The ancient, earth-friendly wisdom of Mongolian nomads | Khulan Batkhuyag

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Ivana Korom

翻译人员: Nan Yang 校对人员: psjmz mz

It's funny how foreigners ask me the same questions

外国人初见我时问的类似问题

when they first meet me.

总是很有趣。

Questions like,

像是，

"Wow, you're from Mongolia?

“哇，你来自蒙古？

So do you ride horses to go to work?"

你们是骑马去上班吗？”

"Do you know what Coke is?"

“你知道可乐吗？”

Or, "Do you have chocolates in Mongolia?"

或者，“在蒙古有巧克力吗？”

And if I want to have fun with it,

然后如果我想找点乐子，

I say things like,

我会说：

"Oh my God,

“我的天，

I've never heard any of those before.

我从来没有听过 你说的东西。

What are Coke and chocolates?

什么是可乐和巧克力？

Can you tell me more about them?"

你能再给我说说吗？”

It always works,

这招总是有用的，

and we have a good laugh about it too.

我们也会觉得这样非常好笑。

In reality, our capital city, Ulaanbaatar, is very urban.

实际上，我们的首都，乌兰巴托， 非常城市化。

We have commercial buildings,

我们有商业建筑，

brand-name hotels

名牌酒店，

and beautiful art spaces too.

和美丽的艺术空间。

But all too often

但是，很多时候，

foreigners fixate on what Mongolia lacks.

外国人总盯着蒙古缺少的东西。

They look at our massive, untouched landscape,

他们看着我们广阔的原始风光，

traditional nomadic lifestyles,

传统的游牧生活方式，

and see it as a sign of poverty.

认为这是贫困的标识。

And I disagree.

而我不同意。

In fact, I think there's a lot we can learn

实际上，我认为有很多东西

from ancient Mongolian nomads

可以从古代蒙古游牧民族身上学到，

that will help us survive

能帮助我们

in the years and decades to come.

在未来几十年生存。

This is a picture of me playing Mongolia's most celebrated traditional instrument,

这是我的一张照片， 我在演奏蒙古最著名的传统乐器，

morin khuur,

“莫林胡尔”

or horsehead fiddle.

或者叫做“马头琴”。

I started playing the instrument when I was only nine,

我从九岁时候开始弹奏，

and by 11 I was traveling the world

十一岁时开始在世界各地游历，

representing Mongolia at international festivals,

在日本，中国，芬兰，德国，瑞典 生活和学习时

living and studying in places like Japan, China, Finland, Germany and Sweden.

代表蒙古参加国际节日的表演。

But then suddenly,

但是突然间，

when I was 21,

在我 21 岁时，

I lost my loving mother,

我失去了我挚爱的母亲，

and just two years later

然后仅两年后，

I lost my father.

又失去了我的父亲。

As an only child,

作为独生子女，

I was devastated and lonely.

我感觉绝望和孤独。

At the time, the only thing I had left was my country,

那时候， 我唯一还有的是我的祖国。

so I decided to move home.

所以我决定回家。

When I was lost with sorrow,

在我因悲伤迷失时，

my country gave me a feeling of safety and belonging.

我的祖国给了我 安全感和归属感。

I imagined eternal the blue sky of Mongolia as my father

我把永恒的蒙古蓝天 想象成我的父亲，

and the untouched, gorgeous landscape as my mother.

把原始又美丽的风光 想象成我的母亲。

Having lived in developed countries for over a decade,

由于已经在发达国家 生活了十多年，

I became very distant from the nomadic lifestyles,

我已经离游牧生活方式很远了，

so I wanted to reconnect and experience it for myself.

所以我想要重建这种连接， 重新经历。

I often journeyed away from the city toward my grandparents' provinces

我经常从城市出发 去我祖父母所在的省份，

in rural Mongolia

蒙古的农村，

to see where my parents and I came from,

看一看我和父母出生的地方，

and better understand my own identity.

