It's funny how foreigners ask me the same questions

奇怪的是，外國人也會問我同樣的問題。

when they first meet me.

當他們第一次見到我。

Questions like,

諸如此類的問題。

"Wow, you're from Mongolia?

"哇，你是蒙古人？

So do you ride horses to go to work?"

那你騎馬去上班嗎？"

"Do you know what Coke is?"

"你知道可樂是什麼嗎？"

Or, "Do you have chocolates in Mongolia?"

或者，"你們蒙古有巧克力嗎？"

And if I want to have fun with it,

如果我想玩得開心。

I say things like,

我說的東西像。

"Oh my God,

"哦，我的天。

I've never heard any of those before.

我從來沒有聽說過這些。

What are Coke and chocolates?

可樂和巧克力是什麼？

Can you tell me more about them?"

你能給我講講他們的情況嗎？"

It always works,

它總是有效的。

and we have a good laugh about it too.

我們也有一個很好的笑聲。

In reality, our capital city, Ulaanbaatar, is very urban.

現實上，我們的首都烏蘭巴托是非常城市化的。

We have commercial buildings,

我們有商廈。

brand-name hotels

名牌酒店

and beautiful art spaces too.

和美麗的藝術空間了。

But all too often

但很多時候

foreigners fixate on what Mongolia lacks.

外國人盯著蒙古缺乏的東西。

They look at our massive, untouched landscape,

他們看著我們龐大的、未被開發的景觀。

traditional nomadic lifestyles,

傳統的遊牧生活方式；

and see it as a sign of poverty.

並將其視為貧窮的標誌。

And I disagree.

而我不同意。

In fact, I think there's a lot we can learn

事實上，我覺得我們可以學到很多東西

from ancient Mongolian nomads

牧民

that will help us survive

生生不息

in the years and decades to come.

在未來的幾年和幾十年裡。

This is a picture of me playing Mongolia's most celebrated traditional instrument,

這是我演奏蒙古最著名的傳統樂器的照片。

morin khuur,

Morin Khuur,

or horsehead fiddle.

或馬頭琴。

I started playing the instrument when I was only nine,

我九歲的時候就開始彈琴了。

and by 11 I was traveling the world

11歲的時候我就開始環遊世界了

representing Mongolia at international festivals,

代表蒙古參加國際節慶活動；

living and studying in places like Japan, China, Finland, Germany and Sweden.

在日本、中國、芬蘭、德國和瑞典等地生活和學習。

But then suddenly,

但突然間。

when I was 21,

當我21歲的時候

I lost my loving mother,

我失去了我親愛的母親。

and just two years later

而僅僅兩年後

I lost my father.

我失去了我的父親。

As an only child,

作為獨生子女。

I was devastated and lonely.

我很傷心，也很孤獨。

At the time, the only thing I had left was my country,

當時，我唯一剩下的就是我的國家。

so I decided to move home.

所以我決定搬回家。

When I was lost with sorrow,

當我被悲傷迷失的時候。

my country gave me a feeling of safety and belonging.

祖國給了我安全感和歸屬感。

I imagined eternal the blue sky of Mongolia as my father

我想象著永恆的蒙古的藍天，就像我的父親一樣。

and the untouched, gorgeous landscape as my mother.

以及像我母親一樣原始、絢麗的風景。

Having lived in developed countries for over a decade,

在發達國家生活了十幾年。

I became very distant from the nomadic lifestyles,

我對遊牧民族的生活方式變得非常疏遠。

so I wanted to reconnect and experience it for myself.

所以我想重新聯繫，親自體驗一下。

I often journeyed away from the city toward my grandparents' provinces

我經常離開城市，向著爺爺奶奶的省份進發

in rural Mongolia

在蒙古農村

to see where my parents and I came from,

來看看我和我父母的來歷。

and better understand my own identity.

