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UB Post 22-09-98
Youth the
focus of
new UN-
backed
conference
UB Post 17-02-98
series
S
ome young
Mongolians will get a
chance to rate thier
Conference lets youth air hopes, fears
government on its com- By David SADOWAY In addition to listening to Clearly, many youth have be implementec. me «c es^s:
mitment to children's rights speakers' ideas, participants were problems with the present edu- that future proposes »-J « mmc
ducation reform, poverty, challenged to craft their own cation system. realistic."
during a series of con-
ferences sponsored by the
United Nations.
The One World series
E air pollution and a lack of solutions and pilot projects.
jobs are the mosi critical
issues facing Mongolian youth.
One group decided com-
munity toilets and public showers
Many projects suggested
sweeping reforms to the outdated
Soviet-style system. Khurd-2000
Around4Q\GOtmc.m •
organizations aisa pat mmmm
exhibits, posers and mmrmmmt
Those topics were the ones would help solve serious sewage would see an introduction of displays to tcammm* me zm-
which kicks off November most frequently raised by dele- and sanitary problems in Mon- social and ecological ethics into fcrence in the expo-sr?ie £,3-
13 in Ulaanbaatar, aims to gates at Mongolia's first-ever golia's ger communities. the education curriculum. forum.
youth conference on sustainable Another group proposed a Other groups suggested a less Information ana* smmmm. m
see how well Mongolia has
development, held February 4 to chessboard scheme for combating rigid, more participatory edu- scarce commodity m mm* af ate
lived up to its commitments desertification in Bayankhonghor cation system and intense training aimags, were scooped mf a»
7 at Ulaanbaatar's Youth Cultural
as signatory to a variety of Palace. , aimag that would see eco-teams to combat poverty and unem- energetic delegates.
international covenants. The first major event held in planting stabilizing vegetation. ployment in the beleaguered Mongolian Actm
The first conference, set conjunction with the Year of There was also a suggestion for a aimags. gramme for the 21 si :
to run November 13 to 15, Mongolian Youth, the conference Green Cities Programme. It en- Many delegates said they (MAP-21)-which c
looks at Mongolia's per- drew more than 170 delegates visioned pollution reduction, wanted to duplicate the con- conference in conju
from21 aimags. ecological restoration and job ference's participatory approach the Mongolian Youth Fo
formance in the wake of the They heard from more than 30 creation for aacampioyed youth. when they returned home. — is producing a video ;
1990 World Summit for speakers from government, busi- This opcm, interactive ap- " Writing project proposals or mentary about the conference
Children. ness and N'GOs, including Prune proach is aew for Mongolia," said business plans is a good exercise It is designed to serve as
More than ISO teenage Minister M. Enkhsaikhan, Prime Manner Eatfasaikhan. as for young Mongolians," said, "how-to" kit for other |ro_:
delegates from across the President N. Bagabandi and Stale (fetejttcs preset** event organizer Tsetsgee Pun- wanting to hold panicJpaMi
Ikk Hural Speaker R. ofthcarphantM tsagiin. workshops.
::_--. •*:!! asses how well Gonchigdorj wan ISpflotf "Some proposals will likely
ate countr) has lived up to
is pledge to safeguard child-
The kids are alright
Mongolia's youth a powerful social group with special needs d
CO
"d
In 1996, the government year there have been • program. Previous National Youth social difficulties. of 1960 were the leaders o
t»
declared Youth Day, to be f«w significant governments did not Programme, formed the Since our country of Mongolian society.
celebrated every year on developments in our address youth problems National Council of Youth transferred to a market That was Mongolia's
August 25, and last week country? as a whole, as the present and has worked out its economy, many young renaissance period. So
Mongolia held its second At an assembly government is doing. rules. people have travelled to today's young people will
annual Youth Day organized during the 50th Mongolia now has a The proposed law has foreign .countries for be the next generation of
celebrations. anniversary of the United structure of state youth not yet come to the business. But this doesn't Mongolian leaders. We
But although young Nations, participants organizations thanks to Ministry for discussion,, allow them to familiarize will declare 1998 the year
people are a major social confirmed a programme the establishment of the but the National Youth themselves with of youth and we will
force, the task of addressing the problems Youth, Family and Programme is ready to be humanity's great cultural organize a national festival
addressing the problems of world youth for the Women's Department of discussed by the achievements. • of Mongolian youth on
of youth has bounced period until the year 2000, the Health Ministry. government. We took the I think Mongolian August 25 of next year.
