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

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Ivana Korom

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

It's funny how foreigners ask me the same questions

外國人和我初次見面時，

會問同樣的問題，十分有趣。

when they first meet me.

Questions like,

他們會問：「哇，你來自蒙古？

"Wow, you're from Mongolia?

So do you ride horses to go to work?"

所以你騎馬去工作嗎？」

"Do you know what Coke is?"

「你知道可樂是什麼嗎？」

Or, "Do you have chocolates in Mongolia?"

或「蒙古有巧克力嗎？」

And if I want to have fun with it,

如果我想捉弄他們，

I say things like,

我會說：

"Oh my God,

「喔，我的天，

I've never heard any of those before.

我從未聽過那些東西。

What are Coke and chocolates?

可樂和巧克力是什麼？

Can you tell me more about them?"

你能多告訴我一點嗎？」

It always works,

這招總是成功 ，

and we have a good laugh about it too.

我們會笑得很開心。

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

事實上，

我們的首都烏蘭巴托很都市化。

We have commercial buildings,

我們有商業大樓、知名飯店，

brand-name hotels

and beautiful art spaces too.

也有美麗的藝術空間。

But all too often

但，很多時候

foreigners fixate on what Mongolia lacks.

外國人專注於蒙古缺乏什麼。

They look at our massive, untouched landscape,

他們著眼於蒙古浩瀚 且未被人類染指的地景、

traditional nomadic lifestyles,

傳統的遊牧生活，

and see it as a sign of poverty.

視其為貧窮的象徵。

And I disagree.

我不同意。

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

事實上，我認為我們能從

from ancient Mongolian nomads

古老蒙古遊牧民族學習很多，

that will help us survive

在接下來的數年、數十年， 能協助我們生存。

in the years and decades to come.

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

照片中是我在拉奏

蒙古最著名的傳統樂器莫林胡爾，

morin khuur,

or horsehead fiddle.

或稱馬頭琴。

I started playing the instrument when I was only nine,

我九歲時就開始拉琴，

and by 11 I was traveling the world

十一歲時，我到世界各地，

representing Mongolia at international festivals,

在國際節慶活動中代表蒙古演出，

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

在日本、中國、芬蘭、德國、

瑞典等地居住及讀書。

But then suddenly,

但，突然，

when I was 21,

在我二十一歲時，

I lost my loving mother,

我失去了摯愛的母親，

and just two years later

兩年後，

I lost my father.

我失去了父親。

As an only child,

身為獨生女，

I was devastated and lonely.

我心力交瘁且很孤單。

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

當時，我所剩下的只有我的國家，

so I decided to move home.

所以我決定搬回家。

When I was lost with sorrow,

當我因為悲傷而迷失時，

my country gave me a feeling of safety and belonging.

我的國家給了我安全感和歸屬感。

I imagined eternal the blue sky of Mongolia as my father

我想像蒙古那永遠 藍色的天空是我的父親，

and the untouched, gorgeous landscape as my mother.

而那未受人類染指的 美麗地景是我的母親。

Having lived in developed countries for over a decade,

我在已開發國家住過至少十年，

I became very distant from the nomadic lifestyles,

我變得和遊牧生活方式十分疏遠。

so I wanted to reconnect and experience it for myself.

所以為了自己， 我想重新連結、體驗它。

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

我常旅行，遠離城市， 到我祖父母的省份，

in rural Mongolia

到蒙古的鄉村地區，

to see where my parents and I came from,

去看看我父母和我的出生地，

and better understand my own identity.

也更了解我自己的身分。

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

成長過程中，我總會聽到一些故事，

說蒙古遊牧民族 是世界上最好客的民族。

were the most hospitable people on earth,

and I wanted to see with my own eyes

我想親眼看看

whether they really feed and give shelter to a stranger.

他們是否真會 提供食物和住處給陌生人。

So I set off to the countryside,

所以我出發前往鄉下，

driving along dirt roads for hours.

在泥土路上開了數小時的車。

What's incredible about Mongolian nomads

蒙古遊牧民族有個不可思議的特色，

is that the neighbors are often 40 kilometers apart,

他們的鄰居通常都在四十公里以外，

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

且在蒙古的牧地 沒有私人土地所有權。

In a way,

在某種層面上，

Mongolian nomads have the complete freedom,

蒙古遊牧民族有完全的自由，

moving about the gorgeous landscape as they wish.

隨心所欲在美好的地景上四處旅行。

Eventually, I spotted to humble yurts

終於，我看到了低調的蒙古包，

and I pulled over.

我把車停在路邊。

Yurts, or ger,

蒙古包也叫 ger，

是傳統的蒙古住房。

are a traditional Mongolian dwelling.

They're made from one hundred percent natural material,

百分之百用天然材料搭建，

a wooden frame and floor,

門框和地板是木製的， 繩子是皮製的，

leather rope

and thick blankets made from felted sheep's wool.

