Volunteer Yang Zongzong's mission is to find and catalog every plant species in the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. So far, he has gathered 10,000 to 20,000 specimens. He says going into the wild and discovering colorful plants is a unique thrilling experience for him.

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