Inner Mongolia: Futuristic landscape drumming with tradition

2015-07-03     Source:chinadaily.com.cn

A group of diplomats from 15 countries visit the Inner Mongolia during the third Cultural Discovery Tour.  

The third cultural discovery tour was hosted by the Ministry of Culture in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. I joined the tour, along with a group of diplomats and others, as a guest of the ministry.

Few Westerners, myself included, know much about either of the Mongolias. Before setting out I vaguely imagined it as a vast wilderness, populated by grassland tribes so warlike that the world's most stupendous fortification was not enough to keep them out. Somewhere in the ocean of dust and grass, Coleridge says, is Xanadu, where "did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree."

Travelling through in the 1980s, Paul Theroux described Inner Mongolia as "nothing more than a light brown land, yellower where the grass was." Even the Chinese described it "by wincing and calling it 'the grasslands'—and they prayed they would not be sent to work in such a region." In Hohhot, the capital, the celebrated travel writer was even more discouraging: "It was not really a city—it was a garrison that had been plonked down in the Mongolian prairie, and every building in it looked like a factory. It had been planned and much of it built by the Russians, but even its newer structures looked horrible."

Unlike the Chinese opera, Mongolian music is thunderous and stentorian, like a drumming herd of horses. 

These accounts rather lowered my expectations, and I mentally prepared myself for the dismal scenery of smaller Chinese cities: struggling trees and rows of identical shoebox apartments, probably beneath a choking sulphur haze.

So it was more than a small shock to disembark beneath a cloudless cerulean sky, in an airy, aesthetic, modern city. The center of Hohhot was full of trees and well-tended parks, with many solar panels in evidence. After the grey pall of Beijing's toxic sky—the AQI was over 200-- the sudden color was like Dorothy landing in Oz.

The cityscape itself was also a surprise. Theroux's dreary garrison town is now a riot of inventive architecture and crazy designs. One of the most futuristic constructions is the theatre of the Inner Mongolia Art Troupe, a spaceship-like building that looks like it could have been hallucinated in one of Coleridge’s narcotic fantasies. Inside, we were introduced to three of the culture center's nine professional troupes: a classical orchestra, an A Capella chorus and an ensemble of traditional Mongolian instruments.

The 'bride' leaves after the mock wedding organized for diplomats and guests in the middle of a desert in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, June 27, 2015. 

The latter was the most impressive. Unlike the Chinese opera, Mongolian music is thunderous and stentorian, like a drumming herd of horses. The songs are all named for horses; even the violins have equine heads and horsehair strings. We later got a second dose with a booming performance by a dance troupe in a packed 600-seat theatre.

The following day we travelled to the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan, in the desert outside Ordos. The tomb is actually empty—the Khan's body has never been discovered—but holds relics like his weapons and saddle. Built in the 1950s, the cenotaph is maintained at government expense by an ancient tribe of worshippers.

"We revere Genghis Khan," our tour guide said. "In China he is famous for creating a meritocracy and efficient government. He is worshiped by the Mongol people. Even though his body isn’t here, we use his tomb to honor him."

The last night of the tour was spent in a tent watching a traditional prairie wedding—actually a reenactment by local actors. At least a 100 Chinese tourists came out to the prairie to watch the costumed performers explain their wedding customs, which include complicated rituals of greeting, bargaining and gift giving. The nuptials concluded with horseracing, archery, and more music.

China Daily editor Andrew Ancheta speaks to local media. 

This is as good a place as any to admit a slight bias. Throughout the trip, Ministry outdid itself to lavishly wine and dine its guests (in that order). But by all accounts the pot-sweetening was unnecessary; everyone I spoke with shared their admiration for Inner Mongolia's culture as we left.

"I was especially excited by the music." said Mark Levine, a singer-cum-university professor living in Beijing. "For me it was the highlight of the trip."

"I would like the governments of all levels to accept my admiration and compliments," said Sukh-Erdene Dugersuren, representing the country of (Outer) Mongolia, at our final meeting with the local government "What we have seen during these three days, the preserved culture, is most genuine."

Their admiration was echoed over and over again by the visitors, representing China's friends and partners in Africa, Asia and Europe, who promised to do their best to build cultural contacts with China and Inner Mongolia.