This – once dusty – outpost on the ancient Silk Road is a far cry from the urban clamor of theChina's mega-cities. Its residents were once nestled in unreachable mountainous enclaves in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, but they have now been relocated to flatter land in the region's plains. Their transformation isn't just material – more local families are sending their children to school, bolstered by 15 years of free education and government salaries for the precious few teachers willing to teach here.