around among many and from 2000 on. Today there are also opinions of all Ministries, young people should visit Such a festival has not
government ministries It was emphasized about 20 non- and, with the exception of three to five countries been organized in this
over the years. Last year that every nation needs to governmental youth the Ministry of Justice, all which are considered the country since 1956. '
this department changed establish a system to organizations and 50 Ministries supported the most highly developed in It will be a very helpful
"owners" once again, and address the problems of women's organizations. project. About 60 people the world, to learn their thing for our department
is now run by the Health youth. That is, every The job of our department worked in the working out languages, culture and if a fund supporting youth
Ministry. country should have its is to coordinate their the project. way of life. can be established. If we
During the Youth Day own youth law focusing actions, but not interfere What specific And it is also vital they don't pay attention to the
events, D.Baasanjargal, a on specific national issues. in their internal affairs. problems does the project study . our two education of our young
reporter with Onoodor And every country must Is the law about youth focus on? neighbouring countries, people, they will 'end up
newspaper, interviewed work out a national in the process of being Many basic things. China and Russia. The like Africans:
Yadmaagyn Tomorbaatar. programme for the worked out? Youth education is one of National Program Why are you singling
chair of the Health implementation of this law A commission the most important issues addresses this problem. out Africans?
Ministry's Youth, Family and for the regulation of charged with the task of facing Mongolia today. What events does Some African
and Women's the social relations of organization came out of The project also focuses your department have countries dealt only with
Department. youth. a national council on employment, health, planned for the future? their economic problems,
sC
Since the dissolution To do this, it is appointed by the Health family and housing We will implement but did not work on the
of th.e Mongolian necessary to have a stable Minister in March of 1997 problems, patriotism and the National Programme in welfare of the people. So
Revolutionary Youth structure of state to work out the law and environmental issues. two phases between the equality of
League, not much has organizations responsible our national youth Many young 1998 and 2005. In the development was lost. As
been heard-about youth for youth problems. programme. Mongolians want to first- phase, we will for Mongolia, youth are K)
not a weak group, but O
problems; it is as If they Mongolia has such The commission has emigrate to foreign establish a national
have been completely organizations, but as yet drafted a proposed law countries because of this system of youth they are a special stratupn
forgotten. But since last there is no law or about youth and a country's economic and organizations. The youth of society.
Youtlii
206
'One World' series launched were organised at the Institute Government House.
By D. Narantuya of Trade and Industry, Second- The conference will feature
ary School No. 52, and the In- several sectional meetings in-
The first United Nations stitute of Movie Art. cluding: child-education,
One World conference will be A drawing competition was child-labour, food, health,
held on November 20, with the held at the special school #29, for AIDS, sex education,
theme 'Child.' children with ear and eye prob- children's participation-
The 147 children partici- lems. Also sponsored was a games, children in d i f f i c u l t
pating in the conference were translation competition named conditions and environmental
chosen by a written essay. 10 'If you want to know more about education.
are invalids, 43 are from poor the One World Conference,' at The conference will feature
families-and two are school the Institute of International Re- a government report on
drop outs. The conference fea- lations. A questionnaire on the 'Implementation in Mongolia
tures a theme song and a 'One United Nations was organised at of Children's Supreme Assem-
• World' newspaper, which was the children care taking centers bly,' as well as sport and art ac-
printed in 20,000 copies and 'Itgel' and Temuulel.' tivities.
distributed to rural and urban The Child Conference' will The conference is sup-
children. be held at the Children's Palace ported by United Nations
Shows and parties related November 20-23. The final con- Agencies, International
to the One World conference .ference day will he held in the organisations and embassies.
Scouts on a mission
1
'One World kicks into action
Jackson, a prominent plastic surgeon in Napa, was lead- There's a particular need for such advanced services in
ing a team of volunteer surgeons and doctors on a mis- developing countries, where children rarely can get the
sion of mercy — a two-week whirlwind trip fixing cleft early surgical help.
palates and burn wounds, mostly suffered by children
growing up among the economic wreckage left by the "A cleft palate is surgically repaired well if you are young
disintegration of the Soviet Union. enough," Zlotlow said. "But if you are older, a prosthesis
is an alternative."
The bus journey was just a side trip, a weekend in the
Mongolian countryside, a camp by a lake to partake of Western medical teams have long been a part of the
the freshwater dolphins and reindeer, and possibly a health care system in developing countries. The impact
chance to recover from the violent travel sickness that is felt both through direct services and through training
had been afflicting almost everyone. provided to local physicians.
Then, as Jackson and her colleagues gripped the seat Interpiast volunteers and organizers say the program has
rails, the bus plunged headlong down into a ravine, mov- become increasingly important for the participating doc-
ing considerably faster than what seemed prudent. The tors, too — offering not only true adventure but also some
bus slammed into the bottom of an ancient riverbed, but psychic rewards often denied in the modern world of
somehow managed to clamber out the other side intact. managed care.
Not so fortunate was one of the passengers — a nurse "Here you're just kind of a cog in a wheel, and you feel
who had been lying prone on some baggage to accom- more so all the time as medicine in this country changes,"
modate a sore back. said Dr. Stanley Samuels, a Stanford anesthesiologist
and Interpiast mainstay.