厚毯則是用縮絨羊毛做的。

And it takes about only three to four hours

只要花三到四個小時

to assemble or disassemble,

就可以組裝或拆解蒙古包，

and keeps them warm

冬天只有攝氏零下五十度時，

through the minus 50 degree Celsius winters.

蒙古包能幫他們保暖。

Outside the yurt,

在蒙古包外，

the kids were playing with sheep and goats,

孩子在跟綿羊及山羊玩，

and as I greeted them,

當我和他們打招呼時， 他們的父母歡迎我進到室內。

their parents welcomed me inside.

The wife poured me nice warm milk tea,

太太倒給我一杯好喝又溫暖的奶茶，

and the husband offered me food

先生拿食物給我，

that they had already prepared on the table.

食物是他們已經準備好放在桌上的。

After some casual chitchat,

在閒話家常之後，

the husband politely asked my purpose,

先生禮貌地問我來此的目的，

so I replied bluntly

我直率地回答

that I was just traveling

我只是在旅行

and exploring my grandparents' roots

並探尋我祖父母的家鄉，

and that I needed a place to stay

但因為太陽快下山了，

as the sun was setting.

所以我需要找地方住。

And guess what?

猜猜如何？

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

他說我需要待多久就可以待多久，

on one condition.

只有一個條件。

He asked if I would play the morin khuur,

他問我是否能彈奏莫林胡爾，

our traditional Mongolian horsehead fiddle.

我們的傳統蒙古馬頭琴。

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

我心中無法相信這一切就要成真了。

And the horsehead fiddle was like a ticket.

馬頭琴就像是門票。

When Mongolians find out that you can play morin khuur,

當蒙古人發現你會彈奏莫林胡爾，

you're instantly respected.

你會馬上受到敬重。

They say its two strings

他們說馬頭琴的兩條弦

express all the events of the world.

能道盡世事。

I ended up staying with them for nine days,

最後我在他們家住了九天，

and they didn't even ask me to leave.

他們甚至沒有要求我離開。

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

我想，如果我要待上兩個月，

they would have let me.

他們也會同意。

And here's the thing:

重點來了：

before I met them,

在我見到他們之前，

I assumed that Mongolian nomads were hospitable out of kindness

我假設蒙古遊牧民族的好客，

和大家一樣是出於善心。

like anybody else.

But then I realized it was more than that.

但，接著，我了解到不僅僅如此。

It was about surviving as a community.

這和他們以群體的方式生存有關。

Because nomads live in extremely remote areas,

因為遊牧民族住在極偏遠的地區，

they are completely at the mercy of nature.

大自然掌控他們的命運。

Heavy snowfall,

下大雪、

a sudden flood

洪水突發，

or a raging storm

或暴風雨來襲，

can devastate a nomadic family.

都可能摧毀一個遊牧家庭。

Today, it's a stranger who needs help,

今天是一名陌生人需要協助，

but tomorrow, it could be you.

明天可能就換成你需要協助。

That's why they look out for each other

那就是為什麼他們會照顧彼此，

and welcome anyone in need of help.

歡迎任何需要協助的人。

This really touched my heart,

這真的觸動了我的心，

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

因為我覺得我們人類 變得越來越自私。

Staying with a truly nomadic family awakened me.

和一個真正的遊牧家庭相處， 使我看清一切。

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

我在已開發國家 從未看過這樣的現象。

The wife of the family

這個家庭的太太

showed me how they produce organic dairy products from scratch,

向我說明他們如何從零開始， 生產出有機乳製品，

like white cheese, yogurt, tsegee,

如白起司、優格、馬奶酒，

and even a traditional vodka made from cow milk.

甚至用牛奶來做傳統伏特加。

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

他們使用的工具

全都是用天然材料手工製造。

And inside the yurt,

在蒙古包內，

we burned dried cow dung to stay warm

我們燃燒乾燥牛糞來保暖，

instead of using fuel.

不用石化燃料。

Everything stood in sharp contrast

我在城市的生活滿是塑膠和鋼鐵，

to my city life filled with plastic and steel.

和這裡的一切是很大的對比。

And this was a five-senses experience to me,

對我而言，這是五官的嶄新體驗，

a completely different form of sophistication.

完全不同形式的世故。

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

我越是旅行到蒙古遙遠鄉村地區，

the more I understood

我就越了解

how ancient nomadic lifestyle was powered by Mother Nature.

古老遊牧民族生活方式 有多麼仰賴大自然。

Nomadic life is truly zero waste.

遊牧民族生活真的是零廢棄物。

Over the course of six years,

在六年間，

I visited more than 20 families,

我造訪了至少二十個家庭，

and my experience was always the same.

我的經歷都一樣。

They invited me in, offered me food

他們邀請我進去，拿食物給我，

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

如果我有需要， 也會騰出空間給我住。

I was surprised by how little they owned.

