At one time the center of one of the greatest empires in history, in the past century, Mongolia has been ruled by both China and the Soviet Union. Today an independent democratic nation, Mongolia is still trying to find a modern identity that incorporates its long-held traditions into a modern way of life.
蒙古帝國是史上最偉大的帝國之一,而蒙古曾是她的帝國中心。過去一世紀裡曾被中國和蘇聯統治,如今卻已是獨立民主國家的蒙古,試圖尋找現代的定位,將長存的傳統融入現代生活方式。
A closer look 說古論今
In many countries around the world, the population changes over the centuries because of large waves of immigration. In Mongolia it's just the opposite. Although the Mongolian people have spread out all over the world, for the most part, the people who live there now are the descendants of the people who were living there thousands of years ago.
Many of the people live in almost the same way that generations before them did. These people, called nomads, live far away from cities and towns and take their animals from place to place to find the best grass for them to eat. They move their homes several times a year.
Mongolian nomads generally keep five kinds of animals: horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. Nomads depend on their animals to provide them with everything from food, to clothing and transportation. Since they are so dependent on their animals, Mongolian nomads are very tied to the land.
PHOTO: EPA
Although Mongolia has always had hot summers and extremely cold winters, in recent years, global warming has made the weather conditions very harsh and unpredictable.
Many Mongolians feel that because of this, the nomadic way of life has become too difficult. Recently, many people have begun to move into cities, where life is often very hard for them.
世上許多國家的人口都因為過去幾世紀來大規模的移民潮而產生變化,不過蒙古的情況正好相反,蒙古人雖然散居世界各地,但大體說來,今日蒙古的居民仍是幾千年前蒙古人的後代。
多數人幾乎還過著代代相傳的生活方式,他們是遊牧民族,遠離城鎮,帶著牲畜逐水草而居,而且每年遷徙數次。
蒙古遊牧民族通常飼養五種動物:馬、駱駝、牛、綿羊和山羊。飲食、衣著和交通均靠牲畜提供,極度仰賴牲口,與土地的關係非常緊密。
蒙古的天氣總為溽暑寒冬,近年來,全球暖化的現象讓氣候變得更嚴峻不可預測。
許多蒙古人感到遊牧民族的生活方式愈來愈不可行,近來已有許多人搬到對他們而言求生不易的都市生活。 (翻譯:鄭湘儀)
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