She was thrown from her perch. When she landed, the
result was five broken ribs. The accident brought a sud- "It's really a relief not to have to deal with the paperwork
den end to one of the more dramatic adventures of on these trips," added Amy Laden, medical services di-
Interpiast, a remarkable brigade of globe-hopping plastic rector at Interplast's Mountain View headquarters.
surgeons trying their best to change faces, and lives, in
some of the most remote places on the planet. For surgeons, she said, an Interpiast trip "reminds them
why they went into health care to begin with. There's no
These are the same folks who earn their bread, paperwork, no bureaucracy between you and the patient."
and lots of it, dispensing luxury medicine to those with
enough income to deal with their visible flaws.
(See next page)
214
Plastic surgeons certainly aren't risking bread lines by "We view it as a very collaborative effort," Laden saic
setting aside their practices for a couple of weeks each
year. Many view it as a sort of working vacation anyway, Lots of specialized care is given to patients in dire need.
bringing family members along for the ride. But the finan- but the visitors spend much of their time teaching icca
cial sacrifices can be substantial, all the more so for prac- doctors and nurses how to provide the care themselves
titioners with thriving private-pay clinics where patients After a few years of repeat visits, buttressed by cross-
line up for premium services. cultural training and residencies, Interplast generally ma--
ages to put itself out of business in any given location
Still, top surgeons such as Jackson say they are happy
to go away for weeks at a time. When you ask them why, At the same time, Jackson didn't mince words when ce-
they revert to the sort of idealistic talk one usually hears scribing circumstances that awaited her and her col-
around nonprofit offices and some college dorms. leagues in Mongolia.
"It gives me a sense of giving something back," she said. It was among the more challenging locations, by a!
"I'm a very fortunate person. I have pretty much every- counts, despite the heroic efforts of local physicians a-c
thing I would want in life. I guess it makes me feel good organizers.
about myself to go and do something like this."
"In Mongolia," Jackson noted, "nothing really works.*
The trip she led through Mongolia was centered
on the capital city of Ulan Bator. Elena Dorfman, a San That became painfully obvious after the bus acciderc
Francisco free-lance photographer, accompanied the ex- which happened just outside a town called Moron. icca:e:
pedition. in a mountainous region considered remote even among
the Mongolians who hosted Jackson's team. The vis/tng
About 75 patients were treated. Among the more remark- doctors were not equipped to treat the nurse's inji*y OM
able individual stories was that of a small boy who, along their own and were running low on basic supplies.
with a sibling, had fallen into a fire. The sibling died. The
boy suffered third-degree burns to both arms, and as the So Jackson sought help at the only local medical facie*
wounds healed, shrinkage of tendons left his hands — a hospital that had, on a Saturday, no radiokxyss
clenched and immobile. around to take X-rays. It took a while before the s^ge
on- call physician responded to pleas for help. And *~-s~
During a previous Interplast trip, Jackson surgically freed he arrived, Jackson immediately reached the tro-D ~c
one hand to allow the child some movement. She oper- diagnosis that he was "stinking drunk."
ated on the other hand during the most recent voyage.
"I wouldn't let him touch the patient," she said.
"When I first saw him he was just lying on a cot in the
hospital — not moving, totally depressed, really a sad Fortunately, the woman's fractured bones didn't p^~~..—
case," she recalled of the initial operation. a lung or other vital organ, and it was decided tne res"
course of action would be to immediately cut the trip short.
The return trip found him with one good hand, and "run- After a scramble for $5,000 cash to charter a plane, tie
ning around wreaking havoc, a completely different kid," team made its exit more or less intact.
Jackson said.
Jackson never did get to see the lake or the reindee' 5>_r
That illustrates one reason plastic surgery has been in she promised her host to try again on another trip, maybe
the forefront of the Western medical-exchange movement. next year.
With a relatively simple procedure that doesn't require
much complicated equipment or extensive care after the ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle
operation, an American doctor with skills generally not
found in poorer countries can make a huge difference in
someone's life.
215
HEALTH
Mongol Messenger 12-11-97
Mongolian adolescents
are missing out: doctor "By targeting this age group all children at these three schools
HEAL-TH with this new programme, we hope and after settling on a suitable cur-
to improve this environment (heat- riculum we'll begin formal health
ing, lighting and water supply) to education classes.
A local team of medical work- enable adolescents to adopt a "The social environment is also
ers has launched a health crusade healthier lifestyle," she said. an issue and the programme plans
to fight the alarming results of a "We have introduced free to run workshops for teachers who
recent survey which shows that twice-yearly health checkups for may need to alter their behaviour."
nearly 75 per cent of Mongolian
school children have health prob-
lems.
According to health educator
MONGOLIAN ADOLESCENTS
Dr L. Oyun, who coordinates the
Health Management, Information
and Education Centre's Adolescent
FACTS -
Health Programme, there is a des- • One in have dental problems;
perate need to target individual one ii ints; one in two have
behaviour rather than community t
health.
