Screen shot of Turson.

Turson was a just step away from the university place he had dreamed of when he fell under the spell a jihadist had weaved for him. It drove everything in his life off track and became a nightmare from which he cannot escape.

He has just spent his 23rd birthday in a detention house and only smiled when thinking about the old times when he was a student.

Turson was arrested in February. He is now full of regret and has confessed his wrongdoing. He missed his parents the most. "They love me very much although I didn't call them for a whole year while I was abroad. They thought I was studying in college. I feel so sorry," he said.

When Turson was a teenager, his family had high hopes for him. He studied hard and had been admitted to a high school aiming to help Xinjiang students have better quality education than in local ones.

It is his best memory. A clean, four-person dormitory with an air conditioner, halal cafeteria and patient lecturers filled Turson's college life with happiness.

Languages proved his biggest challenge. He put great effort into learning Chinese and English as his mother tongue is Uygur.

"My English tutor said I had the potential to learn and believed my essay was the best of the class, which was really encouraging," said Turson, who could not conceal his pride when recalling old times.

He was longing to enter medical college or study abroad before returning home to do medical research.

He initially failed his college entrance examination but decided to give it another go and began working and studying in Hotan city.

The following year, his exam score exceeded 30 points, better than the average to apply to top-ranked universities. But he didn't submit an application and his nightmare began.