Mongolian yurts

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Husitaikou as the only road connecting the autumn pasture and the winter pasture was inhabited by many Mongolians. Husitaikou of this season reminded me of the poem Chile Ballad: “The Chile Rivers lies /Where Gloomy Mountains rise The sky is like a dome/That holds the steppe, our home/blue, blue appear the skies/vast, vast the grassland lies Winds blow, grass bows and we see the cattle roam.”the”dome” in the poem refers to the residence of the nomadic ethnic groups including the Mongolians. When you stand on Mt.

Tianshan in autumn, looking into the distance and see the withered grass and yellow leaves, you will feel bleak and dismal, just as the portrayal in the poem. The feeling at that time istotally different from the feeling when looking at the green mountains and clear water. The unrestrainedness and gentleness of the Mongolians is closely related to the seasonal change of the grassland.

The Chaolus began to show us how to make a yurt. Chaolu was a typical Mongolian man who was absolutely stocky although he couldn’t be regarded as a strong man. Making yurt was very easy for them because they had put up and dismantled their yurt for numerous times during the seasonal moving. We were familiar with the origin of yurt because we hadhad a detailed understanding of the history of yurt-making before going there. The yurt, as a traditional residence of the Mongolians, is also known as zhanbao or zhanzhang(felt tent). The Mongolia has a description of yurt: “The dome falls into two categories. The kind made in Yanjing is of willow wood structure… It can be unfolded with a door in the front and a roof like umbrella ribs with a hole in it. The Mongolians call it sky window. The entire dome is covered with felt and can be carried on horseback. “The word “bao” is Manchu language, which means “home”. The Mongolians call it yixihegeer. Putting up Mongolian yurt is very simple: selecting place, laying the floor, erecting the door of the yurt, making the walls with frames, tying the inner belts, supporting the wooden circular roof, installing the rafters, laying the inner felt, weaving the wall felt, covering the inner roof belt, covering the felt jacket, tying the outer belts, hanging the sky window curtain, weaving the bottom felt and finally tightening it with wool ropes.