Dr Oyun said the programme, if all school children are
introduced as a pilot project to de rural areas the number is
three schools this year, aimed to
improve health attitudes and edu- slig
cation among parents as well as iSeve ies.
children.' Neurolog
The three schools, selected for
their contrasting locations and cir- adolesce its.
cumstances, each have about 1500
students and are located in central • Abou
Ulaanbaatar (School No. 2), smoke
Dambadarja (School No. 58) and • In1 4, nine per ce
Chingeltei (School No, 17).
"In 1991 school canteens were amon dolescents un
closed down and the school's gen- three per ce
eral physical environment has de-
teriorated - basically Mongolian ement and Information Centre survey,
adolescents (10-20 years) have 11997 & Child Pathology survey, 1993.)
been forgotten," Dr Oyun said.
Staff at ESS Studio andDr L. Oyun (centre) are working towards reversing the negative
adolescent health trends.
216
* Post
UB 25-08-98
Hard-hit Khatgal
By Jill LAWLESS medicines. Antibiotics - even
aspirin - are in desperately short
supply. All the visiting doctor
L
ake Khovsgoi is one of
Mongolia's top tourist could tell the women with
attractions. It is a tuberculosis - another all-too-
Spectacular area of pine-clad common disease — was to eat
mountains and icy, crystalline well and get plenty of rest
water so pure it cries out to be Togtokhnyam, one of Mon-
bottled, labelled and sold for .golia's few female governors, is
three dollars a litre. a dynamic and indefatigable
Khetgal, the ramshackle promoter of Khatgal's interests.
village of 2800 people at the Her slate is full with visits from
southern tip of the lake, hopes international organizations. This
Khovsgoi's alpine tranquillity month, she will host a UNICEF
will be its ticket to a brighter delegation up to give a work-
future. shop on iodine deficiency. After
This "gateway to Lake that, it's the Japanese ambas-
Khovsgoi" is one of the poorest sador. The Japanese generously
areas in Mongolia. donated three generators to the
With its log cabins, hitching village. Now she wants to hit
posts, pine trees and single them up for diesel to run them.
dusty street, Khatgal looks for She says she seeks help
all the world like the ghost of a from NGOs and private indi-
North American frontier town. viduals because the government,
A ghost town is what it is. 800 kilometres away in Ulaan-
A decade ago, Khatgal had a baatar, is little help.
population of 6500 and an Khatgal's picturesque loca-
economy based on logging and tion gives it the edge over other
shipping goods across the lake deprived rural areas when it
from Russia. Now, there is no comes to visits from diplomats
industry - and no revenue for end representatives of high-
the local government. profile international agencies.
"The biggest problem here The village hopes it can
is unemployment," says Khat- boost their economy as well.
gal 's governor of four years, M. "We hope tourism can bring
Togtokhnyam. "Living condi- money into the area," says
tions are poor. People can't get Togtokhnyam.
money all the time, only some- The governor says only
times. In wintertime, it's very 1000 tourists have visited Lake
difficult for me. My lobby is full Khovsgoi National Park so far
of people asking for money, this season. Most come on
food, healthcare." organized tours and stay at
Half the buildings in the private ger camps, putting no
village are empty and falling money back into the Ideal
down. economy.
The local hospital is still So the village has taken
functioning, but barely. It's a steps to get a piece of the tourist
series of musty corridors and dollar. In town, the log cabin-
dark, empty rooms, where every style Blue Pearl Hotel, owned
kind of equipment, and even by the village and built with the
water, is in short supply. In one help of the U.S. Peace Corps,
dusky chamber, a doctor and offers 18 beds and basic ameni-
nurse attend a 40-year-old ties, including hot showers. A
woman in labour. They're hop- craft shop next door sells work
ing she gives birth before dark, by local artisans. A shiny new
because there is no electricity at Information centre is full of
the hospital, or anywhere else in information on the lake and
Khatgal. In the delivery room, surrounding area. Seven kilo-
an incubator sits idle and metres up the lake, the village
useless. pas set up its own high-end ger
The state of heath in Khatgal camp.
gives some idea of the area's The governor says these
problems. initiatives have made ?. dent in
A doctor and nurse who the region's shocking poverty
visited recently from Ulaan- statistics - 64 per cent of Khat-
baatar to see women from Khat- gal's population was classed as
gal and the surrounding coun- very poor in 1997, and 78 per
tryside found high incidences of cent of children under 18 were
malnutrition, anemia and sex- malnourished.
ually transmitted diseases - Togtokhnyam is a tireless
though without any laboratory promoter of Khatgal. But her
facilities, many conditions are enthusiasm is tempered by
hard to diagnose. realism.
And even when diagnosis is "Khatgal's problem is that
possible, treatment often isn't. we have very poor and unedu-
There is a lack of even the most cated people. There is high
basic medical supplies and unemployment, and it is very far (See next page)
217
UB Post 07-07-98
Mongolian
university
laurel for
WHO man
Dr. S.D. Han, Western Pacific
regional director of the World
Health Organization, is in
Mongolia J u l y 7 to 10 to
receive an honourary degree
from the Mongolian National
to hospitals and other services, honour of the visiting medical all of a sudden, things warm up. the village comes out in a University.
Schools and healthcare will team from the capital. At nine Couples box step to tinny tunes display of exuberance. Then, at
have to develop. p.m., about 5'0 women sit silent-
Based in Manila, Philip-
and youngsters swing to the midnight, the fuel runs out, and
"The thing we need most is ly in chairs around the periphery sounds of Russian pop and everyone makes their way out pines, Han oversees a 34-
electricity. The government says of the dimly lit hall. But then, Vanilla Ice. For an hour or so. of the silent, pitch-black hall. coiintry region that includes
we have to produce hydro-
electric power, but nothing is
Mongolia.
being done. Right now we have While in Ulaanbaatar, he
to do everything on our own, will meet with President N,
because they're no help."
On the surface, Khatgal
Bagabandi and members of
seems placid to the point of the government.
catatonia. But the commmunity WHO'S U.S. $2.7 million
holds surprising reserves of life. 1998-99 budget for Mongolia
At the local youth centre,
precious diesel has been poured includes projects in the areas
into the generator for a disco in of health promotion, dis-
tribution of emergency vac-
cines and health-sector
reforms.
218
UB Post 02-07-97
Letter
from
{Mongolia
Secrets and skies
Louisa Waugh gives secret lessons to a government
official and ends up drinking vodka with his family.
t all had to be kept very quiet. No-one, cer- persuaded to join them.
19-01-99
-- ItaloCalvmo,
Invisible Cities
KARAKORUM, Mongolia -- Rome has its forum and gypt its pyramids, but what remains of
the Mongol empire is a meter-high stone tortoise on a desolate windy plain.
Seven centuries on, its protruding eyes are still watchfu and its grin as fierce, but the engraved
stele which once graced its back is gone, leaving no cpi' aph for the largest land empire the
world has ever seen. Gone, too, is any trace of Karakorjim., the imperial capital it was built to
protect.
Seekers of the legacy of the Mongol empire, which at it; height in the 13th century stretched
from Korea to Hungary, must travel far away, as the Mongol horsemen did. Go to Beijing.
which today rules a vast country the Mongols united frcm a vast city the Mongols built Go to
Moscow, whose postal service, tax system, and words or "treasury" and "currency" were
sdopted from its Mongol conquerors. Go, even, to Ammca, which Christopher Columbus
stumbled upon in search of fabled Asian lands first seen and celebrated in the time of the
Mongols.
It is fitting chat the legacy of the Mongol khans is sealceied over half the globe they made their
own. In a millennium lhat saw the advent of globalizati,on. the Mongols were its first
practitioners, spreading trade, culture and science more widely than ever before.
"Mankind came into contact with each other for the firs time," says Shagdaryn Bira, a
historian of the Mongol empire who keeps a portrait of!Cublai Khan -- "The original is in
Taiwan," he says regretfully -- hanging on the wall of h s office in Ulan Bator, the capital of
modern-day Mongolia. "Never before, and never until tie modern age. was there such a
movement of people, ideas, spiritual and religious values
Bad Reputation
It is not the standard view of the Mongols. Roaring out )f the steppe in the early 13th century,
the Mongol armies gained infamy for stamping out entirb; tribes and cities in what the
conquered saw as God's judgment on the sins of the wojrld It may well be chat the world
from now until its end... will not experience the like ol it again," wrote an Arab witness of the
Mongol onslaught. In faraway Europe, the Mongols we believed to be the apocalyptic armies
of the Book of Revelation; they were called "Tartars," i reference to the classical name of hell.
Tartarus.
Bui some historians now say the Mongols were merely victims of monumentally bad press,
With no written language until imperiai founder Gengh s Khan created one, the Mongols were
fated to have their history told mostly by others. Persiai Chinese and Russian writers alike
emphasized their destrucnveness and barbarity -- peiha >s the only CASC yet of history written
by the conquered.
"I don't think the Chinese were particularly kindly to thje people on their borders either, nor the
Japanese when they invaded Korea," argues Morris Rdssabi a Columbia University professor
and Mongol scholar. "The Mongols just happened to a •me out of nowhere, and all sorts of
legends and hyperbole developed around them."
Yet in conquering East and West, ihe Mongols also uni ed them, A stable empire meant secure
trade routes, which allowed European merchants and rrissionaries to travel to India and China
for the first time. Paper money issued by the Mongols circulated throughout China as far as
Vietnam and Persia, stimulating commerce and astonis ing European visitors who would not
see its use back home for several hundred years. Playirjg cards, celestial globes and the
techniques of Chinese landscape painting traveled alon caravan routes on the heels of the
Mongol conquest.
It was "an interlude of light in the darkness that for mo: t of modern history blanketed both the
Eastward and Westward vision," writes historian Danii 1 Boorstin.
Strikingly Modern
Seen from today, the Mongols are strikingly modem, they eagerly absorbed foreign ideas; as
a primitive culture taking over more advanced ones, they had little choice. Their written script
was adopted from the Uighurs, a Turkic tribe. Their sijge warfare strategy was designed by
Chinese experts. Persian astronomers, Central Asian artisans, and Turkestani traders -- all
came to work for the great khans.
