중국 내몽고 초원 몽골족 생활방식의 다변화

The differentiation of lifestyles in Inner Mongolia, China: A case study of Mongolian village in a grassland area

This article examines how the governmental policy on desertification in Inner Mongolia has an impact on the life of Mongolian herders based on an ethnographic research. Since the late nineties, the Chinese government has implemented a variety of policies for grassland restoration. Firstly, the prohibition of herding sheep and cows resulted in lowering the number of livestock, pushing the herders to find alternative livelihoods. Secondly, the government encouraged the herders to breed dairy cows. Thirdly, by the proposition of the ecologists of IBCAS, Mongolian people have begun to herd chickens on the grassland, which transformed the herders’ life, and began identifying themselves as “herders of poultry.” The presence of dairy cows and chickens on the grassland diversified the lifestyles of herders in Inner Mongolia. Mongolian people live a resilient life by coping with rapid changes in the policies and living conditions.