URUMQI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- In the middle of the remote, mighty Qiulitag Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Wang Zijian carefully brings down water and daily necessities from a helicopter hovering in mid-air.

"The helicopter comes once a week and provides two buckets of water for cooking, drinking and washing for the three of us," Wang said, referring his colleagues. "Geological conditions are difficult deep in the mountains, and sometimes we save rainwater."

Wang is a surveyor for the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation. He is responsible for measuring and locating the spots for oil and gas collection and for placing oil rigs through the global positioning system before any project starts. He places small flags on the precise sites for future exploration.

The job is tough but extremely important. Authorities have made major oil breakthroughs in the Qiulitag Mountains in the Tarim Oilfield. They have recently found a gas field able to produce 330,000 cubic meters of natural gas and 21.4 cubic meters of condensate on a daily basis in the middle of the mountains.

Not far away from the Qiulitag Mountains, a huge gas field powers China's massive west-to-east gas transportation project, providing energy for more than 3,000 enterprises and 400 million residents in more than 120 cities.

China produced 157.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the first 11 months of 2019, up 9.2 percent year on year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The potential in the Qiulitag Mountains is set to add tremendously to the supply.

"We have to blaze new trails in places where no one ever sets foot," he said. "No matter how difficult the road is, we carry on."

THE "BARREN MOUNTAINS"

The Qiulitag Mountains stretch over the counties of Kuqa, Xinhe and Baicheng and have no roads or telecommunication. Branded the "barren mountains," the mountain ranges are steep and sharp, and the valleys are like an "abyss." Locals say that "even gazelles and eagles cannot cross the mountains."

While the area is one of the most difficult places for oil and gas exploration, it also boasts the potential for almost a trillion cubic meters of natural gas, according to geologists.

Beginning in 2017, Wang Zijian and his colleagues came from across the country to take on the challenges in the Qiulitag Mountains.

"The potential was unexpected, and we began our surveys in the fields," said Wang, from northeast China.

Phase one of the project covers more than 240 square km, with cliffs everywhere. Every step requires extra attention.

"Because the mountains are too deep and there are too many cliffs, we have to get life supplies from helicopters," he said.

As there are only eight places for the helicopter to land, most of the time they just hover in the air to drop life supplies.

Wang has to walk on the sharp mountains to take measurements, place equipment and collect data every day. Working on the cliffs, Wang wears out a pair of gloves every day and runs through a pair of shoes a week.

"It is one of the toughest projects I have ever worked on," he said.

DIGGING FOR DREAMS

The most difficult part is the rigging. A rigging machine usually weighs up to 800 kg, and each part of the machine can be as heavy as 100 kg. Wang and his colleagues also have to carry water and oil needed for rigging.

"Digging is not that hard, but carrying the machine parts surely is!" Wang said.

The job is so technical that each worker has to go through intensive training to go up the mountains.

In less than four months, Wang and his colleagues have managed to explore more than 500 sites in the mountains. Many workers have developed calloused shoulders from carrying heavy machinery.

But their hard work paid off.

The Tarim Oilfield will churn out 30 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2020 and 36 million tonnes in 2025, according to official estimates.

"We have a strong spirit of perseverance," said Wang. "Even though the job is hard, it is worth it."