The Mongols were active promoters of free trade two centuries before European navigators
claimed the mantle for themselves. A nomadic lifestyle! is by nature dependent on trade, and
steppe herders had long exchanged animal products for things like weapons and textiles The
Mongols built a network of postal stations, stretching firough China and Turkestan to the
Volga River, that was liberally used by traders.
"Let merchants and caravans come and go and let the f neries and wares of my lands be
brought to thou and let those of thy lands likewise be directed," instructed Genghis Khan to a
Central Asian sultan.
Such pro-business policies drew the first merchants from the West. A 14th-century commercial
handbook for the Eurasian trade route famously, if rather dubiously, asserted, "the road to
Cathay is perfectly safe, whether by day or night, acco rding to what the merchants say who
have used it." One of them was a young Venetian nam^d Marco Polo, whose accounts of his
Eastern travels stirred the European imagination for ge lerations to come -- including
Christopher Columbus, who carried a copy of Marco olo's "Travels" on his voyage to the
New World.
The progressiveness of the Mongols stands out agains what was then regarded as the world's
most civilized nation: China. Soon after Kublai Khan conquered China in 1279, uniting a
nation that had been separated for some 300 years, he disbanded the civil service of Confucian
scholars, encouraged use of the vernacular in court documents, and lei slip hallowed rites in
place for centuries. "They came from the northern was es, so one can scarcely blame them."
was the disgusted comment of a later Chinese historiai
Yet the khans succeeded in undoing centuries of rigid hinking, most notably an
anticomrnercial bias that was to perpetuate China's backwardness in the centuries to come. The
Mongol imperial family funded commercial ventures, upplied ships for overseas excursions
and even put merchants in high government posts; pas Chinese rulers had banned merchants
from serving the government, wearing silk, or riding i i wagons.
"The Mongols might have relished the Industrial Revo ution," speculates historian Mr
Rossabi. "They might not have treated Western visitors and ideas with such scorn." as later
Chinese dynasties did, he says.
Poor and Obscure
It was not to be. The Ming Dynasty, which overthrew the Mongols in 1368, slammed ihe doov
on the outside world, built the Great Wall 10 keep out invading armies, and outlawed maritime
trade. The next time Western traders came to China, it was during the 19th century, in gun
boats.
The sense of opportunity lost is most palpable in Mongolia, which is today a poor and obscure
country. Less than a century after the rise of Genghis Khan, his descendants fell into
quarreling among themselves and eventually faded back into the vast steppe. They came under
the sway first of the Chinese, then the Russians. Only in die last decade of this millennium has
Mongolia regained full independence.
Surrounded by the ruins of a 16th-century monastery built from the stones of Karakorum,
visitors slip easily into old dreams. "The best idea would be to move the capital back to
Karakorum!" says Mr. Baanjil, the driver, drawing a map in the snow with his finger to
illustrate the sense of his plan. He admits, though, that it would probably need funding from
Japanese investors. A passerby overhears and cuts in quickly: "It is not possible. It will not he
possible again."
After centuries of neglect, will Mongolia's
ancient capital rise from the rubble? CO
*0
9
By D. BAYAR
M ongolia is not a
country renowned
for its urban history
Prom ancient times,
Mongols have been nomadic
livestock breeders, moving with
the seasons in search of fresh
water and pasture land.
But Mongols have est-
ablished cities over the cen-
turies, and one is legendary:
Kharithorin.
Mongolia's ancient capital
- formerly known as Kara-
korum - is famous throughout
the world.
Built on the decree of
Chinggis Khaan, Mongolia's
first capital became a centre of
13th-century politics and com-
merce, a vital link in the road
connecting east and west by
culture and trade. It was a
multicultural place, home to
people from many lands and
speaking many tongues.
The city of Kharkhorin was O
expanded under Chinegis i
Khaan's son Ogodei, becoming NO
the real imperial capital during Jo
00
his reign. In J235. he built the t*S&' fl1"T!U'»-lV~ r. •'" »"""f<"_'!
wall which framed the city and
created a palace called lumen
The monastery of Erdene zuu and an empty field are about all that is left of historic Kharkhorin
Amgalant (Total Peace). c
But Kharkhorin's reign as W
capital was short-lived. By streets, buildings and palaces, town. of earth containing remains of In the socialist period, their anese scholars are working on "d
1264. Khubilai Khaan had housing the riches of an age In the 14th century, Khar- the people and buildings that plan for detailed research and the principle that it's not im-
o
v.
centralized the power of his gone by. khorin was all but falling down once existed there. restoration remained a dream. portant now to dig up Khar-
empire at Beijing. It was the Russian scientist due to attacks from soldiers of Poor Kharkhorin got no But the birth of democracy has khorin's central square. They
It was the beginning of a N.M. Yadrintsev who first the Ming dynasty and domestic respect. High-tension wires facilitated better resolution of are leaving that for Mongolian
long decline for Kharkhorin, uncovered the ruins of the struggle. were strung across the site of the problems.
