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* Since 2003, the "Go West" program has offered 540,000 young Chinese a chance to spend a year or more volunteering in the country's vast western regions, and around 55,000 participants have been recruited in Xinjiang, according to the Communist Youth League of China. The talent program aims to inject new ideas and vigor into the regions with huge development potential.

* Xinjiang has rolled out enhanced talent policies and a 10-billion-yuan (around 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) talent development fund to address workforce demands in building its 10 major industrial clusters.

* In the latest recruitment drive this year, the "Go West" program attracted 410,000 applicants, with nearly 90,000 selecting Xinjiang as their first-choice destination.

URUMQI, May 15 (Xinhua) — While her peers shuttle between China's megacities chasing lucrative careers, 23-year-old Huang Huiru veers off the beaten track — immersing herself in the rugged terrain of the Pamir Plateau in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for a gap year.

As a law graduate from Gansu University of Political Science and Law, Huang is among a growing group of Chinese youth who volunteer to turn classroom knowledge into practical solutions for developing the region.

Stationed in government departments in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Huang and fellow volunteers revamped local job fairs through social media campaigns. In March, their efforts attracted over 80 employers offering more than 1,000 jobs, up from just five employers and a few job seekers in 2024.

"This is more than a job; it's a calling," she said.

Jobseekers exchange information on openings during a job fair in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 2, 2025. [Xinhua/Gao Han]

Answering the Call

Since 2003, the "Go West" program has offered 540,000 young Chinese a chance to spend a year or more volunteering in the country's vast western regions, and around 55,000 participants have been recruited in Xinjiang, according to the Communist Youth League of China. The talent program aims to inject new ideas and vigor into the regions with huge development potential.

In 2024 alone, more than 11,900 young professionals joined the program in Xinjiang, according to the regional Communist Youth League Committee.

Like Huang, they have taught in classrooms near the Taklamakan Desert, helped rebuild rural infrastructure, supported poverty-alleviation projects, and upgraded power grids, leaving a lasting impact on communities while forging their own career paths.

Though often a challenging experience, individuals find profound sense of fulfillment in their service and express a willingness to extend their commitments. Data showed that since 2003, more than 15,000 people have opted to remain in Xinjiang after completing their volunteer service.

Wu Xiaofang, a 30-year-old power grid engineer, relocated to Xinjiang after earning her PhD from the prestigious Xi'an Jiaotong University in 2023. She now pioneers stability solutions for the West-to-East Power Transmission Project that leverages the region's abundant wind and solar resources and its surplus power generation capacity. With transmission channels in place, Xinjiang can deliver excess clean electricity to other parts of China.

"Xinjiang's power grid offers vast potential to apply my expertise where the nation needs it most," said Wu. Her efforts, including breakthroughs in maintaining ultra-high-voltage lines amid extreme weather, earned her recognition in Xinjiang's talent program, a regional top professional honor.

Workers perform installation work at the Barkol convertor station of the Hami-Chongqing ±800 kilovolt ultra-high voltage direct current (UHV DC) power transmission project in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 21, 2025. [Xinhua/Ding Lei]

Yan Luming, a Master's student from the People's Public Security University of China, has brought innovative anti-fraud awareness campaigns to the city of Kashgar through the "Go West" program.

Assigned to the anti-fraud center of the Kashgar public security bureau, she creates educational content featuring witty dialogue and relatable scenarios popular on social media platforms. Her videos have garnered up to 400,000 views per episode, helping prevent numerous potential scams.

Wei Tao, head of the organization department of Kuqa City, said that targeted recruitment of students, graduates, and volunteers assigned to grassroots roles has become a pivotal force in advancing local governance and development.

Vast Opportunities 

Xinjiang has rolled out enhanced talent policies and a 10-billion-yuan (around 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) talent development fund to address workforce demands in building its 10 major industrial clusters.

In January this year, for example, the region launched the PhD recruitment initiative, aiming to attract over 1,000 global doctoral experts, signalling intensified efforts to bridge expertise gaps.

"Xinjiang's expansive airspace and industrial needs align with our research goals, allowing us to translate research achievements into tangible productivity," said Fan Yaoyao, a mechanical engineering postdoctoral researcher who works at an intelligent equipment research institute in Xinjiang.

Volunteers Nurbiyem Japar (L) and Ruzikeri Musa (R) help a villager trim seabuckthorn branches in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 14, 2025. [Xinhua/Gao Han]

In its latest recruitment drive this year, the "Go West" program attracted 410,000 applicants, with nearly 90,000 selecting Xinjiang as their first-choice destination.

Zhang Xin, a data communication graduate student at Tsinghua University, has chosen to temporarily suspend his postgraduate studies to pursue career opportunities in Xinjiang, drawn by the region's burgeoning digital economy.

The student in his 20s from Hubei Province now works in Aksu Prefecture of Xinjiang, applying his expertise in talent recruitment and employment strategy optimization.

For Zhang, the turning point came during a 2022 internship in Xinjiang. "What struck me was the region's vitality and untapped potential in information technology," he said. "Unlike saturated first-tier job markets, Xinjiang offers a frontier where my data analytics skills can directly drive transformative projects."

Zhang Xin (C), a volunteer working in Aksu Prefecture of Xinjiang, speaks during a volunteer recruiting event for the "Go West" program in north China's Shanxi Province, April 18, 2025. [Xinhua]

Here, young professionals can accelerate both skill development and career progression while making substantive contributions through position-matched work, he added.  

(Video reporter: Zhang Xiaocheng, Wei Wei, Li Jie, Han Yulin and Kederya Aimaiti; Video editors: Zhang Yucheng, Luo Wei and Hong Liang)

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha