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Set in the remote riverbeds of Hotan in China’s far-western Xinjiang region, China’s Wild West observes a rural Muslim Uyghur community who spend their days digging for jade, a gemstone valued at up to forty times its weight in gold. Through an impressionistic, quietly immersive style, the film follows men, women and even children as they endure harsh weather, exhausting labour and the uncertainty of whether their efforts will yield anything of value. Their work unfolds against a stark landscape where tradition, poverty and global demand intersect, revealing how an entire community’s livelihood depends on chance and resilience. By capturing fragments of their routines—from sifting riverbed gravel to evaluating the shine of each stone—the film offers a rare, intimate look at the human cost behind a booming yet largely unseen gemstone market.