It is 7:00 PM and Barha Guri locks her shop and greets Hong Yan, 11 years her junior, who keeps an adjacent shop.

"We had noodles with mutton yesterday. Let's have chicken for dinner tonight, okay?" Hand in hand, they walk home from the trading center of Huoerguosi on the China-Kazakhstan border, 670 kilometers northwest of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Coming from different ethnic groups, Guri, a Uygur, and Hong, a Han, have grown closer as friends and in their economic cooperation in the past two years.

Guri, 47, was a shop assistant with Xinjiang Non-staple Foods Company in Urumqi, but she lost her job in the 1990s in staff cuts.

In early 2007, she and her younger son traveled to Huoerguosi Town to seek a living. She rented a shop at the trading center and sold auto parts to Kazakhstan visitors and travelers crossing the border.

Born in Yining City, Hong had lived in Urumqi for many years and worked as a Chinese language teacher at a private school. Later, she learned Russian and came to the border town at the end of 2007 to try her luck in business.

She looked for jobs at all the major commerce complexes in Huoerguosi, but to no avail. One day, she met Guri, who was searching for an interpreter to serve Kazakh customers. "Guri was a woman of reliability, and I decided to stay," Hong recalls.

Guri and Hong found they were compatible in both temper and outlook. "Hong is very sincere and has integrity," Guri says. She began to impart all she knew about business to Hong.

Half a year later, it occurred to them that they could do business together. "Our husbands are both in Urumqi doing businesses. Isn't it a good idea to join up and take care of each other in this place?" Guri says, washing dishes in the kitchen.

They talked about the idea, and in March this year, they contributed 50,000 yuan each to setting up a small shop specializing in auto parts. Thanks to good management and booming business, they rented another two shops in the following months to sell auto cushions and accessories.

They formed their management structure: Guri and Hong each look after one shop each, and a third person is employed to take care of another.

They always discussed contradictory ideas. They follow the principle that the views of the person responsible for a detailed matter are given the first priority before an agreement is reached, says Hong, peeling an eggplant beside Guri. "We share all the costs and revenues 50-50, and never engage in quarrels."

The cooperation has extended into their daily lives. Earlier this year, they rented a house for 8,000 yuan per year in a nearby community. "It's somewhat expensive, but we should treat ourselves well, as we are women entering middle age," says Guri, laughing.

Hong and her 6-year-old daughter take the smaller bedroom, while Guri and her son sleep on two beds in the living room.

The monthly living expenses, including food, electricity, water and gas, reach 1,000 yuan, and Guri pays the larger portion. "It's a reasonable arrangement. My son is attending junior high school, and is at an age of eating a lot and growing fast, and the outside room is larger."

Every morning, Hong sends her daughter to a preschool, while Guri prepares breakfast at home, after which they go to shops together. Time does not allow them to go home to eat and rest at noon, so they cook rice.

When it comes to eating, Hong has adapted to Guri's habits. "I don't think it's painful not being able to eat pork. I was born in Yining, and most of my neighbors were minority groups. I was brought up by them, and I liked eating Islamic food since childhood. All the Xinjiang locals live this way," Hong says. They also share the household chores like the cleaning and laundry.

"Guri is older than me, and she teaches me many things, like an elder sister," Hong says.

The July 5 violence in Urumqi dealt a big blow to their business. The number of foreign visitors dropped substantially. In the past week, they suffered a loss of more than 800 yuan.

But they think the economic situation will get better, as the tensions are being erased and security is strengthened.

That is why they have decided to expand their business. According to an initial arrangement, Guri will be responsible for outside matters like coordination and imports and exports, while Hong will take care of the daily transactions like accounting and selling.

"We're even considering merging our shops into a big one, so long as our idea is supported by the trading center," says Guri, putting down a plate of steaming chicken.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2009)