我很意外他們擁有的竟然那麼少。

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

一開始，

我以為原因是因為 他們一年要搬遷四次。

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

這是非常容易理解的邏輯。

You only carry what you need.

你只能帶你需要的東西。

But then I learned

但，接著我發現 這背後還有更深的哲理。

there's a deeper philosophy behind it.

Historically, nomads believed

歷史上，

遊牧民族相信

that we are only passing through this life,

我們只是生命中的過客，

that people come and leave naked,

赤裸裸地來，赤裸裸地離開，

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

所以他們相信

沒必要建造任何會摧毀大自然的東西，

or in being greedy for materialistic things

也不需要對物質生活有什麼貪念，

when your life expectancy is only less than 100 years.

畢竟人的壽命只有不到一百年。

Instead, they invest in tradition,

替而代之，他們投入在傳統、

heritage, history,

傳承、歷史上，

and pass it from generation to generation.

一代一代傳下去。

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

這種古老的遊牧民族哲理

讓我了解到我應該想得更遠，

and further than my own convenience and comfort.

超越我自己的方便和舒適。

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

在蒙古鄉間，

我感受到一種真實的自由。

and every time I came back to the city,

每當我回到城市，

I looked for ways to live more minimally.

我就會想辦法用最少東西來過日子。

I digitalized all of my company's paper procedures.

我把我公司的紙本流程都數位化。

What once took 20 packs of A4 paper

以前要花二十包 A4 的紙張，

now takes just one.

現在只要一包。

I downsized my apartment, reduced my carbon footprint

我把公寓尺寸縮小， 減少我的碳足跡，

and picked up a habit to rethink my actions,

並培養重新思考我的行為的習慣，

like purchasing, choosing transportation,

如買東西、交通選擇，

and many other lifestyle choices at home and work.

以及在家及工作上 許多其他的生活方式選擇。

And most importantly,

最重要的是，

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

我不再做速食消費性質的 商品行銷計畫，

and now work with organizations that promote sustainability.

而是和推動永續的組織合作。

But by far the biggest change

但到目前為止，

最大的改變

is that I've started to see development

是我開始用新的視角看待發展。

with fresh eyes.

In cities,

在城市裡，

living in a traditional yurt as a nomad

以遊牧民族身分 住在傳統的蒙古包裡，

and having less

且擁有的不多，

is often interpreted as a sign of poverty,

通常會被詮釋為貧窮的象徵，

not just abroad

不只是在國外，

but at home in Mongolia too.

在母國蒙古亦是如此。

We think that the end goal for every developing country

我們認為每個開發中國家的最終目標

is to become the next Tokyo or New York City,

是要變成下一個東京或紐約市，

with their skyscrapers, big shopping malls and toll roads.

有著摩天大樓、 大型購物中心、收費道路。

Communities around the world are abandoning their traditional lifestyles

全世界的社會都在抛棄 它們的傳統生活方式，

in pursuit of material wealth.

追求物質財富。

But let's not forget,

但，別忘了，

the developed countries

已開發國家

are the ones most responsible for climate change.

最需要為氣候變遷負責。

So we have to ask ourselves,

所以，我們得要捫心自問，

why do we keep on following the same blueprint

我們明明知道這樣會傷害這個世界，

when we know it causes harm to the world?

為什麼還是要繼續下去？

We've all experienced the consequences of our choices

在過去八個月，我們都體驗到了

我們的選擇會帶來什麼後果。

over the past eight months.

So doing right by Mother Nature

所以，善待大自然，

and focusing on earth-friendly, zero-waste habits

養成對地球友善、零廢棄的習慣，

is not an option anymore.

這已經不再是個選項了。

And who knows the key ingredients better than our ancestors,

有誰比我們的祖先更了解一切？

the ones who survived without the media

因為他們的生存不需依靠媒體或科技，

or technology

but with wisdom alone?

而是單靠智慧。

As a citizen of Mongolia,

身為蒙古的公民，

我在成長的過程中聽到

I grew up hearing

that developing countries are inferior,

開發中國家比較次等的說法，

and I really took it to heart.

而我把它當真。

But today, I want to say loud and clear

但今天，我想要清楚大聲地說，

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

我不會再認為開發中國家不好了。

On the contrary,

正好相反，

I see countries that have the biggest opportunity

我認為這些國家最有機會

to do things in the right way,

做對的事，

countries that can define their own kind of development

這些國家能定義自己的發展，

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

而且最具優勢

能為所有人建造 更美好、更安全的環境。

for everyone.

What worked for our ancestors for thousands of years

數千年來我們祖先行得通的方式， 現在我們也行得通，

can work for us now,

and in the future,

未來結合創新發展後也行得通。

when combined with the latest innovations.

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

畢竟，我們都只是這個世界的過客，

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

讓我們好好善待地球和彼此，

just like the ancient Mongolian nomads did.

就像古老的蒙古遊牧民族那樣。

Thank you.

謝謝。