[Photo provided to China Daily]

"From one place to another in the region, cultures, landscapes and languages change," he says.

Xie Chao, a participating photographer, says he was in Hami at the start of the trip earlier this month to focus on Hami Muqam, a cultural genre of the region.

Muqam refers to a variety of practices involving songs, dances, folk and classical music in Xinjiang. It's included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.

Xie says he captures daily life in the area through the dance and music of the local people. They dance elegantly, very differently from the Dolan Muqam, which is another genre that stresses energy and power, and therefore has stronger body movements.

Liu, the expert, says people in Hami mostly farm fruit so their art is agrarian, while the Dolan people's musical expressions reflect the challenges they face in the Taklimakan Desert.