scientists of the future, when the
which over the next few cen- ancient capital. By the 16th century, it was old city, and an expanding So it was that in 1995-96 a
country has become more de-
turies endured the attacks of He was followed by many in ruins. The remains were used cemetery encroached on it. Japanese team under
foreign armies and the ravages archeoiogical expeditions, to construct the Erdene Zuu In 1980, researchers found UNESCO's auspices began to veloped.
of domestic strife. culminating in the 1948-49 monastery. a granite porch - it was almost implement a project of research Their goal is to turn Khar-
Nonetheless, after the de- Soviet-Mongolian expedition But its basic territory, its immediately stolen. It soon arid restoration at Mongolia's khorin into a protected area,
cline of the Mongol Empire, under professor S.V. Kiselev. central square, was preserved turned up in the cemetery as a historic capital. build a perimeter fence and halt
Mongol khans continued to They found many valuable until 1950, untouched by any- tombstone. The first phase of the projecl industrial activity, human set-
make their homes at Khar- artifacts that gave clues to the one but the scientists. On the very site of the city involved drawing a detailed iiement and the disposal of
khorin, and the city was being city's industry and international The most harmful period for wall were pigsties and chicken map of the old capital, est- garbage within the perimeter.
restored up until the 16th cen- relations. Kharkhorin began with the coops. Holes left by the ablishing a protected zone and They plan to build
tury. • • • *("• ByW6-1980, a team from laying of the foundations of the archaeologists of 1948 were stopping all industrial and walkways for tourists, clean up
'" In that century, Avtai Khan the fifttlttittrof'History at the socialist economy. This doleful filled in with offal and rubbish. commercial work within the the area and restore the walls of
ordered the construction of Mongolian Academy of Scien- story of destruction began when Fortunately, foreign scien- boundaries of the ancient city.
the old city and establish a
Erdcne Zuu, Mongolia's first ces was tracing the territory of a state farm was established on tists began to realize the im- But Mongolia lacked even
and biggest Buddhist mona- the oity square and excavating permanent museum showcasing
the territory of the city in 1956. portance of researching Khar- the money to build a fence.
stery, on the site of his an- some land. In the process of imple- khorin's role in Mongolian and Now, with UNESCO aid, the the treasures of the'city of Khar-
cestor's capital. The result of all this work menting the policy of providing world history, and began to take fence is at last being built. khorin.
Overlaid with its new reli- was a motherlode of material to the population with food, the initiatives to preserve it. Modern archaeological This will make the ancient
gious prominence, the original help fill in and flesh out the authorities ignored the advice of The Institute of History and thinking holds that it is less capital a big attraction for
city of Kharkhorin faded into history of Mongolia in the scientists and ran roughshod the Ministry of Culture drew up valuable to dig up all possible foreign and Mongolian tourists
the dust. It became something a middle ages. over the nation's heritage. Most a proposal to establish a pro- remains than to preserve a site alike.
legend in the minds of most While that is a crucial of the territory of old Khar- tected zone around the ancient in as intact a form as possible. Now is the time io preserve
people, a place where once, long achievement, there has been no khorin became ploughed fields. capital. They applied to It may transpire one day that this great historical legacy so we
ago, great khans had lived. work to protect the ancient In 1980, when a new UNESCO, the United Nations archaeology will involve no can hand it down to future
Today, behind the great capital from harmful human underground irrigation system Scientific, Educational and Cul- digging and we will regret the
generations.
monastery of Erdene Zuu, there activity, and no thought given was established with Russian tural Organization, to get the harm we have done with our
is only bumpy steppe and to how the remains of an ancient assistance, the fields were city onto the list of the world's shovels. o
braided dirt tracks. On that open city can coexist with the agri- ploughed up once more and heritage sites. The UNESCO and Jap-
steppe were the ancient capital' s culture and industry of a modern water pipes laid under the layer i
226
L I F E S T Y L E
A New Brew
As Mongolia changes under the influence of economic reforms, the country's elite are
trading fermented mare's milk and vodka for a new status symbol: beer
-• —.e-made hooch that sells for as little as man businessman, they returned to Mon- social evil. The Mongolian Beer Associa-
VO tugrik (about 30 U.S. cents) a bottle. golia, importing everything from malt and tion, founded last year, is lobbying the
In a time when Mongolians were expe- hops to a master brewer from Germany. government to have beer exempted from
-.-•-~'i economic hardship and wrenching Soon, they produced the first batches of punitive liquor laws and taxes. The cru-
—.inge. the alcohol explosion was a recipe Pilsner ever brewed in Mongolia. sade by the president—who recently in-
-:•- disaster. The country's current presi- Now, Khan Brau owns three bars in troduced an anti-booze law to parliament
ier.:. Natsagiin Bagabandi—who has made Ulan Bator—including the German-style calling for tighter controls on the import
ns fiaht against alcoholism a personal cru- flagship and the Boar's Tooth, a faux-Irish and manufacture of alcohol, mandatory
^.;t—jays more than half of Mongolians pub complete with dark wood interior and treatment and forced labour for alcohol-
Imk too much. The sight of staggering Guinness posers. Khan Brau's draft is sold ics—is just the latest in a series of such
trunks, often supported by their stoic in 36 bars in the capital, and the company crusades stretching back hundreds of years.
