Northern grassland

? Speaking of northern grassland (Inner Mongolia), what can you think of? Is it the unrestrained Mongolian style, or is it a paradise for beef, mutton and dairy? Is it the culture of different Han people outside the Great Wall, or the endless mineral and down resources? Is it a nomadic civilization that is unsettled and highly mobile, or is it wrestling and the musical instruments of famous tribes? In fact, the main focus of geography this semester is on marginal areas, and if you want to understand a place, you must start with its geography and humanities. Without further ado, let’s start our trip to Mongolia!

? (Before the real topic begins, we need to understand the distribution and region of grasslands. Because Mongolia is famous for its grasslands, most areas are concentrated in grasslands)

? Grassland is a landform & ecological area mainly distributed in southern Africa, Australia, eastern Europe and central Asia. The temperate grassland climate is a typical semi-arid climate, suitable for the growth of drought-resistant crops. The temperature is generally low in winter and the temperature difference between day and night is large in summer. It is divided into dry and wet seasons, but the grasslands in Europe and Asia are not the same. The difference is that Europe has wet grasslands and more precipitation. After all, they have a temperate maritime climate, which is mild and humid, and the grasslands are also very lush. The grasslands in Asia are all inland, and water vapor has to travel a long way to get here. There is a lack of water, so the grass is yellowish, short and hard, and the climate is relatively harsh. So how do we determine the boundaries of this place? Probably just north of the 400mm precipitation line. It is precisely because of this that the living form of farming and nomadic life was formed.

OK, after learning about the grassland, we officially entered Mongolia to study.

? First, take a look at this map:

? Mongolia is basically located due north of China, roughly the area where Inner Mongolia and Mongolia are today. To the north is Siberia, which is famous for its cold weather, and at the junction are Lake Baikal and the Sayan Mountains. To the east are the Greater Khingan Mountains and Yanshan Mountains separated from the northeast. To the south are the Yinshan Mountains (Hetao area) separated from North China, and the Qilian Mountains separated from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The west is a small part of the Altai Mountains and Tianshan Mountains separated from the northwest region. Being so inland and surrounded by mountains, the environment here must be very harsh. Windy with sandstorms. However, some water vapor can reach here after a long period of "migration". Because Daxinganling is a leeward slope, it is higher than two weeks. So rivers were created. In the north, near the Kent Mountains and Lake Baikal, the Selenga River system is formed due to moisture from the Arctic Ocean and melted snow from the mountains. The environment here is slightly better. Internally, the climate is generally higher in the west and lower in the east, with a temperate continental climate. It is divided into two regions because there is a Gobi Desert in the middle part (probably the area in the west of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the north of Ningxia and Shaanxi today). So it is divided into two parts, Mobei and Monan. The desert in the middle is uninhabited and the environment is even worse.

? So how did the early residents live here? First of all, a relatively developed civilization will definitely not be formed here. After all, the environment is like this, and internal struggles cannot unite. Large-scale farming cannot be carried out, and precipitation is low. So the form of grazing was derived. They just live by water and grass and use the resources of livestock to live. But even grazing requires at least a relatively good environment. So Beidi, which everyone has heard about earlier, lives in the Hetao area and the northern part of the Loess Plateau. The Hetao area is called Seshang Jiangnan because it is not only a basin, but also has the Yellow River flowing through it. But soon, the civilization of the Central Plains became more powerful, and there were more people, and the upper limit of their strength was higher than that of the semi-agrarian and semi-nomadic people. Therefore, during the Warring States and Qin Dynasties, they were ruthlessly driven to the north of Yinshan Mountain.

? So where is the turning point? First of all, their previous form of survival was grazing, and they were not very mobile. But if you can make full use of the resources in each region of the north, survival will not be difficult. There happened to be horses in the north that were in short supply in the Central Plains. Not only is it hardy, but it’s also not very demanding. If it is said that it is "hard to protect" itself, then on this basis it will go south to compete for resources. As a result, herding became nomadic, with strong mobility and strong offensive capabilities. Just after the Qin Dynasty, Moton Chanyu appeared. And it happened to be a soft persimmon: the Han Dynasty had just been established and the vitality had not yet been restored. Going south at this time would definitely be very beneficial. So there was the famous Siege of Baideng, where Liu Bang's 400,000-strong army was trapped. In the end, he bribed spies to escape. I had no choice but to use marriage to solve the problem. The famous Wang Zhaojun's departure from the fortress was the current situation of many court women at that time. But there is no way to plow and hoe the risk. Who knows whether the Huns will suddenly go south.

