In Jimusaer (Jimsar), a county in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture where winter temperatures often plunge to minus 25 degrees Celsius and the Tianshan Mountains command the horizon, local officials and residents are crafting innovative responses to universal challenges.

Their approaches are strengthening community ties, improving rural healthcare and fostering sustainable growth in a resource-rich region. What makes Jimusaer's approaches notable is not only the solutions but how they have emerged from practical, locally adapted initiatives that blend tradition with technology to improve everyday life.

A potent remedy

While winter winds sweep across northwest China, warmth and conversation fill the community center on the Wenming Road in Jimusaer's urban area. People cluster around with cups of steaming milk tea, talking and laughing. This is a frequent scene, thanks to the Neighborhood Milk Tea Chats initiative.

The neighborhood comprises both old residential complexes and standalone buildings, housing over 7,000 people. In the past, people barely knew their next-door neighbors, let alone the others in their buildings. But now the Neighborhood Milk Tea Chats have reshaped how this community administers itself.

"The rule (at the chats) is simple," said Zhang Jun, director of the community, pouring tea for newcomers. "Everyone speaks, everyone listens, and we solve problems together."

What began as an experiment in late 2023 has become a model of grassroots democracy, tackling issues from misplaced parcels to creating shared spaces for the elderly.

The process is practical and swift. When Markfulla Vakas raised concerns about inadequate shade and unclear addresses, the community secured funding and within 10 days, built a 20-meter shaded walkway and installed new address plates. "The speed surprised everyone," Vakas recalled.

The milk tea gatherings have brought neighbors closer. Feng Xiaoyan and Ainur Smay, who live opposite each other in the same building, became "sisters" thanks to these get-togethers.

"We'd been neighbors for seven or eight years, but we'd never met until the milk tea gatherings," Feng smiled.

Ainur added: "During the Chinese New Year, I make fried sanzi (twisted dough sticks), youguo (fried pastries) and butter cakes for her. When I cook polo (Uygur rice pilaf) or dumplings, I either invite her over or send some to her." The two exchanged a warm smile, full of affection.

These gatherings have evolved into multipurpose forums—bonds are built and wisdom is shared. In an age of social fragmentation, Jimusaer has brewed a potent remedy: genuine conversation, served with hospitality.

The model has since spread across the county, proving that effective governance can be as simple as chairs arranged in a circle and shared tea. According to Zhang, Jimusaer has held over 2,000 Neighborhood Milk Tea Chats, and about 25,000 people have participated so far.

Dual economic engine

Beneath Jimusaer's frosty surface lie vast shale oil reserves locked in dense rocks. In the past, extracting this oil was unfeasible because of the tough geological challenge, likened to "squeezing oil from a stone." Today, technology has made such extraction viable and Jimusaer is at the heart of China's first national continental shale oil demonstration zone.

"The breakthrough came from intelligent extraction," explained Wu Bin, who heads the shale oil central station in the Jiqing Oilfield Operation Area.

Wu told Xinjiang Today that shale oil extraction is far more challenging than conventional crude production. Through PetroChina's relentless efforts, the Jimusaer Shale Oil Demonstration Zone has become China's pacesetter in unconventional oil development, establishing a new "intelligent regulation plus low-carbon oil recovery" model.

The zone seamlessly integrates subsurface oil extraction with surface tourism, meeting green, smart and economic benchmarks. Notably, its annual output achieved a "Jimusaer Leap"—surging from 0.5 million tons in 2022 to over 1 million tons in 2024—with a 2025 target of exceeding 1.7 million tons.

"Currently, we've shortened horizontal well drilling cycles from 90 to 31 days, and our platform-based 3D deployment model cuts land use by over 50 percent," said Zheng Aimin, foreman of Shale Oil Operation Team 1. The Internet of Things system enables unmanned patrols, rodless pumping eliminates spills and leaks, and fracturing fluid recycling saves over 800,000 cubic meters of water yearly—realizing green shale oil development.

While oil extraction advances underground, an agricultural treasure thrives above ground. Farmers in the southern township of Dayou are growing morel, a highly prized delicate spring mushroom known as the "king of fungi" for its flavor and nutritional value. Dayou, with its unique temperature, provides a favorable environment for morels.

"From harvest to plate, it takes about 15 days," said farmer-entrepreneur Wu Wei, walking through once idle greenhouses now vibrant with growth. The morel sells for up to 400 yuan ($56.58) per kg in premium urban markets, and its cultivation has revived over 800 abandoned greenhouses in the county and created seasonal jobs for hundreds.

While coordination among farmers, cooperatives and enterprises is key to ramping up production, partnership with experts in Xiamen in the southeast has boosted processing and storage capacity. Together, they are growing not just morels but a regional brand.

Accessible healthcare

One striking change in Jimusaer is redefined rural living. Xiaofenzi used to be an impoverished hamlet due to its remoteness. It took two hours to go there by winding mountain road from the county seat. But today, it is a vibrant "Painters' Village," where artists from across the country come to paint, working against the stunning backdrop of the Tianshan range.

