The girl's childhood in a yurt
I remember when the girl was a child, she lived with her parents in a tribe called Bayannur on the grassland, and their home was a traditional yurt. The yurt is made of a wooden skeleton and is covered with skin and felt, and looks like a domed tent on the steppe.
The girl woke up every day to see the crackling of the fire in the typhoon and the flocks of sheep outside the window.
It was really inconvenient for the girl to take a bath when she was a child, and there was too little hot water at home. She remembers her mother always waking up early to boil a big bucket of hot water and then making her and her younger siblings line up to wash it.
Finally drained her, and the hot water was almost gone. Taking a bath in winter is the most painful, obviously the hair has not been washed, and there is no hot water left, so I have to shiver and quickly wipe my body clean, and then wear a thick woolen jacket to keep warm.
It is also not very convenient to go to the toilet. She remembers that her father had built a simple wooden hut for their family, and there was a deep pit underneath, and the smell of summer was so strong. Especially when the wind is in the wrong direction, you have to endure the lingering smell when you get out of the wooden shed.
The girl often feels backward and always looks forward to when she will have a decent toilet.
Changes brought about by the gradual modernization of the tribe
Time flies, the girl grows up, and she discovers that the tribe that hasn't been home for eight years has changed dramatically. The yurt in my memory is still there, but it has been refurbished.
The dilapidated tent was covered with new linoleum, carpeted inside, and even fitted with an electric water heater and shower. The girl happily found her childhood friend Arina, who had already improved her family's life by developing a homestay business.
They specialize in welcoming tourists from other places to experience life, so they have upgraded the various facilities of the yurt.
The girl found that there were many solar street lights and water reservoirs in the tribe, so that everyone could store more water for daily use. Traditional open-air toilets are rare, and some families use simple lawn mowers to make wooden barrels and use them as squat toilets in special wooden sheds.
Satellite dishes have even been set up in the tribe, and many residents have installed TVs in their homes, and the mobile phone signal is relatively sufficient, so they can watch Douyin and order takeout.
The girl realized that these changes were due to the need of the tribe to adapt to modern life, and at the same time to meet the needs of foreign tourists. While developing tourism, we have also improved our living facilities.
She lamented that she had found a balance between traditional nomadic culture and modern civilization.
A combination of tradition and modernity in the eyes of a girl
The girl found that after eight years of not seeing each other, the changes in her hometown tribe were too great. Living in harsh conditions as a child, today it has a lot of modern facilities.
But the girl also realized that these changes were merely lifestyles and means, and that the most precious cultural essence of the tribe, the steppe culture that had nurtured them for generations, was still alive and well.
The girl understands that the herders still retain their migratory instincts and free-spirited nature. They live in yurts, but they have changed their appearance and facilities.
The older generation of herders still clings to their pastoral traditions, while the new generation uses new technology to earn money to support their families. But no matter whether they are old or new, what flows in their bones is still the heirs of the largest vast grassland.
This cultural continuity with the same foundation makes the girl deeply gratified. She realized that pastoralists had found a balance in the process of modernization, preserving the legacy of their ancestors and embracing contemporary foreign civilizations.
They do not lose themselves or rest on their laurels, but actively and openly absorb the diversity of the world.
The girl was proud of the wisdom and enterprising spirit of her people. She believes that as long as this balance is maintained, Mongolia's steppe culture will live on forever – with the convenience of urban life, but without forgetting its roots and soul.
She hopes that she can also contribute to the preservation of this cultural heritage.
The girl's vision for her future life
For the girl, after returning to her hometown and discovering the changes in her life, she precipitated a lot of thoughts. She realized that the tribe had found a balance between inheriting tradition and embracing modernity, which gave her hope for the future of her homeland.
The girl envisions that in a few years, nomadism will be more convenient and efficient with the help of technology. Tribesmen can use drones and positioning systems to manage grazing. They will still live in traditional yurts, but will have more electronic devices and even 5G networks.
On the other hand, the girl also hopes that the ecological environment on the grassland will remain the same forever. She didn't want this pure land to be stained with too much dust due to overdevelopment. She believes that as long as the mountains and rivers remain, the people will always know their roots.
For herself, the girl wants to study tourism management in college, and then return to her hometown to develop eco-tourism with her people, so that more tourists can enter their world and tell thousands of outsiders about the unique epic of civilization in this world.
The girl becomes a tour guide and explains the story of the yurt to foreign tourists
Now the girl has become an eco-tourism tour guide in her hometown, often leading tourists from other places to experience grassland life. When visitors first step into the yurt, they are always curious about this traditional mobile tent building.
At this time, the girl will tell them her childhood story.
She describes how she lived in a yurt with her family as a child. For example, in winter, sit around the fire to keep warm, watch the newborn lambs in the spring, and assist the old people in shearing sheep in the autumn.
She will also be outspoken about the inconveniences of her old life, such as the old way of bathing and going to the toilet. These stories are often refreshing to visitors and grow respect for this life.
Then the girl will tell them about the process of changing the tribe in the gradual modernization. Such as the introduction of solar energy, the establishment of water storage systems, etc. Let everyone understand how the people embrace modern civilization while inheriting traditions.
She thinks it's a wise choice.
After the lecture, the girl will also lead the tourists to experience various details of life by themselves. She believes that through these activities, outsiders can deepen their understanding of the ancient Mongolian people and learn to appreciate the unique charm of the grassland culture.