So after decades of reform, the Han Dynasty encountered the talented and resourceful Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and began to ravage the Xiongnu. The overall three battles that determine the outcome are the Battle of Henan, the Battle of Hexi and the Battle of Mobei. Of course, the Han Dynasty also formed alliances during this process. Although Zhang Qian's several missions to the Western Regions failed to connect them, they established the Silk Road. Moreover, passing through the Gobi desert, the capture of Hexi was obviously to cut off the Xiongnu's left arm.

? So do you understand the contradiction between the northern grasslands and the Central Plains? No! The Xiongnu went down, and the Xianbei, Qiang, Di, Jie and other ancestors appeared one after another and caused trouble in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties for a full 600 years. Although they were driven back to the north in the Sui, Tang and Ming dynasties, they spent the rest of the time either ravaging the Han people or ruling the Han people. The Liao, Jin, Yuan and Qing dynasties were all founded by ethnic minorities in the north. In fact, this is actually related to the rise and fall of temperature. When it is cold, it is also cold in the north, which will give them the "motivation" to go south, and the Han people will also be ravaged. But the way of governance is still different. Tuoba Hong of the Northern Wei Dynasty tried to use Han culture to govern the country, but the end result was that he was assimilated by the large number of Han people and disappeared from history. In the later period, the more powerful nomads directly ruled China, but they still could not adapt without using the Central Plains method of management. But both the Mongols and the Manchus were disrespectful to the Han people (most of the time). Over time, the nomadic people eventually became inferior to the Han people, and the majority returned to the north, and modern times began.

? So how did the northern grasslands develop today? Everyone may be confused about one thing, that is, the split between Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia (Mongolia). Why is there such a result? On the one hand, there is the external influence (politics) from Russia, which supports Mongolian independence "without reason". In terms of internal environment, the huge gap between southern and northern Mons led to divisions. The climate in Mobei is cold, while the south of Mo is relatively warm. The survival challenges of adaptation are different and cannot be connected. So the interval creates separation. Maybe it's the same as the 38th Parallel in North and South Korea. In fact, the "Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region" also stems from ethnic uniqueness, and there is no element of forced membership of the Han ethnic group.

? When it comes to the development of Inner Mongolia in modern times, it is really "sheep coal rustic". They are cashmere (industry) from goats, which is the largest cashmere producing area in the world, and natural gas and coal (from Sugri gas and many open-pit coal mines), which is the largest cashmere producing area in the world, and the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi, also known as (Referred to as the "Golden Triangle of Coal") and rare earths that are beneficial to various industries. Rare earths seem to have no characteristics, but they are actually very useful. Because they contain a variety of mineral elements, they are beneficial to many scientific and technological fields. At the same time, Hohhot also has a large dairy industry The headquarters of Yili and Mengniu. Most of the milk, yogurt, dairy products, ice cream and the like you drink every day come from these two major dairy industries. Therefore, because of these major industries, Inner Mongolia’s GDP economic center is. In Ordos, Baotou and Hohhot, agriculture is also very developed due to the Yellow River, and the annual grain output is the sixth in the country. With the support of so many invincible BUFFs, Inner Mongolia has produced many big bosses, and its GDP has also increased rapidly.

? But these beneficial resources really mean that Inner Mongolia is invincible? No! You must know that there is a carbon plan, 2030 carbon standards, 2060 carbon neutrality, isn’t your current mining and utilization destroying the environment and the plan? Due to long-term development, many grasslands in Inner Mongolia have now turned into sandy land~~ Hulunbuir, you know, there used to be Hulunbuir grassland, but now it is the Hulunbuir sandy land. This is especially true in the Hohhot area. Desertification has caused soil erosion and plant "trends". , the increase in natural disasters will in turn affect the development of Mongolia. In the end, even nomadism may no longer be possible. Moreover, natural gas and coal are non-renewable resources. Where can you find them when they are used up?

So what should we do? I think we have to have both. We can’t let one affect the other, and we can’t go to extremes. Development is definitely necessary, but it must be done within a certain limit. It’s hard to find resources for the sake of the environment. Cut off the retreat?

? Finally, do you understand?

? In fact, the history of Mongolia is the change of the relationship between nomadic people and agricultural people. History. From being unable to reach a family with eight poles, it has really gone through countless things. The culture has been preserved, and the economy and technology have also been improved, but the relationship with the environment still needs to be controlled. To put it bluntly, Mongolia has a better future.

Is there no other way out besides this kind of industry? The people of the northern grasslands have had a hard time finding their way out, and they have gone through countless hardships to get to where they are today. Wasn’t the purpose of going south in history also to find a way out? Eventually it stabilizes, still for the same goals and values. What the future will look like, we all have to explore together!

? Finally, let me give you a fun video, from the funny UP host Huang Yidao Poison at Station B: Inner Mongolia is too long, right? ! -Bilibili https://b23.tv/z3LJZ6j