A herdsmen moves sheep across a snow-covered plain in the region.

According to Tajik tradition, no one is allowed into the house if there is no man inside. Wang said he had to wait for Arimaner to return from the mountains before he could enter the traditional Tajik house.

One of Arimaner's daughters is named Gulaxiami, which means beautiful flower in the Tajik language. The 4-year-old normally stays with her mother and younger sisters in the house or plays outside on the grassland surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

Like all Tajik children living in the pastures of the Pamir Plateau, she will go to boarding school in the county seat and receive free education. But for now, she continues to play with her best friends -- the family's shepherd dogs. There are few children who can play with her in the isolated area.