# Pamir Plateau

Women on the Frontier: How an Eight‑Woman Militia Patrols the Pamir’s Highest Borders

An eight‑woman militia of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps patrols a 37 km stretch of the Pamir plateau, combining border deterrence with community aid in extreme high‑altitude conditions. Their work—more than 400 patrols and nearly 8,000 km walked over six years—illustrates Beijing’s approach to frontier governance: continuous human presence, local service provision and paramilitary organisation.