From:Mongolianviews.com staff
The title should be " Mongolian people's lifestyle threatened by Han Chinese way of living".
Today, Inner Mongolia is has remained Mongolian in name only. Everything is fully sinicized. Take the names of 2 herders quoted in this article. Actual Mongolian spelling of the names should be Bukhoo (not Bu He) and Uudam (not Wu Da Mu).
It is the mining industry and sedentary way of life of settlers from China undermining traditional way of Mongolian herders in South Mongolia (Not Inner Mongolia).
It is sad to look at Inner Mongolian state now. Indigenous Mongolians have become secondary citizens in their own country....
The traditional nomadic
lifestyle has become increasingly difficult to maintain, as a drier
climate in the region has caused policymakers to limit family
grasslands. Despite an annual subsidy, many have had no choice but to
move to cities in order to find work and support their families.
Below is an article by Channel News Asia:
Like many nomads in Inner Mongolia, Bu
He and his family no longer live in mobile yurts. They have resettled
into brick and mortar homes.
Bu He, a herder, said: "The conditions
in a brick house are definitely much better, there is electricity,
television and water. It's more convenient than living in a Mongolian
yurt. But I still like the feeling of living in the Mongolian yurt."
The dry weather in recent years has
greatly reduced the amount of grassland. To protect the grass and to
prevent overgrazing, the local government has implemented policies to
restrict the amount of land allocated to each family. As a result, many
of the nomads have had to cut the number of livestock they rear.
Bu He's family had to reduce their sheep
from 1,000 to a mere hundred. To compensate for the loss of pasture
land, herdsmen get an annual subsidy, which may or may not be enough,
depending on each family's situation. Some look for work in the city to
maintain a living but not all are accustomed to the new lifestyle.
Bu He said: "Herders miss that old
feeling, when we were carefree on the grasslands, rearing sheep and
horses. Now with the restriction on grazing land, we can't raise sheep
anymore and even have to go to work in the cities.
"It's fine for those my age or younger.
But for the older folks, they've lived their entire life in the
grasslands and cannot get used to living in brick and mortar buildings
in the city. Since urban life doesn't suit them, they'd rather stay in
the grasslands."
With modernisation, some are trading in
their horses for faster motorbikes and cars but the bond between nomads
and their animals remains - herdsmen willingly devote time to taking
care of them.
Wu Da Mu, a herder, said: "I'm not tired
at all. I'm extremely happy because we enjoy being with them. Horses
don't provide us much income but Mongolians just love being with
horses."
Source:www.unpo.org
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