去更好了解自己的身份。

Growing up, I'd always heard stories about how Mongolian nomads

在我成长的过程中， 总是听说蒙古游牧民族的故事，

were the most hospitable people on earth,

他们是地球上最热情好客的民族，

and I wanted to see with my own eyes

我也想亲眼看看

whether they really feed and give shelter to a stranger.

他们是否真的会收留一个陌生人。

So I set off to the countryside,

所以我出发去了乡下，

driving along dirt roads for hours.

沿着土路行驶了几个小时。

What's incredible about Mongolian nomads

关于游牧民族不可思议的是

is that the neighbors are often 40 kilometers apart,

邻居间的距离 通常有 40 公里远，

and there's no private land ownership of pasture land in Mongolia.

而且在蒙古没有私人所有的牧场。

In a way,

某种程度上，

Mongolian nomads have the complete freedom,

蒙古游牧民族拥有完全的自由，

moving about the gorgeous landscape as they wish.

可以随心所欲地 在美丽的风景中穿梭。

Eventually, I spotted to humble yurts

最终，我遇见了不起眼的蒙古包，

and I pulled over.

然后我停了车。

Yurts, or ger,

蒙古包，

are a traditional Mongolian dwelling.

是传统的蒙古民居。

They're made from one hundred percent natural material,

它们由百分之百的 天然材料制成的，

a wooden frame and floor,

木制的框架和地板，

leather rope

皮制的绳子，

and thick blankets made from felted sheep's wool.

和毡羊毛制成的厚毯子。

And it takes about only three to four hours

而且只需要三到四小时

to assemble or disassemble,

就可以组装和拆卸，

and keeps them warm

它们可以在零下 50 摄氏度的冬天

through the minus 50 degree Celsius winters.

为人们御寒。

Outside the yurt,

在蒙古包外，

the kids were playing with sheep and goats,

孩子们在与绵羊，山羊玩耍。

and as I greeted them,

我和他们打招呼的时候，

their parents welcomed me inside.

他们的父母邀请我进到里面。

The wife poured me nice warm milk tea,

妻子给我倒了美味的热奶茶，

and the husband offered me food

丈夫请我吃了

that they had already prepared on the table.

已经在桌子上备好的食物。

After some casual chitchat,

在闲聊一会后，

the husband politely asked my purpose,

丈夫礼貌地问了我来访的目的，

so I replied bluntly

于是我直截了当地回答，

that I was just traveling

我只是旅行

and exploring my grandparents' roots

和探寻一下我祖辈的生活。

and that I needed a place to stay

并且因为快天黑了，

as the sun was setting.

所以我需要可以留宿的地方。

And guess what?

然后你们猜猜发生了什么？

He said I could stay as long as I needed to,

他说我可以想住多久就住多久，

on one condition.

只有一个条件。

He asked if I would play the morin khuur,

他问我是否会弹莫林胡尔，

our traditional Mongolian horsehead fiddle.

我们蒙古传统的马头琴。

In my head, I couldn't believe it was coming true.

我不敢相信就这样成功了。

And the horsehead fiddle was like a ticket.

马头琴就像一张门票。

When Mongolians find out that you can play morin khuur,

当蒙古人知道你会拉马头琴时，

you're instantly respected.

你马上会受到尊重。

They say its two strings

他们说琴上仅有的两条弦

express all the events of the world.

就可以表达世界上所有的事情。

I ended up staying with them for nine days,

我在他们家住了九天，

and they didn't even ask me to leave.

他们从没想让我离开。

I think if I tried to stay there for two months,

我想如果我住两个月，

they would have let me.

他们也会同意。

And here's the thing:

因此，我意识到一件事：

before I met them,

在我遇见他们之前，

I assumed that Mongolian nomads were hospitable out of kindness

我以为蒙古游牧民族 和其他人一样

like anybody else.

热情好客。

But then I realized it was more than that.

但是我才认识到， 他们不只这样。

It was about surviving as a community.