並更好地瞭解自己的身份。

Growing up, I'd always heard stories about how Mongolian nomads

從小到大，我一直聽說蒙古遊牧民族的故事。

were the most hospitable people on earth,

是世界上最好客的民族。

and I wanted to see with my own eyes

我想親眼看看

whether they really feed and give shelter to a stranger.

他們是否真的給一個陌生人提供食物和住所。

So I set off to the countryside,

於是，我開始下鄉了。

driving along dirt roads for hours.

沿著土路行駛數小時。

What's incredible about Mongolian nomads

蒙古遊牧民族有什麼不可思議的地方？

is that the neighbors are often 40 kilometers apart,

是鄰居之間往往相隔40公里。

and there's no private land ownership of pasture land in Mongolia.

而且蒙古國的牧場沒有私人土地所有權。

In a way,

在某種程度上

Mongolian nomads have the complete freedom,

蒙古遊牧民族有完全的自由。

moving about the gorgeous landscape as they wish.

在絢麗的風景中隨心所欲地移動。

Eventually, I spotted to humble yurts

最終，我發現了簡陋的蒙古包。

and I pulled over.

我把車停了下來。

Yurts, or ger,

Yurts，或ger。

are a traditional Mongolian dwelling.

是一種傳統的蒙古族民居。

They're made from one hundred percent natural material,

它們是由百分之百的天然材料製成的。

a wooden frame and floor,

一個木質框架和地板。

leather rope

皮繩

and thick blankets made from felted sheep's wool.

和用羊毛氈製成的厚毯子。

And it takes about only three to four hours

而且只需要三到四個小時

to assemble or disassemble,

裝配或拆卸。

and keeps them warm

併為他們保暖

through the minus 50 degree Celsius winters.

度過零下50攝氏度的冬天。

Outside the yurt,

在蒙古包外。

the kids were playing with sheep and goats,

孩子們在玩綿羊和山羊。

and as I greeted them,

而當我向他們打招呼的時候。

their parents welcomed me inside.

他們的父母歡迎我進去。

The wife poured me nice warm milk tea,

妻子給我倒了好喝的熱奶茶。

and the husband offered me food

丈夫給我食物

that they had already prepared on the table.

他們已經在桌子上準備好了。

After some casual chitchat,

經過一番閒聊。

the husband politely asked my purpose,

丈夫客氣地問我的目的。

so I replied bluntly

於是我直截了當地回答

that I was just traveling

我只是在旅行

and exploring my grandparents' roots

和探尋我的祖父母的根基

and that I needed a place to stay

我需要一個地方住

as the sun was setting.

夕陽西下的時候。

And guess what?

你猜怎麼著？

He said I could stay as long as I needed to,

他說，只要我需要，我可以呆多久都可以。

on one condition.

但有一個條件：

He asked if I would play the morin khuur,

他問我願不願意拉莫林胡爾。

our traditional Mongolian horsehead fiddle.

我們傳統的蒙古族馬頭琴。

In my head, I couldn't believe it was coming true.

在我的腦海裡，我不敢相信這是真的。

And the horsehead fiddle was like a ticket.

而馬頭琴就像一張票。

When Mongolians find out that you can play morin khuur,

當蒙古人發現你會玩莫林庫爾。

you're instantly respected.

你馬上就會受到尊重。

They say its two strings

他們說是兩根弦

express all the events of the world.

表達世間萬象。

I ended up staying with them for nine days,

最後我在他們那裡住了九天。

and they didn't even ask me to leave.

他們甚至沒有問我離開。

I think if I tried to stay there for two months,

我想如果我想在那裡呆上兩個月。

they would have let me.

他們會讓我。

And here's the thing:

事情是這樣的

before I met them,

在我遇到他們之前。

I assumed that Mongolian nomads were hospitable out of kindness

我還以為蒙古人是出於好客的心態呢

like anybody else.

像其他人一樣。

But then I realized it was more than that.

但後來我意識到，這還不止於此。

It was about surviving as a community.

