As a college student in Ili, Xinjiang, Erjanat Nurkidir's biggest aspiration is to become a dancer and spread Xinjiang's traditional culture. At first, his dream was thought to be useless by his grandfather, who works as a sheepherder. But after seeing Erjanat perform, he changed his mind as he broke down in tears of pride.

This is one of many stories in CGTN's exclusive documentary "Beyond the Mountains: Life in Xinjiang." Watch the full documentary here.