» .c?. is so common on Ulan Bator's recently began bottling beer for sale in
shops. Gankhuu says $2 million in invest- he Mongolian love affair with drink
T
-crests that no one takes any notice. h
Police deliver 150 drunks a day to the ment has gone into Khan Brau, and claims goes
fe as far back as Genghis Khan,
-
r. i seven drunk tanks. Vodka, say law- the company is profitable. \who built the mighty Mongol empire
yer-cement officials, is the reason behind Khan Brau and its three rival independ- in the 13th century. "Neither the Russians
;rg crime rates: Intoxicated people ent breweries—including the Czech-style nor the Chinese taught Mongolians to
•••nit nearly one in four crimes and are Chinggis Beer, named after Genghis drink," says Judith Nordby, a professor
- e for an increasing number of Khan—are selling a lifestyle as much as a of Mongolian studies at Leeds University
tfr< accidents. "The number of crimes product. They've introduced such radical in England. "They didn't need to—the
--. - ? y people who are drunk has concepts as outdoor beer gardens, which Mongols had a taste for alcohol dating back
- _ - --.-£ steadily," says G. Dashtudev, bustle with activity during Mongolia's brief to the empire period, at least."
- :.-.; anti-crime department at the three-month summer, and live rock bands. Genghis Khan's son and successor
• Justice. "We have to stop this." They've also led the way in introduc- Ogoodei, warned by his brother to drink
- -—not tradition- fewer cups of booze,
aAc * popular drink in promptly halved the
—has none of number of goblets—and
_^- . e refutation. doubled their size. Mon-
_•_ _^ut. 1 drink golia's last theocratic
: r-r." says 20- ruler—deposed by the
ir.. who is 1921 revolution that
- - _ -=.: t h e Khan brought the communists
kac- It's good because to power—was famous
;---. as drunk for going on drinking
, mtiex. you drink benders lasting several
- ; ! think a days.
. - _nt of beer Trade during the
mfxtt. -.-* your body." Mongol empire brought
j the most suc- beverages including
_;;r. esses in the brandy, wine and tea,
lafcst Mongolia but imported alcohol
I of brewer- remained a drink for the
ng high- elite. It took communism
European-style and membership in the
c. For the young and Beer's Western image is a big selling point with young Mongolians. socialist countries' trad-
.-.'.. beer is ing bloc, Comecon, to
: . r revolution, hand-in-hand ing Western-style business savvy to Mon- bring commercially produced bottled
a-style music, fashion and golia. Khan Brau's stylish ad campaigns booze to the masses. Campaigns to com-
include massive billboards of Mongolian bat excess drinking, too, have been
e made a small revolution in rock stars and a beer-bottle mascot roam- launched since, with little success. "The
coasts 32-year-old Gendcn- ing Ulan Bator's Stalinesque central aristocrats of the Comecon period cam-
Khan Brau's baby-faced square. All this comes with Western-style paigned against drunkenness from time to
::::: He may be Mongolia's prices, though: A pint of Chinggis or Khan time," says Nordby "But the socialist elite
aficionado: President of the Brau costs about $2—nearly as much as a drank as much as anyone." Campaigns
r Association, Gankhuu's whole bottle of vodka. during glasnost and perestroika, Nordby
|p»d singer of Khan Brau's Beatles- Gankhuu is aware of how exorbitant notes, were equally unsuccessful: "There's
aocse bond, Shar Airag. The band's the prices are: "Our beer isn't cheap. It's a lot of lip service but rather less commit-
•OMB—what else?—beer. "Beer is not for everyone," he explains. "If we ment."
t" *e laughs. lower the price, we lose our elite customers. Beer supporters maintain their brew
191*. Gankhuu. then a student in They don't mind paying 1,900 tugrik for a could change all that. "There aren't so
- - - _ : . ;.nJ a friend studying beer if they can sit in a nice place listening many social problems like crime and alco-
^•r. decided to launch Khan Brau to live music. We could sell a beer for 500 holism with beer," maintains Gankhuu. "It
seer " T.S the time, there was only tugrik, but v.'hat kind of people would comes with a good atmosphere. You can
Mongolia, the state-owned come? There would be fights and trouble." have two or three beers and go home.
recalls- "And its technology The beer boosters' greatest fear is that Beer should not be put on the list with
*WKh the backing of a Ger- they will get lumped in with vodka as a hard liquor. Beer should be like bread." •
FAR E A S T E R N ECONOMIC REVIEW