She is a Han woman who went to Xinjiang to teach the Uygur language. He is the son of poor Uygur farmers, educated and promoted by the Communist Party. The two married, and several times were named among the 'model couples' said to demonstrate unity between the Han and Uygurs.
Lu Lansheng, 62, moved to Kashgar in southern Xinjiang in 1961 after she graduated from the Northwest Ethnic Institute in Shaanxi province as a teacher of Uygur. She never once returned to visit her hometown, Zhengzhou, in Henan province, even when her father died. She said her children were too small to travel. After 40 years in Xinjiang, Ms Lu looks and speaks like an Uygur. She combs her hair into a bun and wears the long skirts typical of Uygur women.
'The party's minority policy is excellent,' she said enthusiastically. 'Socialism is good. The Communist Party is good.'
Her husband, Wusman Puerdi, echoed her sentiments: 'Yes, the ethnic policy is really, really good.' Before retiring last year, he was party secretary of Kashgar Finance Institute and the education department head.
The couple's home is a designated stop for overseas journalists arranged by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region propaganda department. Such harmony is in sharp contrast to the repeated riots and ethnic tension reported in the past few years.
In 1998, Xinjiang separatists planted bombs on buses and attacked government buildings and Han civilians in cities and towns across the region. According to media reports, police arrested thousands of Uygurs accused of separatist activity and executed dozens. Since then the region has seen less unrest.