previous interview that the way many Muslims in Xinjiang interpret Islam  is not quite the same as that outlined in the Koran. What do you think are the reasons for this trend?

Kurbanjan: I feel that many people in Xinjiang are less aggressive when they talk about religion. Instead I worry about those people who misinterpret Islam in a more extreme and narrow-minded way. One of the reasons for that is probably because there is too much false information online. I am also perplexed as to why there are so many attacks online towards Muslims. Some social media accounts claim that they're Muslims but in fact are not. They then go around making noise and getting in fights online."