A disappearing way of life on China's prairie
Mongolian animal herders are under threat from industrial expansion
A government ban on herding is threatening the livelihood of China's ethnic Mongolians. Forced to abandon their traditional way of life, many are worried that their culture is being eroded.
China first imposed a herding ban in 2008 to protect the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. "At that time, the prairie was very dry and damaged", explains herdsman Wu Rigen. Wu was forced to get a job in the closest big city to cope with the ban, but like many others he longs to return to herding, an integral part of the Mongolian culture he grew up in. "For our Mongolian people, it’s a shame to lose all these traditions", he laments.
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