"Although living in harsh conditions, they've got an inner peace," Li says. "I think they are living an idyllic life, elegantly."

To reach some secluded Tajik villages, she had to cross swift streams and hike hills in the high-elevation region which has a cold climate, pulling a donkey or a camel to help carry the heavy photographic equipment and gifts she brought for locals, such as stationery, sweets and electronic goods.

Sometimes, it took her several days to arrive at a destination, which also required her to camp in the wild.

"Every time I went back from those adventurous trips to the mountainous areas, I felt physically exhausted," she says.

Therefore, she has turned her 75-square-meter apartment in downtown Tashikurgan into a well-ornamented, cozy space in which she can recover from exhaustion.

She plans to study anthropology at a foreign university in the future and make documentaries on Tajik people, turning to another art form to promote the ethnic culture.

Contact the writers through xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn