Not one left behind

At 4pm, the first cinema in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in Kashi Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region opened at the appointed time. The cleaner had already swept both screening rooms, and the ticket seller - hired by the manager He Xinyu due to the ability to speak both Tajik and Putonghua - was prepared to welcome local filmgoers from various ethnic groups.

The county, which is situated over 4,000 meters above sea level on the eastern edge of the Pamir Plateau and borders Pakistan, Afghanistan, as well as Tajikistan, opened its first cinema around two months ago. He told the Global Times that since the arrival of the China Film South Cinema, local residents can enjoy the latest blockbusters from around the world simultaneously with moviegoers across the country.

Thousands of miles away, residents of Medog County - hidden deep in the southeastern valleys of Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region — are increasingly familiar with buying movie tickets online since the opening of the first cinema in late April. The "highway" to the world of film was completed more than a decade after the first real highway reached the county.

From mobile film screenings to advanced and comfortable modern cinemas, the improvement of viewing conditions in these borderlands reflects the overall development of China's film industry during its journey of 120 years. Manager He can feel that for local residents, the cinema is more than a venue for entertainment - it is a space for connections and inspiration.

"The cinema and these films screening, simultaneously with other places offer local residents a sense of belonging to a larger world and a fresh feeling of appreciating cultural products, which mean a lot," said He.

A bridge through screens

Before the opening of cinemas, one of the local audience's main ways of watching movies was to wait for the mobile film screening team to bring new