The woman giving her best years to China's high-altitude border

Every week, Guzailinuer Abula leads a team of women on patrol through the Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. Their route crosses rocky slopes, icy rivers and narrow mountain paths, at altitudes of more than 3,000 meters.

Abula has spent eight years at a remote border outpost in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In 2019, she came up with the idea for an all-female team. Ten women joined, and the group has since become part of the local border patrol.

Winter temperatures can fall to minus 30 Celsius. The air is thin enough to leave you breathless. Abula has completed more than 400 patrols, covering nearly 20,000 kilometers.

Her work goes beyond the border. A trained nurse, she carries medical supplies to treat local herders, makes sure residents can get essential medicines, helps older people with chores and supports families with children.

Abula grew up on her grandfather's stories of the border – he was among the first generation of border guards in the community. After graduating in nursing in 2018, she chose the mountains over a career in the city.

On April 27, 2026, her work was recognized with the China Youth May Fourth Medal.

“I think it is worth devoting my youth to this place,” she puts it plainly.