這是關於作為一個群體的生存。

Because nomads live in extremely remote areas,

因為遊牧民族生活在極其偏遠的地區。

they are completely at the mercy of nature.

他們完全聽任自然的擺佈。

Heavy snowfall,

大雪。

a sudden flood

突如其來

or a raging storm

抑或狂風暴雨

can devastate a nomadic family.

可以摧毀一個遊牧家庭。

Today, it's a stranger who needs help,

今天，是一個需要幫助的陌生人。

but tomorrow, it could be you.

但明天，它可能是你。

That's why they look out for each other

所以他們才會互相照應啊

and welcome anyone in need of help.

並歡迎需要幫助的人。

This really touched my heart,

這真的讓我很感動。

because I feel like we humans are becoming more and more selfish.

因為我覺得我們人類越來越自私了。

Staying with a truly nomadic family awakened me.

和一個真正的遊牧民族家庭呆在一起，讓我覺醒。

It was nothing like I've ever seen in developed countries.

這和我在發達國家看到的完全不一樣。

The wife of the family

家庭的妻子

showed me how they produce organic dairy products from scratch,

向我展示了他們如何從頭開始生產有機乳製品。

like white cheese, yogurt, tsegee,

如白奶酪、酸奶、滋補品。

and even a traditional vodka made from cow milk.

甚至還有用牛乳釀製的傳統伏特加。

And every tool they use is made from natural material by hand.

而他們使用的每一件工具都是用天然材料手工製作的。

And inside the yurt,

而在蒙古包內。

we burned dried cow dung to stay warm

燒牛糞取暖

instead of using fuel.

而不是使用燃料。

Everything stood in sharp contrast

一切都形成了鮮明的對比

to my city life filled with plastic and steel.

對我的城市生活充滿了塑膠和鋼鐵。

And this was a five-senses experience to me,

而這對我來說是一種五感體驗。

a completely different form of sophistication.

一種完全不同的複雜形式。

The more I traveled across remote and rural destinations in Mongolia,

我的足跡越過蒙古的偏遠和鄉村目的地。

the more I understood

我越發明白

how ancient nomadic lifestyle was powered by Mother Nature.

古代遊牧民族的生活方式是如何由大自然母親推動的。

Nomadic life is truly zero waste.

遊牧生活是真正的零浪費。

Over the course of six years,

在六年的時間裡。

I visited more than 20 families,

我走訪了20多個家庭。

and my experience was always the same.

和我的經驗總是一樣的。

They invited me in, offered me food

他們請我進去，給我食物

and gave me a place to stay if I needed it.

並給我一個地方，如果我需要它。

I was surprised by how little they owned.

他們擁有的東西之少讓我感到驚訝。

At first, I thought it was because they moved about four times a year.

起初，我以為是因為他們一年搬了四次家。

OK, that's a very simple logic to understand.

OK，這個道理很簡單，可以理解。

You only carry what you need.

你只攜帶你需要的東西。

But then I learned

但後來我知道

there's a deeper philosophy behind it.

背後還有更深層次的哲學。

Historically, nomads believed

歷史上，遊牧民族相信

that we are only passing through this life,

我們只是在此生中度過。

that people come and leave naked,

人們光著身子來，光著身子走。

so they believe that there's no point in building anything that destroys nature

所以他們認為建造任何破壞自然的東西都是沒有意義的。

or in being greedy for materialistic things

貪圖享樂

when your life expectancy is only less than 100 years.

當你的壽命只有不到100歲的時候。

Instead, they invest in tradition,

相反，他們投資於傳統。

heritage, history,

遺產，歷史。

and pass it from generation to generation.

並代代相傳。

This ancient nomadic philosophy made me realize that I should think bigger

這種古代遊牧民族的哲學讓我意識到，我應該想得更大一些

and further than my own convenience and comfort.

並且比我自己的方便和舒適更進一步。

In the Mongolian countryside, I felt a true form of freedom,

在蒙古鄉下，我感受到了一種真正的自由。

and every time I came back to the city,

而每次我回到這個城市。

I looked for ways to live more minimally.