"It started when the first artist decided to stay," recalled Qi Jirong, whose family now runs a thriving guesthouse. "We began to see our home as they did—not just poor mountains, but inspiration."

Investments in studios and infrastructure, aided by cross-provincial partnerships with Xiamen, attracted more artists, and their presence drew tourists, then entrepreneurs, then further investment.

In 2024, this small village welcomed 300,000 visitors, generating over 8 million yuan ($1.13 million) in tourism revenue.

Jimusaer is also tackling a fundamental rural challenge: healthcare access. For isolated villages, seeing a doctor once meant hours of travel—until the Walking Hospital arrived.

The popular Walking Hospital project, implemented in 2022, offers expert resources and free services, according to Xie Yutao, executive president of the Walking Hospital project.

The project provides registration slots at renowned hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and other places, and also has more than 80 local experts on its panel. Through the Walking Hospital Health 180 service platform, residents can make appointments with doctors via social media platform Weixin. They describe their symptoms and local doctors respond within 10 minutes.

If no local doctors respond, an automatic alarm is triggered, and the operation center can manually assign orders based on location. People can also book a doctor on behalf of other people without a mobile phone, such as the elderly and children.

When visiting patients' home, local doctors carry a consultation assistance kit, which can carry out 34 routine tests including electrocardiogram, ultrasound, blood and urine tests. The test data can be shared in real time through the platform. When necessary, medical experts, even those in large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, can directly view the electronic images and reports uploaded on the platform, which has greatly improved diagnosis efficiency.​

Xu Xiu, in charge of the Health Cabin of the Wenming Road Community, said the test kit can check multiple indicators such as blood pressure, blood glucose and uric acid content, and create personal health records including the patient's allergy history and disease history. All tests are free.

The Walking Hospital project has benefited 140,000 residents, completing over 9,000 medical calls and making nearly 7,000 appointments with experts at remote clinics.

Tailored senior care

For seniors, dignity in later life is ensured through thoughtfully designed care. At the county's comprehensive community senior care center, the mornings begin with gentle group exercises and personalized care for those less mobile. The 8,000-square-meter facility with 100 beds provides integrated services ranging from dining and health monitoring to cultural activities. It operates under a "publicly built, privately managed" model, run by an experienced team from Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang.

"We've developed detailed plans for caregiver training, nutritious meal planning and activity programs," explained Wu Xiaoqin, Director of the Jufuxing Elderly Apartment. "Our nutritionists tailor meals to each resident's health needs, and we organize regular social activities to create a home-like atmosphere of warmth and companionship."

This year, Jimusaer has invested 19.8 million yuan ($2.8 million) to expand senior care services, upgrading facilities, improving meal assistance and enhancing in-home care support. These efforts are enabling more seniors to live with security and comfort.

In addition to centralized facilities like nursing homes, community-based day care centers also play a vital role in providing care for seniors. The Tiandiyuan Community Day Care Center offers a full range of amenities, including activity rooms, physical therapy rooms, calligraphy and painting studios and a canteen.

"Seniors can enjoy a lunch of two dishes and a soup for just 10 yuan ($1.41) per day, and the physical therapy sessions only cost 3-5 yuan ($0.42-0.71)—excellent value for money," Wu Zishen, the center's director, told Xinjiang Today.

The central mutual assistance home for seniors in Ergong Town has pioneered a new model of rural mutual care. The home combines living quarters, rehabilitation rooms, a public canteen, shared vegetable plots and other facilities for rural empty-nest seniors to "live in groups and care for each other."

Huang Guozhen, 84, one of the first residents of the home, is satisfied with her life here. She said she is surrounded by friends now, and they chat and exercise together.

Beyond addressing seniors' daily dining needs, the center regularly organizes health lectures and cultural activities, and provides meal delivery and bathing assistance for senior residents with limited mobility.

The Jimusaer Government Service Center features a convenient public zone where residents can charge their electronic devices or seek help. The core reform lies in the "one-stop service" system of the center. Separate departmental counters have been consolidated into five multi-purpose windows, and the center now handles 646 different service items—from social insurance and business registration to property transactions. A dedicated support team assists vulnerable groups, while a free two-way postal service for documents minimizes the need for travel.

"The average processing time has been reduced by over 60 percent," said Du Minna, one of the center's leaders. Local resident Chen Fengmei has experienced this firsthand: "Before, a property transfer required visiting three departments, which took several days. Now, it can be done at one stop in one morning."

Pragmatism as policy

Tea-fueled dialogue in community centers, data streams monitoring shale oil extraction, morels flourishing in rehabilitated greenhouses, artists painting in mountain villages, and mobile clinics traversing country roads... these are all parts of the Jimusaer story, a tale of pragmatic, locally rooted adaptations. Jimusaer's successes start with local conditions, leverage appropriate technology and focus on making tangible improvements in people's everyday wellbeing.

At a time when many rural communities in the world confront depopulation and eroded services, Jimusaer shows how universal challenges, such as isolation and lack of healthcare access, can be met with context-sensitive solutions that respect local wisdom while embracing innovation. 

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