那是作为社区团体的生存技能。

Because nomads live in extremely remote areas,

因为游牧民族住在偏远地区，

they are completely at the mercy of nature.

所以他们完全受制于大自然。

Heavy snowfall,

大雪，

a sudden flood

突发的洪水，

or a raging storm

或者一场狂风暴雨

can devastate a nomadic family.

都可能摧毁一个游牧家庭。

Today, it's a stranger who needs help,

今天，是一个陌生人需要帮助，

but tomorrow, it could be you.

但明天，可能就是自己。

That's why they look out for each other

这就是为什么他们会互相照顾，

and welcome anyone in need of help.

并且欢迎任何需要帮助的人。

This really touched my heart,

这一点真的非常打动我，

because I feel like we humans are becoming more and more selfish.

因为我觉得人类 在变得越来越自私。

Staying with a truly nomadic family awakened me.

与真正的游牧家庭的共处 唤醒了我。

It was nothing like I've ever seen in developed countries.

这与我在发达国家 所看到的都不同。

The wife of the family

妻子给我展示了

showed me how they produce organic dairy products from scratch,

他们如何从零开始 生产有机乳制品，

like white cheese, yogurt, tsegee,

像是白奶酪，酸奶，马奶酒

and even a traditional vodka made from cow milk.

甚至有用牛奶制成的 传统伏特加酒。

And every tool they use is made from natural material by hand.

他们用的每个工具 都是由天然材料手工打造的。

And inside the yurt,

在蒙古包内，

we burned dried cow dung to stay warm

我们烧干牛粪来取暖，

instead of using fuel.

而不使用燃料。

Everything stood in sharp contrast

这一切都与我之前 充满塑料和钢铁的城市生活

to my city life filled with plastic and steel.

形成了鲜明的对比。

And this was a five-senses experience to me,

这次对我来说真是全新的体验，

a completely different form of sophistication.

一种完全不同的精致生活。

The more I traveled across remote and rural destinations in Mongolia,

在蒙古偏远的乡村走的越多，

the more I understood

我越可以理解

how ancient nomadic lifestyle was powered by Mother Nature.

大自然母亲如何驱动 古老的游牧生活方式。

Nomadic life is truly zero waste.

游牧生活是真正的零浪费。

Over the course of six years,

在六年的时间里，

I visited more than 20 families,

我拜访了二十多个家庭，

and my experience was always the same.

而我的体验总是一样的。

They invited me in, offered me food

他们邀请我，为我提供食物，

and gave me a place to stay if I needed it.

如果我需要就会为我提供住处。

I was surprised by how little they owned.

我曾非常惊讶于 他们拥有的东西之少。

At first, I thought it was because they moved about four times a year.

开始，我认为是因为 他们每年要搬四次家。

OK, that's a very simple logic to understand.

是的，这是非常容易理解的逻辑。

You only carry what you need.

你只需要带上必要之物。

But then I learned

但是之后我了解到

there's a deeper philosophy behind it.

在这背后更深的哲学理念。

Historically, nomads believed

历史上，游牧民族相信

that we are only passing through this life,

我们只是生不带来，

that people come and leave naked,

死不带走地度过一生，

so they believe that there's no point in building anything that destroys nature

所以他们相信， 当你的预期寿命不到一百岁时，

or in being greedy for materialistic things

建造任何会破坏自然的事物， 或者贪婪追求物质

when your life expectancy is only less than 100 years.

都是没有意义的。

Instead, they invest in tradition,

相反，他们注重传统、

heritage, history,

遗产、历史，

and pass it from generation to generation.

并且代代相传。

This ancient nomadic philosophy made me realize that I should think bigger

这个古老的游牧哲学让我意识到，

我应该想得更多更远， 不只是为了自己的舒适和便捷。

and further than my own convenience and comfort.

In the Mongolian countryside, I felt a true form of freedom,

在蒙古乡村， 我感受了一种真正的自由，

and every time I came back to the city,

而且每次我回到城市，

I looked for ways to live more minimally.