我尋找著更簡約的生活方式。

I digitalized all of my company's paper procedures.

我把公司所有的紙質程序都數字化了。

What once took 20 packs of A4 paper

曾經需要20包A4紙的東西

now takes just one.

現在只需要一。

I downsized my apartment, reduced my carbon footprint

我縮小了我的公寓面積，減少了我的碳足跡。

and picked up a habit to rethink my actions,

並養成了重新思考自己行動的習慣。

like purchasing, choosing transportation,

比如購買、選擇交通工具。

and many other lifestyle choices at home and work.

以及其他許多家庭和工作中的生活方式選擇。

And most importantly,

而最重要的是。

I stopped working on fast-moving consumer-goods marketing projects

我停止了快速消費品營銷項目的工作。

and now work with organizations that promote sustainability.

現在與促進可持續發展的組織合作。

But by far the biggest change

但到目前為止，最大的變化是

is that I've started to see development

是，我已經開始看到發展

with fresh eyes.

煥然一新。

In cities,

在城市：

living in a traditional yurt as a nomad

遊牧生活

and having less

並有較少的

is often interpreted as a sign of poverty,

往往被解釋為貧窮的標誌。

not just abroad

不僅僅是國外

but at home in Mongolia too.

但在蒙古的家中也。

We think that the end goal for every developing country

我們認為，每個開發中國家的最終目標是

is to become the next Tokyo or New York City,

是要成為下一個東京或紐約市。

with their skyscrapers, big shopping malls and toll roads.

高樓大廈、大型商場和收費公路。

Communities around the world are abandoning their traditional lifestyles

世界各地的社區正在放棄他們的傳統生活方式。

in pursuit of material wealth.

為了追求物質財富。

But let's not forget,

但我們不要忘記。

the developed countries

發達國家

are the ones most responsible for climate change.

是對氣候變化負有最大責任的人。

So we have to ask ourselves,

所以我們要問自己。

why do we keep on following the same blueprint

何以故步自封

when we know it causes harm to the world?

當我們知道它對世界造成傷害時？

We've all experienced the consequences of our choices

我們都經歷過選擇的後果

over the past eight months.

在過去八個月裡，。

So doing right by Mother Nature

所以，為大自然母親做正確的事

and focusing on earth-friendly, zero-waste habits

並注重環保、零廢棄的習慣。

is not an option anymore.

是不可能的了。

And who knows the key ingredients better than our ancestors,

還有誰比我們的祖先更瞭解其中的關鍵成分。

the ones who survived without the media

漏網之魚

or technology

或技術

but with wisdom alone?

但僅憑智慧？

As a citizen of Mongolia,

作為蒙古國公民，

I grew up hearing

我從小聽到

that developing countries are inferior,

開發中國家是劣等國家，

and I really took it to heart.

我真的把它記在了心裡。

But today, I want to say loud and clear

但是今天，我想大聲的說一句話

that I don't see disadvantages from developing countries anymore.

我看不到開發中國家的劣勢了。

On the contrary,

恰恰相反。

I see countries that have the biggest opportunity

我看到有最大機會的國家

to do things in the right way,

以正確的方式做事。

countries that can define their own kind of development

能夠確定自己的發展方向的國家

and have the most advantage to build a better and safer environment

並具有最大的優勢，打造更好更安全的環境。

for everyone.

每個人都有。

What worked for our ancestors for thousands of years

幾千年來，什麼東西對我們的祖先有用？

can work for us now,

可以為我們工作了。

and in the future,

和未來。

when combined with the latest innovations.

當結合最新的創新。

After all, we're all guests in this world,

畢竟，我們都是這個世界上的客人。

so let's do right by the earth and each other

所以，讓我們對得起地球，對得起彼此。

just like the ancient Mongolian nomads did.

就像古代蒙古遊牧民族那樣。

Thank you.

謝謝你了