Guardians of ancient Loulan kingdom in western China must fight loneliness as well as tomb raiders

Li Pengfei has guarded relics of the ancient kingdom of Loulan in China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for 12 years, charged with the task of keeping  would-be tomb raiders away from what was once an important oasis city along the Silk Road. Li and his small team also face a huge personal challenge – enduring months of discomfort and loneliness with no mobile phone signals, limited water and few interactions with other humans.