Editor's Note: Tacheng, a city in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was once an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. It has long been a multicultural hub, home to more than 20 ethnic groups, including Han, Kazakh, Hui, Uyghur, Mongolian, Tatar and Russian.

The accordion, the most popular folk instrument in Tacheng, has become emblematic of the city's cultural identity.