Beautiful Mongolia

It is still winter in Mongolia, even though it is gradually warming up from deep freeze.  The temperature has ranged from -19 to 0 degrees C, since when I arrived 3 days ago.  I was told it can get down to  -30 and beyond.  

Mongolia is huge, roughly 3 times the size of France.  In the south is the Gobi desert.  The rest are grassland and mountains. Ulaanbataar seems to be in a valley surrounded by mountains to the south and the north. Hence one often sees houses clustered at the foot of snow-covered mountains. 

At the out skirts of the city, gers start appearing among the houses. Many houses have one or two gers in the compound.  As one gets out of the city, more and more gers appear. 

A blue and white airplane is parked on the roadside. Out ofthe blue. 

One has to climb mountains to get out of the city.

One can choose to live in villages near the forests. 

Or in a cluster of houses.  Or alone, many kilometres from anyone else.  

Some live in log cabins.

Cows and horses seem to run free on the grassland.  Even when it is covered in snow. Sheep and goats tend to be kept inside, when they are not grazing.. 

Sometimes a long cargo train would break the silence. 

Tires are buried in the ground, to mark passable roads.  It is easy to get stuck in the snow.  Passing cars stop to help, if you are fortunate.  

We had to pass over meandering rivers, frozen over., to visit a herding station.  The ice is slippery.  And they can crack. Posing many dangers. 

The sky seems always blue.  

It is indeed beautiful.  In so many ways,  

Muslim Qinghai

18 years ago I came to Qinghai during the Corban Festival (Er’de Corban, Sacrifice Festival).  I heard that Muslims believed that Allah (God?) asked Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmail to test his faith.  Ibrahim passed the test and a goat (sheep? lamb?) was subsequently sacrificed in place of Ishmail.  Thereafter Muslims celebrate the event by slaughtering goats, and praying at the mosque.  

I was hugely impressed by the thousands upon thousands of people kneeling and praying on the street outside the mosque in sub-zero temperature, for hours.

Then we watched several goats being slaughtered, with their blood drained, then skinned, and eaten.   With the richer sharing their abundance with their neighbours.  I remember distinctly the goats’ intestines being cleared, leaving the intestines almost translucent, and then offered to the mosque, together with the rest of the internal organs.  The meat, having the blood drained, but not yet washed, being so white, and looking so clean.  

This year, I return.  Where the white, big Dongguan mosque stood, I found a dark, Chinese architecture style mosque.  At first, I thought the Chinese style mosque was built in front of the old white mosque.  When I looked closer, and compared with my old photos taken in 2008, I realised that the old white mosque was no longer.  It seemed to have been replaced with the dark, Chinese style mosque.  Is this a sign of the localization of Islam?  

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n 2008, we climbed to the roof of the building across the street from the mosque, and watched.  I was surprised to find the building still standing.  I was tempted to climb to the roof again.  But there wasn’t enough time.  

The area around the mosque is vibrant, with food stalls, restaurants, shops, schools, and lots and lots of people. We are considering bringing a team here to work at one of the schools.  We might also bring a team here to do eye inspections.  Perhaps in the big square in front of the mosque?

When I eat stuffed goat intestines, I was reminded of the intestines of the sacrificed goat offered to the mosque.  Is this where they ended up?  

My favourite dish remans the boiled lamb, eaten with spices.  

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verything seems to be linked, in some way. Qinghai is a fascinating place.  I would love to return, to explore some more. 

Tibetan Qinghai

Qinghai has a wide distribution of ethnic groups: Han, Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Mongol, Salar, …  Of which, the Tibetan is one of the most distinctive.  It is said that 21% of the 6 million people in Qinghai are ethnic Tibetan.  Part of the great community of Tibetans in Tibet, Sichuan, and beyond. 

In Xining, there is a big, modern museum of Tibetan culture.  Tibetan culture and history is dominated by its distinctive form of Buddhism.   It is related to the Chinese variety but with many rather different practices.  Such as the primacy of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, the architecture, the clothing, the paintings, the learning system, … 

The museum houses a great collection of Thangkas (sacred paintings on cloth).  Very elaborate, colourful depictions of the Buddha, the Buddhist world view, various spirits, kings and famous teachers, stories that teach, …  One of my favourites is the concept of the six paths of reincarnation: gods, human beings, fierce demigods, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell.  I would have loved to stay and watch more.  But we didn’t have time. I remain hugely impressed by the resources invested in preserving the Tibetan culture in a certain way.  

The Taer Temple (塔爾寺, Kumbum Monastery) is fascinating, in so many ways.  It is one of the most revered sites in Tibetan Buddhism.  It is said hundreds of monks are living and studying there.  Some of them can be seen milling around. Many more seem to be visitors.  

It has a mixture of Tibetan and Chinese (Han) architecture.  The white pagoda is very Tibetan,  So are the trapezoid windows, very colourful walls, flags, …  Inside the monastery, one can feel being in Tibet.  In fact, the Panchen Lama was born not too far from here.  

The believers are amazingly devoted.  Kneeling, prostrating, repeat.  Or, walk, kneel, prostrate, repeat ad infinitum.  Around the temple, around a sacred mountain, to the monastery, from hundreds of kilometres away all the way to Lhasa. Rolling the inscribed wheels. Chanting.  What kind of belief motivate them?

How do they retain these very traditional believes and practices in this rapidly modernising world?  When they are challenged from so many fronts: politics, language, science, culture, technology, entertainment, wealth and poverty, …? It is nothing short of miraculous. It is a great testimony to the power of faith, 

All things goat

In Qinghai succulent goat can be eaten in so many ways. 

Grabbed by hand - my favourite.

Covered by spices. 

Boiled heart.

Boiled head. 

Intestines stuffed with flour, meat, …

Meat on the face. 

With noddles. 

Tender, full of flavour, succulent.  Qinghai is goat lovers’ heaven.