[Photo provided to China Daily]

Actor Li says participating in such a project gives Xinjiang natives, living away from home, the scope to look back and feel the deepest love for their hometown.

Kurbanjan Samat says he wants audiences to also review their lives after watching the documentary, no matter which ethnic group in the country they belong to.

He also wants to highlight how his interviewees are working hard for themselves and their families.

Nevertheless, this 6.5 million yuan ($985,000) project was nearly stalled due to the lack of money at first. Kurbanjan Samat was finally backed by diverse sources, including authors, philanthropists and the Beijing-based Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference News, which once reported his stories.

Among the documentary's investors is Zhao Yinhu, a businessman who earlier provided financial assistance to many children in western China's poverty-stricken areas.

"It is both efficient and important to show good examples of how children are doing. This documentary shows us that," says Zhao.

A second season would possibly follow.

Contact the writer at wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn