My vision and feelings

Aminjon Gulakhmadov

　　I am Dr. Aminjon Gulakhmadov. I am from Tajikistan and I have obtained my Bachelor's, Master's and Doctor's degree in Ukraine from Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute. I also work in Tajikistan as a Chief Specialist of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan, and I am also a Doctor of Technical Sciences and expanding my activities with science. At the same time, I worked in Tajikistan to teach undergraduate students at the Branch of National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”. I work with the Institute of Water Resources, Hydropower and Ecology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan to prepare masters and PhDs. Also, in order to cooperate in the field of science and to expand mutually beneficial scientific ties between Tajikistan and China, I have also conducted research at the Center for Ecology and Environmental of Central Asia in Dushanbe. I would like to note that after gaining independence, Tajikistan has established friendly relations with China and established fruitful cooperation in various fields. This good cooperation between the two countries prompted me to expand my scientific cooperation with Chinese professors and scientists. Given the scientific space and the pace of scientific development in China, I am preparing to improve my skills, knowledge and cooperation in the field of science from 2018 with the support of the Xinjiang State Foundation in Urumqi at the Research Center for Ecology and Environmental of Central Asia, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences. I am enrolling in postdoctoral studies and doing scientific work.

　　The Research Center for Ecology and Environmental of Central Asia has its branches in Central Asian countries, and in a short period of time, scientists from Central Asian countries and China have done decent work with the branches in the field of water resources, disaster risk and landslides, agriculture and biodiversity. The number of joint research projects between Central Asia and China is growing year by year. I am very pleased with the scientific space of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS. I have met and worked with highly qualified scientists in Urumqi. Urumqi is a multinational city, and at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography there are scholars of various nationalities, and I have met many Chinese, Uighur, and Kazakh scholars, many of whom are Xinjiang natives. Our working space is very quiet and peaceful. At the institute all conditions are ready for young scientists in particular modern houses with all living conditions, sports complexes and canteens are equipped with a variety of dishes. As for food, I would like to note that the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography employs many Muslim professors and scientists, as well as Muslim students from Muslim countries. Taking into account the religion and traditions of the Muslims of the institute, the canteen of the institute prepares halal food. In general, the city of Urumqi is very convenient for foreign Muslim visitors, and there are halal restaurants in all parts of the city. We, young foreign scientists, sometimes go to the canteens outside the institute to eat. The restaurants serve delicious Uyghur cuisine and have their own national service that is popular with customers. Since 2018, we have been visiting Uyghur restaurants and getting to know the canteen staff, and Uyghurs are as hospitable as Tajiks.

　　At the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), we annually celebrate the Day of Culture, in which representatives of different countries who work or study at this institute present their countries with dance programs, songs, humorous scenes, and national dishes. We, the foreigners, look forward to this day of culture every year with great interest.

　　Since 2018, I have been working closely with Chinese scientists, and this scientific space forces me to expand the field of cooperation from year to year. Before I jointed the research team at the Center for Ecology and Environmental in Central Asia, XIEG, CAS I traveled to other Chinese cities, but after that when I joint and worked with research team at the XIEG, I looked at the environment and surroundings in Urumqi, I found that in Urumqi many cultures and festivals are similar to Tajik cultures and festivals. Every year, we young Muslim scholars from abroad visit mosques in Urumqi on the days of Eid al-Adha and Ramadan, perform Eid prayers and celebrate these holidays. It should be noted that, like other Chinese holidays, the people of Xinjiang Province also rest on Muslim holidays. This shows one of the differences of this region. Personally, I like the nature and weather of Urumqi. In winter, it snows a lot, which turns the surface of the earth white for several months and creates a joy in the human heart. Summer is very pleasant. I love summer holidays when I go for walks in the gardens and I will return to work with a new and fresh spirit and continue my scientific work.

　　I have done many technical and scientific works in collaboration with Chinese scientists in the framework of the Research Centers for Ecology and Environmental in Dushanbe and Urumqi. Several research projects are underway. We write books, monographs and scientific articles together. Every year, I invite Tajik applicants to Urumqi who are interested in studying and developing their science. Many Tajik students have already graduated and are engaged in research in Tajikistan, and all graduates continue to work with their supervisors from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography. Another advantage is that Tajikistan shares a border with China's Xinjiang province and the trip does not take long. During my time in Urumqi, I traveled to other Chinese cities, including Beijing, Nanjing, Hohhot, and Xining, to participate in workshops and scientific conferences. In fact, China is a multicultural country, and I have seen that all small nations feel very free in all Chinese cities, including Urumqi. 

　　Thanks to the efforts of the Government of China and Xinjiang Province, the city of Urumqi is becoming more beautiful day by day. Urumqi is a very safe city and people of different nationalities live in peace and stability. On my own behalf, I would also like to thank the Government of the People's Republic of China, including the leadership of Xinjiang Province and the city of Urumqi. The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography has many research stations in the region. Every year, along with Chinese scientists, foreign scientists also visit these research stations. All the foreigners who have been with us and still work with us, when we talk to them, we realize that they all feel safe on regional trips to Xinjiang, as well as in the city of Urumqi. Personally, I have been able to travel to any part of Xinjiang at night or during the day and never feel any danger. I would also like to once again express my deep gratitude to the Xinjiang Government for supporting the young scientists. One of the sources that prompted me to travel to Urumqi was the provision of funds for research by the Xinjiang government. For my research I have received a grant from the Xinjiang Tianchi Hundred Talents Program. In support of this foundation, I have published several scientific articles in international journals. In this way, I was able to strengthen my cooperation with other scientists around the world. Today, me as a young Tajik scientist in Urumqi, I am also trying to expand my research with scientists from Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Rwanda, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Nepal. In this collaboration, I am always supported by my supervisor, Professor Chen Xi. I am very grateful to my supervisor for his help and fruitful cooperation with me. In this process, I am trying to obtain new achievements in the future. In addition to scientific work, we are doing many technical works together with Chinese scientists. Such as equipping Tajik laboratories with modern equipment and installing various instruments in the field of water resources, disaster risks, glaciation and biodiversity in Tajikistan. In fact, over the years, Chinese scientists in Tajikistan have shown themselves to be reliable and useful partners, and these motivate Tajik scientists to work even harder and stronger in the field of science with Chinese scientists. Our scientific working group in Urumqi, at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, is one of the leading scientific groups. I am trying to bring Chinese and Tajik scientific groups closer together and increase the number of scientific groups in order to serve the interests of our countries, as well as to develop science in Tajikistan as the development of science in China.     

　　While living in Urumqi, I travel to many wonderful parts of Urumqi. Urumqi is a large city with many wide and free streets. It is not as densely populated as the southern Chinese cities, and motorcycles are almost non-existent on the streets. Many people from different countries studied in Urumqi and many scholars visited for different periods. I have friends with many of them and now they live in their homeland. From the experience of my friends, I noticed that they always remember Urumqi and always want to return to this beautiful city and a place of good memories.

　　Xinjiang Province of the People's Republic of China is a region bordering the Republic of Tajikistan. I hope that my cooperation with these hard-working Chinese people and its scientists will be strengthened year by year. I will make every effort to ensure that the cooperation of young Tajik scientists with Chinese scientists remains forever.