我都会去寻找更简洁的生活方式。

I digitalized all of my company's paper procedures.

我将公司里的所有书面程序数字化。

What once took 20 packs of A4 paper

曾经需要 20 包 A4 纸的事情

now takes just one.

现在只需要一包。

I downsized my apartment, reduced my carbon footprint

我换了更小的公寓， 减少了我的碳排放，

and picked up a habit to rethink my actions,

并且养成了重新思考 我日常行为的习惯，

like purchasing, choosing transportation,

比如买东西，选择交通工具，

and many other lifestyle choices at home and work.

以及其他在家和工作中 的生活方式。

And most importantly,

而最重要的是，

I stopped working on fast-moving consumer-goods marketing projects

我不再从事快销品的市场项目，

and now work with organizations that promote sustainability.

而是开始与促进可持续性的组织合作。

But by far the biggest change

但是，到目前为止，

我最大的变化就是

is that I've started to see development

开始用崭新的眼光看待发展。

with fresh eyes.

In cities,

在城市里，

living in a traditional yurt as a nomad

住在传统蒙古包里

and having less

拥有较少的资产的牧民

is often interpreted as a sign of poverty,

通常被理解为贫穷的象征，

not just abroad

这不仅在国外，

but at home in Mongolia too.

在蒙古也是一样。

We think that the end goal for every developing country

人们认为每个发展中国家的终极目标

is to become the next Tokyo or New York City,

都是变成下一个东京或者纽约，

with their skyscrapers, big shopping malls and toll roads.

拥有一样的摩天大楼， 大型购物中心和收费公路。

Communities around the world are abandoning their traditional lifestyles

世界各地的社区都在 抛弃传统的生活方式

in pursuit of material wealth.

追求物质财富。

But let's not forget,

但是我们不要忘了，

the developed countries

那些发达国家

are the ones most responsible for climate change.

最应该为气候变化负责。

So we have to ask ourselves,

所以我们要问问自己，

why do we keep on following the same blueprint

为什么我们已经知道 这样做会危害世界，

when we know it causes harm to the world?

却还在继续遵循相同的蓝图呢？

We've all experienced the consequences of our choices

在过去的八个月中，

我们都体验到了这些选择的后果。

over the past eight months.

So doing right by Mother Nature

所以，为大自然母亲做对的事，

and focusing on earth-friendly, zero-waste habits

专注于环境友好，零排放的习惯，

is not an option anymore.

不再是一个选项。

And who knows the key ingredients better than our ancestors,

而且，谁会比我们的祖先 更了解那些关键的因素，

the ones who survived without the media

他们在没有媒体或者技术下，

or technology

依靠仅有的智慧

but with wisdom alone?

生存下来。

As a citizen of Mongolia,

作为蒙古的公民，

I grew up hearing

我从小就听大家说

that developing countries are inferior,

发展中国家处于劣势，

and I really took it to heart.

而且我真的往心里去了。

But today, I want to say loud and clear

但是如今，我想大声并响亮地说，

that I don't see disadvantages from developing countries anymore.

我不再认为发展中国家有这些劣势。

On the contrary,

相反地，

I see countries that have the biggest opportunity

我觉得这些国家有更大的机会

to do things in the right way,

用正确的方式做事，

countries that can define their own kind of development

他们可以定义自己的发展方式，

and have the most advantage to build a better and safer environment

具有为每个人建立更好， 更安全的环境的

for everyone.

最大优势。

What worked for our ancestors for thousands of years

那些祖先们几千年来做的事情

can work for us now,

现在可以为我们所用，

and in the future,

在未来，

when combined with the latest innovations.

也可以结合最新的创新。

After all, we're all guests in this world,

说到底，我们都是 这个世界的客人，

so let's do right by the earth and each other

所以，让我们像 古代的蒙古游牧民族一样，

just like the ancient Mongolian nomads did.

一起为地球和大家做对的事情。

Thank you.

谢谢。